Media Documentation - Winteruniversiade 2021
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Media Documentation
Contents
1 Winter Universiade 2021 ......................................................................................... 4
1.1 Organisations Involved ..................................................................................... 5
1.2 History .............................................................................................................. 5
1.3 Postponement .................................................................................................. 7
1.4 Logo ................................................................................................................. 7
2 Venues .................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Andermatt-Realp UR ........................................................................................ 9
2.2 Engelberg OW ................................................................................................ 10
2.3 Lenzerheide GR ............................................................................................. 11
2.4 Lucerne LU ..................................................................................................... 12
2.5 Stoos SZ ......................................................................................................... 13
2.6 St. Moritz GR .................................................................................................. 14
2.7 Sursee LU....................................................................................................... 15
2.8 Zug ZG ........................................................................................................... 16
3 Sport ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.1 Sports ............................................................................................................. 17
3.2 Biathlon .......................................................................................................... 19
3.3 Ice Hockey ...................................................................................................... 20
3.4 Freestyle & Freeski......................................................................................... 21
3.5 Snowboard ..................................................................................................... 22
3.6 Short Track Speed Skating ............................................................................. 23
3.7 Curling ............................................................................................................ 24
3.8 Figure Skating ................................................................................................ 25
3.9 Cross-Country Skiing...................................................................................... 26
3.10 Alpine Skiing ................................................................................................... 27
3.11 Ski Orienteering .............................................................................................. 28
4 Host City Lucerne .................................................................................................. 29
4.1 Universiade Park ............................................................................................ 30
4.2 Cultural Programme ....................................................................................... 30
5 Delegations/Participants ........................................................................................ 31
5.1 Accommodation .............................................................................................. 32
5.2 Transport ........................................................................................................ 33
6 Universities ............................................................................................................ 33
6.1 Student Projects ............................................................................................. 34
6.2 World Conference........................................................................................... 35
6.3 University of Lucerne ...................................................................................... 35
7 Volunteers ............................................................................................................. 36
8 Mascot ................................................................................................................... 37
9 Medals ................................................................................................................... 38
10 Sustainability and Legacy .................................................................................. 39
11 Finances ............................................................................................................ 41
Partners ........................................................................................................................ 42
1 Winter Universiade 2021
The Winter Universiade is the largest winter multisport event after the Olympic Games. In 2021
the 30th occasion of this unique event will take place in Central Switzerland and Grisons. The
organisation is a joint project of the six cantons of Central Switzerland Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz,
Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zug, and the City of Lucerne. The programme from the 11 to 21
December 2021 comprises ten sporting disciplines, to be contested at seven event venues.
Around 1600 Students aged between 17 and 25 from more than 540 universities in 50 countries
are expected to attend.
Further information about the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade may be found here:
www.winteruniversiade2021.ch
Winter Universiade 30th edition
2021
Date 11 to 21 December 2021
Host City Lucerne
Sports Biathlon, Curling, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Freestyle & Freeski,
Cross-Country Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Alpine Skiing,
Snowboard, Ski Orienteering
Days of Competition 11
Venues Andermatt-Realp, Engelberg, Lenzerheide, Lucerne, Stoos,
St. Moritz, Sursee, Zug
Notable 2nd edition in Switzerland after Villars 1962
Number of expected
Athletes 1600
Team Officials 900
Volunteers 3800
1.1 Organisations Involved The successful realisation of the Winter Universiade depends on the interplay of three organisations: the International University Sports Federation FISU, the Association Winter Universiade Lucerne-Central Switzerland 2021 and Swiss University Sports. It was in 1959 that FISU launched the Universiades, now the largest multi-sport event for students. Since then, a total of 29 Winter Universiades and 30 Summer Universiades have already taken place. Unlike the Olympic Games, both Universiades are held in the same year and in a two-year cycle. In March 2016, FISU assigned the 30th winter edition to Central Switzerland with Lucerne as the host city. The six cantons of Central Switzerland and the city of Lucerne founded an association for the purpose of this major project. Government representatives from each of the six cantons and Lucerne’s city council are responsible for strategic decisions under the chairmanship of Guido Graf, Cantonal Councillor Lucerne. The organising committee, directed by the Managing Director Urs Hunkeler, reports directly to this board. The organising committee works closely with Swiss University Sports. The National University Sports Federation of Switzerland is a member of FISU and is in charge of the selection of Swiss athletes for the multi-sport event. It has set itself the goal of building a strong Swiss team for the upcoming Winter Universiade at home. 1.2 History Staged every two years in a different global city, the Winter Universiade is the world's largest winter multi-sports competition for university athletes. The rich history of the Winter Universiade began in Chamonix, France in 1959. Sixteen countries and 220 athletes took part in the first edition, with six sporting disciplines: ice hockey, ice skating, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined. Today, the programme has nine compulsory sports. The Swiss mountain village of Villars hosted the Winter Universiade’s second edition in 1962 which was a big success thanks to the support of the Swiss University Sports Association. Nearly 300 athletes from 23 nations took part, including teams from Japan, Lebanon and New Zealand.
The Winter Universiade drew more than 500 athletes for the first time in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1983 and by the Sapporo 1991 edition in Japan, countries like the Soviet Union, United States and Japan were fielding delegations of more than 100 athletes each. The flawless execution of Sapporo 1991 helped Japan bring the Winter Olympics to Nagano in 1998 and paved the way for other major winter sports events in Asia. The 2005 Winter Universiade in Innsbruck, Austria, saw a record 2,223 participants from 50 countries and set the trend for night competitions. In another first at Innsbruck, women’s ski jumping was added to the programme, a full nine years ahead of its Olympic debut. In 2013, the Trentino Winter Universiade drew 2,668 competitors to the Italian Alps. Proving the Universiade as a launchpad to student-athletes’ future success, no fewer than 29 athletes who competed at Trentino went onto win medals at the Sochi Olympics, which took place just two months later. The most recent edition of the Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, had nearly 2,000 athletes representing a record 58 countries, competing in 11 sports. True to its #WelcomeHome motto, Lucerne2021 represents the Winter Universiade’s return to Switzerland after nearly 60 years away.
