Spotlight: Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade

With approximately 41% of its population under thirty, Krasnoyarsk is a young city with a vibrant sport culture that continues to grow years after hosting the Winter Universiade in 2019.

On 2 March 2019, famous Russian figure skater Alexei Yagudin skated his way into spectators’ hearts during the opening ceremony of the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade—a very fitting nod to the ‘Welcome to Real Winter’ tagline of the Games themselves.

The 29^th Winter Universiade saw 3,000 athletes from a record 58 nations competing for their chance at 76 sets of medals spread over 11 sports in Krasnoyarsk—not to mention two first time competing nations from the Philippines and United Arab Emirates.  

Krasnoyarsk is actually the home of bandy—a fascinating sport that blends football and ice hockey, which made it’s debut on to the 29^th Winter Universiade sport programme as an optional sport. A total of six nations took part in the inaugural Universiade format.

By the end of the Games, the home team from the Russian Federation won 41 gold medals with a 112-medal total keeping them at the top of the overall medal standings. South Korea and Japan came in second and third place respectively.

The Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade also broke the Winter Universiade ticketing record, selling more than 255,000 tickets—80% of these sales from local residents. FISU declared that the “Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade broke all records for the sale of tickets in the whole history of the event.”

Not only did Krasnoyarsk host the world’s elite university athletes, but also some of the most brilliant academic minds for the FISU World Conference on Innovation, Education and Sport. This educational event saw 450 delegates across four continents and highlighted innovation around the world with an emphasis on longevity and long-term participation in sport.

The 29th Winter Universiade was one for the record books, setting the bar high for future Winter Universiade hosts. The world now looks to Central Switzerland, where Lucerne will host the the 30^th Winter Universiade from 11-21 December 2021.