FISU visits host city of its upcoming football world cup

A FISU Delegation has started the last inspection visit to Jinjiang (CHN) before the 2023 FISU University World Cup Football kicks off there later this year (21 to 31 October 2023).

The visit will allow the FISU representatives to meet with the local authorities, the Organising Committee (OC), especially the new members of it, and tour the venues of the competition as well as the hotels where student-athletes and officials will stay. At the end of their trip to China, the FISU team will have a better idea of the level of preparations.

The competition venues to be visited include the Football Training Centre, Yangzheng Middle School, Economic and Development Zone, Jinjiang Youth Sports School, Quanzhou Vocational and Technical University, Jinjiang Sports Center, Quanzhou College of Technology.

The first FISU University World Cup Football took place in 2019, but there have been no further edition afterwards because of the pandemics.

“The 2019 edition was a very good event in general, so we should not face many challenges,” said Alejandro Guerra Urbistondo, FISU Championships and World Cups Sport Manager. “But we can always improve things, so we are here to provide support and recommendations to the Organising Committee.”

“The relevant departments of the organizing committee will make further progress in the preparations according to FISU’s requirements,” said Wu Zunyi, Vice Mayor of Jinjiang Municipal Government. “Football is one of the world’s most widely practiced, influential, charming, and fan-driven sports. I hope that together we will ensure the second edition of the FISU World Cup will be both wonderful and successful.”

Twelve men and eight women teams from the five continents will participate in the competition.

The participants in the inspection visit are Alan Snoddy (FISU Technical Committee Chair Football), Alejandro Guerra Urbistondo (FISU Championships and World Cups Sport Manager), Anastasia Bocharnikova (FISU Regional Event Coordinator), Jorge De Silva (FISU Multimedia producer), Xiaohan Huo (FISU Social Media Assistant), Wang Jiangang (FUSC Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Media Communication), Yan Zhongjie (Technical Expert of FUSC and CFA), You Sirong (Programme Officer of FUSC Football Project), Pan Zilian (Vice chairman of Jinjiang standing committee of National People’s Congress), Wu Zunyi (Vice Mayor of Jinjiang Municipal Government), Huang Zhisheng (Director of the OC’s logistics department), Huang Yongzhong (Director of the OC’s competition and venue department), Xu Qingyuan (Director of the OC’s publicity department), Xiao Haiyang (Vice Director of the OC’s logistics department) and Chen Zihua (Vice Director of the OC’s marketing department).