1.3 Postponement In late August 2020, the International University Sports Federation (FISU), Organising Committee and Swiss University Sports came to the mutual decision to halt preparations for the Winter Universiade in January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The key factors in this decision were the epidemiological situation and the travel restrictions in force at the time. In early November 2020, following numerous discussions, the bodies decided to postpone the Winter Universiade 2021 to 11 to 21 December 2021 in Central Switzerland and Lenzerheide. “It was only thanks to enormous commitment and good collaboration between the cantons, the city of Lucerne and the main stakeholders in the sports industry and the region that we were able to present the International University Sports Federation with a proposal to postpone the event,” explains Organising Committee President and Lucerne’s Health and Sport Director, Guido Graf. In their considerations regarding the postponement, the organisers not only had to find solutions for numerous organisational and sports-related issues, but also predict how the pandemic would develop. To this end, the Organising Committee called on the expert assistance of Daniel Koch, the former head of the Communicable Diseases Division at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. 1.4 Logo The snowflake in the logo is made up of six individual, interconnected “U”s. The “U” stands for “University” and is an integral part of all Universiade logos and its lettering. The five coloured stars symbolise the five continents. The centre of the snowflake represents the city of Lucerne, which will host the Winter Universiade 2021, while the number six stands for the six cantons that comprise Central Switzerland and which are working closely together to plan and carry out the event. The Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade project demonstrates the way in which the region’s cantons work closely and successfully together. The crowning achievement of this cooperation will come once this major event gets under way, which is already represented symbolically in the logo.
2 Venues
The organisation of the event is a joint
project of Central Switzerland’s six
cantons (Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz,
Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug) and the city
of Lucerne. “The Winter Universiade is
further proof of the good cooperation
between the six cantons of Central
Switzerland”, says Othmar Filliger,
Cantonal Councillor of Canton Nidwalden
and board member of the Association
Winter Universiade Lucerne-Central
Switzerland 2021.
Only existing infrastructures are being used for the Winter Universiade and all sports facilities
are well accessible by public transport.
Venue Sports Venue Dicipline(s)
Andermatt-Realp UR Realp Nordic Centre Cross-Country Skiing
Engelberg OW Sporting Park Curling
Jochpass 2222 Snowboard, Freestyle &
Freeski
Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena Biathlon, Ski Orienteering
Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre Figure Skating, Short Track
Speed Skating
Stoos SZ Maggiweid Alpine Skiing
St. Moritz GR Salastrains Alpine Skiing
Sursee LU Sursee Ice Centre Ice Hockey
Zug ZG Bossard Arena Ice Hockey
2.1 Andermatt-Realp UR
The cross-country skiers will hold their competitions in Andermatt-Realp, which is a one-hour
drive south from the host city Lucerne. The Swiss Ski Association Swiss-Ski has set up a
national performance centre in the Urserental, where the Swiss Championship in Cross-Country
Skiing took place in 2020, with many kilometres of cross-country ski tracks. In order to meet the
training and competition requirements of modern Cross-country events, the ski runs were re-laid
and homologated in summer 2020. Beat Jörg, Cantonal Councillor of Uri and President of the
local organising committee in Andermatt-Realp, looks forward to 2021: ”Our cross-country ski
tracks and the beautiful landscape of Uri will delight both international students and the
worldwide audience.”
Sports at the Winter
Cross-Country Skiing
Universiade 2021
Sports Facility Sport Stützpunkt Urseren (SSU), 6491 Realp
Operating Hours All year round as National Performance Centre
Technical Data 1’458 m above sea level, FIS Homologation 2019
Capacity 5‘000 spectators
Notable Originally intended as a sports base of the Swiss Army, it was
established in 2002 by Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi as part of
the Sion 2006 Olympic bid. The Federal Office of Sport (BASPO)
has been in charge of the Sport Stützpunkt Urseren since 2017.
BASPO makes it possible for national sport federations to use
the infrastructure. The base has thus become the official Swiss
Olympic Training Base in various sports.
Number of Residents Andermatt: 1'524 (as of January 2019)
Realp: 151 (as of December 2017)
Canton Uri
Attractions SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun, Teufelsbrücke, Schöllenenschlucht
2.2 Engelberg OW
The athletes of the Curling, Snowboard and Freestyle & Freeski competitions will meet a well-
practiced team in Engelberg. Engelberg is home to numerous different sporting events, not to
mention the Ski Jumping World Cup. “It is therefore a great pleasure for us to be part of this
unique event as a venue as well,” says the local organising committee President Hubert Mathis.
The snow sports events will take place in the Engelberg-Titlis ski resort on the Jochpass 2222,
while the curlers will compete down in the valley at the Sporting Park Engelberg.
