Sitting just south of Rome, Napoli combined the dynamism of university sport with the region’s culture and history in the summer of 2019. It’s particularly fitting that an Italian city hosted the event’s 30th edition as the Summer Universiade got its start six decades ago in Torino.
The city’s historic centre, Centro Storico, and natural splendours like nearby Amalfi Coast played an ideal supporting role to university student-athletes in action. Just imagine playing for the Universiade tennis title beside the Gulf of Napoli beachfront, with the shadow of Mount Vesuvius to one side and the island of Capri to the other. As a backdrop for competitive summer sport, it doesn’t get more impressive than this.
It’s not all UNESCO World Heritage sites and wood-fired pizzerias in Napoli. Sports are a way of life in Italy’s third-largest city. Walking along the famously narrow streets of Napoli, pickup football games spring up in unexpected corners of the city as passionate fans crowd around café televisions whenever S.S.C Napoli and other teams play.
Key Facts
220 Medal events
6,000 Athletes
300,000+ Tickets sold
From the hub of the city to the whole of the region, there are plenty of options for people to either participate in or watch from the sidelines as a sports spectator.
The 2019 Summer Universiade hosts are prepared to run an efficient operation – one that leaves refurbished sports venues throughout the Campania Region for people to enjoy for years. With the passion of sports pulsing through the city, Napoli 2019 should add further inspiration to add sports to people’s daily lives, particularly on the university campus.
Even with the Napoli 2019 Universiade flame is extinguished, this Summer Universiade is poised to leave a shining legacy for many years to come.