One year to the start of the Torino 2025 FISU Games

In just one year’s time, the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games Winter will get underway with the 13 January 2025 opening ceremony. As the FISU Championship Ski Orienteering gets the Championship season going this weekend in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, preparations in Italy’s Piemonte region continue to welcome the world’s student-athletes to the FISU Games in early 2025.

“The party has already begun with the splendid New Year’s Eve in Piazza Castello that accompanied us to this milestone: in 366 days it will be our turn, as the countdown clock placed on the Marathon Tower of the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino marks. It seems like only yesterday when, together with the Mayor of the City of Turin Stefano Lo Russo and the President of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio, we went to Lake Placid to receive the FISU flag, beginning the journey towards the next World University Games Winter assigned to the FederCUSI,” commented the President of the Organising Committee of the Turin 2025 Games, Alessandro Ciro Sciretti.

Six municipalities will host 11 sports over the course of 11 days of competition between 13 -23 January 2025. Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and freestyle will be in Bardonecchia, Pragelato will host cross-country skiing, biathlon, and the optional sport of ski orienteering, Pinerolo and Torre Pellice will welcome ice hockey, the other optional sport of ski mountaineering will be held in Sestriere, while competition in figure skating, short track speed skating, curling, and ice hockey will be held in Torino.

For the first time at the FISU Games Winter, parastudent-athletes will compete as events will be held in both alpine and cross-country skiing. Additionally , an international mind challenge is being organised in collaboration with the four universities of Piemonte (Università di Torino, Politecnico di Torino, Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo e Università del Piemonte Orientale) and the support of Camera di commercio di Torino.

Following sunset on this milestone date, the logo of Torino 2025 will be projected on Torino’s landmark Mole Antonelliana. This will kick off the excitement of a year long countdown to the FISU Games returning to its birthplace of Torino for the first time since the 2007 Winter Universiade.

Written by Doug McLean
(files and information from Alberto Dolfin, Head of Media, Torino 2025
header photo courtesy Torino 2025/Secci)