Sports at the Winter
Curling, Freestyle & Freeski, Snowboard
Universiade 2021
Curling: Sporting Park, Engelbergerstrasse 11, 6390 Engelberg
Sports Facility
Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: Jochpass 2222
Curling: From early September to end of March
Operating Hours Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: From mid December to 26
April and from 13 June to 20 October
Curling: 5 fields
Technical Data
Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: 2‘220 m above sea level
Curling: 600 spectators
Capacity
Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: 400 spectators
Notable Curling: Ice preparation testing will take place on 22 April 2020
Number of Residents 4’427 (as of 31 December 2018)
Canton Obwalden
Attractions Monastery Engelberg, Titlis, cheese dairy exhibition2.3 Lenzerheide GR
Biathlon and ski orienteering enthusiasts can look forward to the top-modern Roland Arena in
Lenzerheide, built between 2013 and 2017. In the interests of sustainability, the World Cup
compliant infrastructure, with a fully automatic shooting range and 30 shooting places, led the
organising committee to decide in favour of a venue outside Central Switzerland. The venue of
numerous world-class sports events such as the Tour de Ski has already gained experience
with international title races in both Ski Orienteering and Biathlon: in 2015, the Elite European
Championships and the World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships took place here. In
January 2020, Lenzerheide also hosted the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships. The
Roland Arena and Swiss-Ski also received approval to host the IBU Biathlon World
Championships in 2025. “At the Winter Universiade 2021, we will be welcoming the top
biathletes who are also currently studying at university. I’m excited to see which of them will be
returning to Lenzerheide in 2025,” says President of the Local Organising Committee Hannes
Parpan, looking toward the future.
Sports at the Winter
Biathlon, Ski Orienteering
Universiade 2021
Sports Facility Roland Arena, Voia da Bual 1, 7083 Lantsch/Lenz
Operating Hours All year
1‘400 m above sea level / year of construction: 2013 / A-Licence
Technical Data
of the International Biathlon Union (valid until 1 November 2023)
Capacity 10’000 spectators
The Roland Arena is a national performance centre for Biathlon.
With regards to Ski Orienteering, as a legacy of the Winter
Notable
Universiade, it is intended to strengthen the promotion of young
talents and to intensify training activities.
Number of Residents Lantsch/Lenz: 537 (as of December 2018)
Canton Grisons
Attractions Ski resort Arosa-Lenzerheide, bike park, Heidsee2.4 Lucerne LU
In the host city Lucerne, the Regional Ice Centre will host the competitions in Short Track Speed
Skating and Figure Skating. Françoise Schnydrig, President of the local organising committee
Lucerne, can hardly wait for the start of the Winter Universiade: “We will do everything we can
to host memorable competitions and carry the spirit of the Winter Universiade out into the
world,” says the experienced Ice Skating event organiser. The Europaplatz in front of the
Culture and Congress Centre KKL Lucerne will turn into the official Universiade Park with a
public viewing zone among others, where spectators, tourists and athletes will all come
together. Additionally, the medals will be presented here every night, ensuring a mesmerising
sports festival. Further information on the Universiade Park can be found in Chapter 4 Host city
Lucerne.
Sports at the Winter
Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating
Universiade 2021
Sports Facility Regional Ice Centre, Eisfeldstrasse 2, 6005 Lucerne
Operating Hours From 6 October 2019 to 15 March 2020
Technical Data Ice field size: 60 m x 30 m
Capacity 1‘100 spectators
Notable -
Number of Residents 81'546 (as of 2018)
Canton Lucerne
Attractions Kapellbrücke, Spreuer Bridge, KKL, Old Town of Lucerne2.5 Stoos SZ During the Winter Universiade, the world of Alpine Skiing takes place on the Stoos. Stoos will host the Mixed Team Parallel and the Individual Parallel Slalom. “We can promise both the athletes and the public a wonderful competition atmosphere and a wide-ranging supporting programme for the events in Stoos. The two competitions will be amongst the highlights of the Winter Universiade,” predicts Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee. In Stoos, the future stars of Swiss skiing can also hope to benefit from the Winter Universiade 2021, as the facilities on the Maggiweid ski lift were improved in summer 2020, representing a sustainable improvement to the training infrastructure available to the Swiss skiers of the future. “To get the soil that we needed for the improvements, we were able to directly re-use the materials that had been excavated as part of the ongoing building works on the Stoos Lodge, which are taking place at the base of the piste,” explains Peter Föhn. A new lighting system is also set be installed over the coming summer months. On the one hand, this will transform the team parallel slalom into a floodlit spectacular and, on the other hand, local junior skiers will benefit from the improved lighting conditions as they will now be able to use the Maggiweid ski lift for training or to hold competitions in the evening. “Going forward, up-and-coming ski talents will also be able to train efficiently after school without having to go out of their way to do so,” says Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee Stoos. In this respect, the expansion of the Maggiweid ski lift on the Stoos represents an important and sustainable training development project for Switzerland as the current top nation for skiing. Sports at the Winter Alpine Skiing Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Maggiweid Operating Hours From mid December to Easter Monday Technical Data 1305 m above sea level / FIS Homologation Capacity 3‘000 spectators Notable - Number of Residents 150 (as of December 2018) Canton Schwyz Attractions Hölloch Cave Experience, Stoos Railways, Fronalpstock
2.6 St. Moritz GR
The Alpine skiing disciplines will be held at the Winter Universiade on Stoos (see 2.5 Stoos) and
in St. Moritz. I am confident that together with the team in Stoos, we will be able to offer
competitors the perfect conditions for the Alpine Skiing races”, says Martin Berthod,
Responsible in St. Moritz. The Super-G, Giant Slalom and Slalom races in the Alpine Skiing
discipline will now be held in St. Moritz on the courses used for the Skiing World Championships
in 2017. This will enable the Organising Committee to benefit from the infrastructure of the
women's World Cup races, which will be held a few days prior.
Sports at the Winter
Alpine Skiing
Universiade 2021
Sports Facility Salastrains
Operating Hours End of November to Easter Monday
Technical Data 2048 m above sea level / FIS Homologation
Capacity
Five World Ski Championships and the 1928 and 1948 Winter
Notable
Olympics have already been held in St. Moritz.
Number of Residents 5050 (as of 2017)
Canton Grisons
Attractions Lake St. Moritz, Muottas Muragl, Piz Nair, Lej da Staz, Olympia
Bobrun, Olympia Stadium2.7 Sursee LU
Thanks to the Lehner Cup in Sursee, international ice hockey teams compete against each
other every year at the Sursee Ice Centre. "The fact that the ice stadium will now also be a
venue for the largest multi-sport event after the Winter Olympics is really amazing", says local
organising committee President Philipp Häfliger. During the Winter Universiade, the arena,
which was built not far from the historic old town in 1999, will be the stage for the women's
preliminary round matches as well as the women and men’s placement matches.
Local associations and future visitors to the Sursee Ice Centre too are set to benefit from the
Winter Universiade. The Centre has been upgraded with two new improvements to its
infrastructure. A new lighting system using modern technology enables the Centre to meet
international requirements, with the added benefit of being sustainably energy-efficient. An
additional dressing room has also been created.
Sports at the Winter Ice Hockey (women's preliminary round matches & women and
Universiade 2021 men’s placement matches)
Sports Facility Sursee Ice Centre, Moosgasse 6, 6210 Sursee
Operating Hours In winter: From August to mid April
In summer: From Easter to mid July
Technical Data Ice field size: 29.8 m x 59.8 m
Capacity 800-1‘000 spectators
The Sursee Ice Centre was built and first opened in 1999. In
winter, the hall is used for ice sports. In the summer months, the
Notable
arena is used as a triple indoor hall for school sports and inline
hockey.
Number of Residents 10’062 (as of June 2019)
Canton Lucerne
Attractions Rathausplatz und Pfarrkirche, Old Town, Untertor2.8 Zug ZG
Zug, along with Sursee, will delight ice hockey fans. In 2010, the Bossard Arena in Zug, one of
the most modern ice hockey temples in Switzerland, was inaugurated. The U18 Ice Hockey
World Championship in 2015 was the first major international event to be hosted there. At the
Winter Universiade, the men’s preliminary round matches will take place in the Academy Arena.
The home stadium of first division team EV Zug will host the semi-final and final matches of the
women's and men's national teams. The ice hockey city of Zug, with its president of the local
organising committee Urs Scholl, is looking forward to the upcoming spectacle: ”All those
involved should notice that Ice Hockey is not only played in Zug, it is lived.”
Sports at the Winter
Ice Hockey
Universiade 2021
Sports Facility Bossard Arena, General-Guisan-Strasse 4, 6303 Zug
Operating Hours All year
Technical Data Ice field size: 60 m x 30 m (Olympic standard)
Capacity 7‘200 spectators (4‘512 seating, 2‘735 standing)
Notable Home stadium of EV Zug, current Swiss Ice Hockey Champion
Number of Residents 30’542 (as of December 2018)
Canton Zug
Attractions Lake Zug, Old Town, Castle, Fountain, Zytturm3 Sport 3.1 Sports Winter sports have a long tradition in Switzerland. As early as 1900, daring pioneers from throughout Europe met in Central Switzerland to indulge their passion for skiing. This tradition continues today. In addition to the prestige international events such as the Lauberhorn Downhill, Spengler Cup or the Engadin Ski Marathon, local events are held for all ages and abilities. From 11 to the 21 December 2021 the Winter Universiade will include competitions in nine winter sport disciplines. Students aged between 17 and 25 are eligible to enter. Around 1600 Students from a total of over 540 universities and polytechnics from 50 countries will take part. The teams are selected by their own national university sports federations.
Discipline(s) Location Sports Venues
Stoos SZ / Maggiweid /
Alpine Skiing
St. Moritz GR Salastrains
Biathlon Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena
Cross-Country Skiing Andermatt-Realp UR Realp Nordic Centre
Curling Engelberg OW Sporting Park
Figure Skating Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre
Freestyle & Freeski Engelberg OW Jochpass 2222
Zug ZG / Bossard Arena /
Ice Hockey
Sursee LU Sursee Ice Centre
Short Track Speed Skating Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre
Ski Orienteering Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena
Snowboard Engelberg OW Jochpass 22223.2 Biathlon
Biathlon competitions have been held at Winter Universiades 14 times, with the first event held
in 1983 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The origins of this discipline are much older than military sport: in the
early viking age, northern norwegians on skis successfully defended attacks by danish vikings.
Biathlon and ski orienteering enthusiasts can look forward to the top-modern Roland Arena in
Lenzerheide, built between 2013 and 2017. In the interests of sustainability, the World Cup
compliant infrastructure, with the fully automatic shooting range and 30 shooting places, led the
organising committee to decide in favour of a venue outside Central Switzerland. In January
2020, Lenzerheide also hosted the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships. In mid-
November 2020, the Roland Arena and Swiss-Ski received approval to host the 2025 World
Championships.
Location Lenzerheide GR
Sports Venue Roland Arena
Men Women
Individual 15 km Individual 12.5 km
Disciplines Sprint 10 km Sprint 7.5 km
Pursuit 12.5 km Pursuit 10 km
Mass Start 15 km Mass Start 12.5 km3.3 Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is not only the most popular team sport on ice, it‘s also the fastest. It has been a
part of the Winter Universiade programme since its introduction in Villars, Canton of Vaud, in
1962. The best ever result by a Swiss team – fourth place – was achieved in this first event. At
that time only four men’s teams took part: tournaments now generally comprise twelve men’s
and eight women’s teams. Switzerland has never entered a women’s team – until 2019 in
Krasnoyarsk. For the first time in the history of the Universiade, two Swiss ice hockey teams,
men and women, will be sent to the multi-sport Event.
During the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade, the Sursee Ice Centre and Bossard Arena in Zug
are the places to be for ice hockey fans. Excitement is guaranteed when ten men's and six
women's teams compete for the title. The men's preliminary matches as well as the semi-finals
and finals of the men's and women's teams will take place in Zug. In Sursee, the women will be
contesting their qualification matches and the placement games of women and men.
Location Zug ZG / Sursee LU
Sports Venue Bossard Arena Zug / Sursee Ice Centre
Disciplines Men Women
Tournament Tournament
Number of Teams 10 Teams 6 Teams3.4 Freestyle & Freeski
Freestyle & Freeski disciplines are very diverse – While just watching the astoundingly high
jumps in big air competitions takes a spectator’s breath away, the excitement at the end of a
slopestyle run is hard to beat. Which athlete has conjured up the perfect run with the most
technically challenging jumps and earned the highest number of points? Freestyle & Freeski at
Winter Universiades is a relatively new discipline: the first medals were awarded in 2005 at the
Universiade in Innsbruck, Austria. Since then the popularity of this sport has increased
substantially.
The International University Sports Federation FISU has decided to include Freestyle & Freeski
in the Winter Universiade compulsory programme. This programme change will be introduced at
the 30th Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland. The competitions will be held on the
Jochpass 2222 in the Engelberg-Titlis ski region.
Location Engelberg OW
Sports Venue Jochpass 2222
Disciplines Men Women
Slopestyle Slopestyle
Big Air Big Air3.5 Snowboard
The success story of Universiade Snowboarding started at the event in Jaca, Spain, in 1995. At
that time it was a demonstration sport, but quickly became part of the permanent programme –
to the delight of the successful Swiss teams. Both the Olympic Giant Slalom champions Patrizia
Kummer and Daniela Meuli know the Universiade well, as does the Olympic champion from
2018 Nevin Galmarini: they have all stood on the podium at this unique event.
The alpine events of Slalom and Giant Slalom were held initially, with the first freestyle
discipline appearing in 1999. A choice of Snowboardcross, Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air
events is now offered. Competitions in all disciplines will be held at the Central Switzerland
games, with the exception of the Halfpipe and Snowboardcross. Snowboard experts start in the
largest summer and winter holiday paradise in Central Switzerland – in Engelberg.
Location Engelberg OW
Sports Venue Jochpass 2222
Disciplines Men Women
Parallel Giant Slalom Parallel Giant Slalom
Parallel Slalom Parallel Slalom
Slopestyle Slopestyle
Big Air Big Air3.6 Short Track Speed Skating
Fast, faster, Short Track Speed Skating – speed and strategy are vital in Short Track, which has
been a Universiade event since 1985. The first event saw the men’s medals go to Canada and
the women’s medals to America. These days the sport is dominated by athletes from Asia: the
leading countries are Korea, Japan and China. However, an increasing number of countries are
challenging this dominance.
Short Track Speed Skating events are held over 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000/5000 m, and
may be hosted in any ice hockey stadium conforming to international standard dimensions.
There are many of these in Switzerland, but this television-friendly sport is the only Winter
Universiade event which is largely unknown in Switzerland. This was set to change with the
Youth Olympic Games 2020 in Lausanne. One year later, the sport's popularity will be further
increased thanks to the Winter Universiade 2021. The competitions will then be held in the host
city of Lucerne.
Location Lucerne LU
Sports Venue Regional Ice Centre Lucerne
Disciplines Men Women
500 m 500 m
1000 m 1000 m
1500 m 1500 m
5000 m Relay 3000 m Relay3.7 Curling
Universiade Curling competitions are very popular with spectators. The standard of competition
is very high, with many of the leading players at World, European and World Cup
championships taking part. Most recently in Krasnoyarsk 2019, when the team led by Yannick
Schwaller of Team Bern Schwaller, who would go on to become World silver medallist, came
tantalisingly close to winning the bronze medal play-off. The Swiss team has been at the
forefront of competitions many times, but has yet to win a gold medal.
Pascal Hess, the Head of Swiss Curling, would like to change this at the Lucerne 2021 Winter
Universiade. He is from the city of Zug, and was Skip in the silver medal winning team in 2011.
The Swiss teams will fight against nine other women's and men's teams to win one of the
prestigious Universiade medals. The tournament will take place at the Sporting Park in
Engelberg.
Location Engelberg OW
Sports Venue Sporting Park Engelberg
Disciplines Men Women
Tournament Tournament
Number of Teams 10 Teams 10 Teams3.8 Figure Skating
At the Winter Universiade 2009 in Harbin (China), the Figure Skating competitions attracted an
enormous number of spectators: 42,000. This discipline is not just popular in China – quite the
opposite, Figure Skating competitions are among the best-loved Winter Universiade events
throughout the world. They are an established part of the programme: Figure Skating was first
introduced at the Winter Universiade in Chamonix in 1960, and it’s now hard to imagine the
largest multisport event for students without it. The Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland
will feature individual events for women and men, and Ice Dancing.
In Ice Dancing, a male figure skater and a female figure skater perform a rehearsed routine
together. This discipline is considered by experts to be the most detailed and technically
complex form of skating, as it has its origins in ballroom dancing. The interaction of the skaters
with the musical rhythm is of particular importance. The skaters must remain in contact with
each other (except in rare cases) and have at least one skate on the ice (except during
technically demanding lifts), thus increasing the difficulty of the routine.
During the Winter Universiade, competitions in Short Track Speed Skating and Figure Skating
will be held in the host city of Lucerne at the regional ice centre. In all disciplines, both, women
and men will compete.
Location Lucerne LU
Sports Venue Regional Ice Centre Lucerne
Disciplines Men Women
Individual Individual
Ice Dance3.9 Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-Country Skiing has been included in the programme since the first Winter Universiade in
1960. The tradition in university sports is even older: it was part of the “International Winter
Weeks“ from 1951 to 1959, the predecessors of the current Universiades.
The great stars of the Cross-Country Skiing scene were often present, for example the double
Olympic Games and World Championship gold medallist Justyna Kowlczyk of Poland. The
former top cross-country skier Bettina Gruber was the most recent Swiss competitor to achieve
a Cross-Country Skiing podium position: the athlete from SAS Bern won the silver medal at the
Harbin games in China in 2009. A particular highlight for Swiss fans was the Men’s Relay
bronze medal at the Sapporo games in 1991. The Swiss team included Raoul Volken, Toni
Dinkel, Matthias Remund (now Director of the Federal Office of Sport BASPO), and Urs
Schmidig (now Director of the Zürich Department of Sport).
Location Andermatt-Realp UR
Sports Venue Realp Nordic Centre
Disciplines Men Women
Sprint Sprint
Pursuit 10 km Pursuit 5 km
Individual 10 km Individual 5 km
Mass Start 30 km Mass Start 15 km
Relay 4 x 7.5 km Relay 3 x 5 km
Mixed Team Sprint3.10 Alpine Skiing
The Alpine Skiing competitions are a central part of Winter Universiades. No other sport has
higher participation numbers: 40 nations competed in the Alpine Skiing event at the Winter
Universiade in Erzurum in 2011. The most successful Winter Universiade ski racer of all time is
Sandro Boner. This Swiss athlete won a total of five gold and two bronze medals at
Universiades at the 2009 and 2015.
The Alpine Skiing disciplines of Mixed Team Parallel and Individual Parallel Slalom will be
based at the Stoos ski resort in the canton of Schwyz, while the Super-G, Giant Slalom and
Slalom events will be held in the former Winter Olympics venue of St. Moritz.
Location Stoos SZ / St. Moritz GR
Sports Venue Maggiweid / Salastrains
Disciplines Men Women
Super-G Super-G
Giant Slalom Giant Slalom
Slalom Slalom
Individual Parallel Individual Parallel
Slalom Slalom
Mixed Team Parallel3.11 Ski Orienteering
Hardly any other sport so clearly exemplifies the motto of the International University Sports
Federation FISU «Excellence in Mind and Body». According to Swiss Orienteering, about three-
quarters of orienteers are students, including orienteers on foot, bikes and skis. Ski orienteering
made its debut on the competition programme at the Winter Universiade 2019. As the sport will
also be included in Lucerne 2021 and Lake Placid 2023, the FISU has decided to adopt ski
orienteering into its compulsory programme for the Winter Universiade with effect from 2027.
In Ski-O a map, a compass and cross-country skis are used to visit a number of checkpoints in
a specified order as rapidly as possible. The competitions are held on a specially prepared
cross-country ski trail network. The checkpoints are always located beside a ski trail track. The
challenge lies in choosing the fastest route through the complicated network of trails, and in
quick map reading and decision-making en route.
The Ski-O competitions will be held in parallel to the biathlon races at Lenzerheide. This venue
has hosted numerous world-class events such as the Tour de Ski, and already has experience
of Ski-O international title competitions: in 2015 the Elite European Championships and the
Masters World Championships were held at this winter sports resort in Grisons.
Location Lenzerheide GR
Sports Venue Roland Arena
Disciplines Men Women
Sprint Sprint
Pursuit Pursuit
Sprint Relay4 Host City Lucerne The city of Lucerne is the host city of the Winter Universiade 2021 and thanks to the short distances to all the various sports venues, Lucerne is ideally suited to be the centre of the Winter Universiade. Guests from all over the world will be accommodated and catered for in the heart of the "Leuchtenstadt", as the city is also called. Moreover, the opening ceremony and the medal ceremonies will take place in the Universiade Park, situated at the Europaplatz, and a cultural programme will be organised. The Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region is situated in the heart of Switzerland and the city of Lucerne itself is a stronghold of culture. Nowhere will you find more things to see than in this city nestling in a magnificent landscape characterized by mountains and its eponymous lake. Charming Lucerne is brimming with things to do; Century old sights such as the Chapel Bridge and historic Old Town, museums, shopping, festival and events during all year. The region also contains a wealth of summer activities and record-breaking railways and cableways. Mount Rigi, Mount Pilatus, Mount Titlis, Mount Stoos and many other corners of the mountains are popular excursions with stunning views.
4.1 Universiade Park The Europaplatz in front of the Lucerne Cultural and Conference Centre (KKL) will become the centre of the Winter Universiade 2021: the Universiade Park will be created here, in a unique setting with views of the lake, city and mountains. For eleven days it will be the meeting point for athletes, officials, volunteers and the general public. The Universiade Park is located in the immediate vicinity of the railway station, Lucerne University and Lucerne Teacher Training University. The opening, closing and daily medals ceremonies will take place here. Spectators can follow the action at the various venues live in the public viewing area. In addition to the medal ceremonies, the Universiade Park stage will also be used to present aspects of cultural life in Central Switzerland. Sustenance for visitors will not be forgotten. 4.2 Cultural Programme On and around the Europaplatz in Lucerne, a diverse programme will be presented to guests and the people of Central Switzerland during the Winter Universiade 2021. The aim is to give visitors an insight into the cultural life of the region and the traditions of Central Switzerland. On the stage of the Universiade Park at the Europaplatz, there will be various performances and concerts every day before and after the award ceremonies to showcase the cultural life of Central Switzerland. Central Swiss venues, associations and artists will be featured.
5 Delegations/Participants "Welcome home" – the slogan of the Winter Universiade 2021 sums it up perfectly: all participants should feel at home in Central Switzerland. An estimated 1,600 athletes and their coaches from over 50 countries are expected to attend. That makes a total of around 2,500 people who will all be staying in hotels for maximum comfort during the Winter Universiade. Transportation and catering will also be arranged, but will vary depending where the accommodation is located. For this full service package, the cost for a delegation member is EUR 75 per day.
5.1 Accommodation All participants of the Winter Universiade 2021 will be accommodated in 2-, 3- and 4-star hotels. There are four accommodation clusters: Lucerne, Andermatt, Engelberg and Lenzerheide. The majority of the delegations will be staying in the host city of Lucerne – at a total of around 20 hotels. Due to the distance to the host city, the cross-country skiers will be accommodated in Andermatt, the curlers in Engelberg and the biathletes and orienteers in Lenzerheide. Further hotels in Lucerne are reserved for other client groups, such as the FISU or international media representatives.
5.2 Transport It is a novelty in the history of Universiades: public transportation is an integral part of the transport concept of the event. "This may sound unspectacular to us Swiss, but it took us a lot of persuasion," explains Managing Director Urs Hunkeler. In concrete terms, the short-track speed skating and figure skating athletes will have to take the bus from their hotels to the Ice Centre in Lucerne. A truly special experience awaits all customer groups in Andermatt. In order to get to the stadium in Realp, the participants will use a train shuttle of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn between Andermatt and Realp. All the other athletes will be transported to their sports facilities by the (team) bus. Furthermore, all participants who are accommodated in the host city of Lucerne will benefit from a 10-zone public transport pass for the entire city thanks to the Lucerne Guest Card. This will allow them to move around the city of Lucerne completely free-of-charge in their free time. The organising committee recommends and promotes public transport as a means of transport for visitors. Media representatives will be transported from the Press Centre (at the University of Lucerne) to the competition venues by a dedicated media shuttle service. 6 Universities Participants at Winter Universiades combine competitive sports and education. In total, students from more than 540 universities from over 50 nations will travel to Central Switzerland for the Winter Universiade. Education is a central element of the Winter Universiade programme. For example, a scientific conference on "Challenges and opportunities of sport in modern society" will be held during the event from 13 to 14 December 2021 and Swiss students will be involved in organising the event. Collaborating in this major project offers them the opportunity to develop their skills and gain valuable experience for their future careers.
6.1 Student Projects The Winter Universiade offers space for innovative projects, scientific research and creative ideas. Students at Swiss universities can actively get involved in the planning and organisation of the event by submitting student projects. "For us, the involvement of students is key," explains Patrick Udvardi, Director of Academic Liaison, and continues: "This event is a unique opportunity. We want as many students as possible to benefit". In addition to a study on the suitability of a venue or a bachelor's thesis on how to maintain sponsor satisfaction, the Winter Universiade mascot, for example, was also designed by students. Four aspiring female artists from the Lucerne School of Art and Design have each designed a character. A seven-member jury selected Luisa Zürcher's proposal to be the mascot of the Winter Universiade 2021. The four students volunteered for the student design project and worked on it in their spare time. The decision to take part was easy, as the 23-year-old Luisa Zürcher explains: "What could be more exciting than designing a mascot that you can later hug?" In addition to numerous design tasks, the students support the marketing department, especially in the area of social media.
By the way: interested students can still work on numerous projects and contribute their ideas.
The complete overview can be found on the website of the organising committee at
winteruniversiade2021.ch/en/universities.
6.2 World Conference
The FISU World Conference on Innovation, Education and Sport will be held during the Lucerne
2021 Winter Universiade on 13 and 14 December 2021. Under the main topic Challenges and
Opportunities in Sport in modern society researchers will focus on three subthemes: Dual
career, Digitalisation and Women in top-class sport. The conference is located at the building of
the University of Lucerne and organized by the University of Lucerne, the Universities of teacher
education Lucerne, Zug and Schwyz and the Universities of applied sciences of Lucerne and
Grisons as well as the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM.
6.3 University of Lucerne
The organising committee can count on the generous support of the University of Lucerne and
the PH Lucerne. During the Winter Universiade, the University/PH building will be transformed
into the hub of the multi-sport event.
In the building you will find
• the accreditation centre,
• the information centre for all participants,
• the canteen as a catering centre for volunteers, the organising committee and other
customer groups,
• the media centre as well as a room for press conferences and
• the international broadcasting centre.
In addition, the following rooms/facilities in particular are available for use by the delegations:
• a waxing and storage room for skis and snowboards in alpine snow sports,
• meeting rooms,
• individual offices of the delegations.Moreover, the Uni/PH building will also be the headquarters of the organising committee during the event. The organising committee will be using rooms for the following purposes: • offices of the various departments, • meeting rooms, • main operation centre of the multi-sport event. 7 Volunteers In order to ensure that the multi-sport event can run smoothly, the organising committee is looking for over 3800 helpers. The tasks of volunteers at Universiades are very diverse: supervising teams, printing results or serving as a forerunner are just a few examples. The Volunteers Programme was launched on 3 May 2021. Future volunteers are able to register on the Swiss Volunteers platform and sign up for their chosen field of work. As a token of appreciation for their commitment, volunteers will be rewarded with an appreciation programme and, in particular, with a unique experience.
The organising committee can count on strong partners for the recruitment of volunteers. Together with Swiss Volunteers, the universities and other institutes of higher education as well as local organisations, the volunteers will be mobilised. 8 Mascot Whether "Cooly", the mascot of the Ice Hockey World Championships 2009 and 2020, the FC Lucerne mascots "Siegfried & Leu" or "Yodli" at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020 – all mascots have one thing in common: they captivate audiences and have become an integral part of major sporting events. On the occasion of the "One-Year-To-Go" event, the Winter Universiade 2021 has also introduced an event mascot. This fabulous creature was designed by Luisa Zürcher, an animation student at the Lucerne School of Art and Design. The young artist was inspired by Yeti, the mountains of Central Switzerland and its myths, and the carnival, which has deep roots in the traditions of Central Switzerland. Luisa Zürcher has created a character perfectly suited to the Winter Universiade: the fabulous creature has its origins in the myths of Central Switzerland, loves carnival, and lives in the mountains of the region. The curious mascot will travel to Winter Universiade venues to make friends with athletes from all over the world. The sporty mascot will help visitors to the Winter Universiade 2021 feel at home, in keeping with the event motto "Welcome Home". Luisa Zürcher volunteered for the student design project, and created the mascot in her spare time. The decision to take part was easy, as the 23-year-old explains: "What could be more exciting than designing a mascot that you can later hug?" This moment became reality for Luisa Zürcher at the "One-Year-To-Go" event. Over the next twelve months, the fabulous creature will put a smile on the faces of many more people with a hug. The Organising Committee of the Winter Universiade 2021 named the mascot ‘Wuli’ in a ceremony held at the IBU Biathlon Youth and Junior World Championships in Lenzerheide. The name is a combination of the initials of "Winter Universiade" with the typical Swiss word ending "-li". It was chosen by the public in an online vote on the social media channels of the Winter Universiade 2021. The naming ceremony was conducted by the Head of Marketing & Sponsoring Fabienne Meyerhans, and Hannes Parpan, President of the local organising committee in Lenzerheide.
9 Medals In addition to the athletes themselves, who successfully combine top-class sporting achievements and university education, the focus should also be on Swiss students. This is why students at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts were asked to design the medals for the Winter Universiade. Twenty-six students responded to the call for proposals within the university, with 13 young designers submitting a proposal. “Designing a medal is an exciting project – both for the students and for us lecturers. Working for a feasible project was a strong motivator for everyone,” says Thomas Aregger, who heads the introductory design course. Course instructor Patrick Kälin adds: "The task was very demanding. To transform a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional object is a challenge." A five-member jury chose Nicole Schellhammer's design for the medal of the Winter Universiade 2021. The graphic design student is thrilled about the decision: "This medal aims to ensure the athletes remember the Winter Universiade 2021 for a long time,” she says. The design of the ribbon was also left in the capable hands of students at the Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts. Céline Eberle, who is studying textile design, created the ribbons in the official Winter Universiade
colours and adapted them to the final design in collaboration with Nicole Schellhammer. A total of 67 sets of medals will be presented at the largest winter multisport event for students. Medal features Lake Lucerne and the cantons of Central Switzerland When designing the medal, Nicole Schellhammer drew her inspiration from the snow crystal in the Lucerne 2021 logo, amongst other things. She therefore arranged the cowbells in a similar manner to the logo. Six cowbells surround an amulet. On the medal, the cowbells symbolise the cantons of Central Switzerland that border on Lake Lucerne, which represents the amulet on the medal. “It was important to me that the medal represented all the Winter Universiade’s venues in Central Switzerland. I also wanted the design to be suitable for every sport,” Nicole Schellhammer explains. The organising committee wants to convey Swiss traditions and values to the visitors the event attracts from around the globe, so including the cowbells was convincing: “Cowbells and the Winter Universiade are a winning combination,” says Head of Ceremonies Brian Ruchti. “At the closing ceremony of the Winter Universiade 2019, our organising committee went on stage as a group of traditional cowbell carriers. Our mascot, Wuli, wears a bell around his neck. We also plan that the athletes parade at the opening ceremony will be opened by a group of traditional cowbell carriers.” 10 Sustainability and Legacy Even when bidding for the Winter Universiade 2021, one focus was on the topics of sustainability and legacy. The major winter sports event should be carried out with as little impact on the environment as possible and with positive and lasting effects on the economy, society and Swiss sport. This objective has shaped the vision and mission and was specified in more detail in the Sustainability Charter. Winter Universiade paving the way for many international events The Winter Universiade will ultimately be remembered in sporting history as an event for which no new infrastructures had to be built: all competitions will take place in existing facilities and infrastructures. For this reason, Lenzerheide, a venue outside Central Switzerland, was chosen for the Biathlon and Ski Orienteering competitions. A few minor improvements to the infrastructure will ultimately be available to all participating athletes and will remain available for use in the future as well. Important sections of the slopes in Andermatt-Realp were re-laid and homologated by the FIS in summer 2020. The infrastructure now meets the requirements of
modern cross-country events. This means that the Urserental will be able to host national and international competitions in future, while also strengthening the area as a regional and national performance centre. “After successfully staging the 2020 Swiss Championships, we’ve now submitted our first applications to host a number of international events. We’re hoping that the Winter Universiade 2021 will be the first of many international events to take place in Andermatt,” says Beat Jörg, President of the local organising committee Andermatt and Cantonal Councillor Uri. Switzerland has selected Andermatt as the host venue for Nordic events as part of its bid to host the Military World Winter Games 2025, among other events. Project to promote young talent in Stoos In Stoos, the future stars of Swiss skiing can also hope to benefit from the Winter Universiade 2021, as the facilities on the Maggiweid ski lift were improved in summer 2020, representing a sustainable improvement to the training infrastructure available to the Swiss skiers of the future. “To get the soil that we needed for the improvements, we were able to directly re-use the materials that had been excavated as part of the ongoing building works on the Stoos Lodge, which are taking place at the base of the piste,” explains Peter Föhn. A new lighting system is also set be installed over the coming summer months. On the one hand, this will transform the team parallel slalom into a floodlit spectacular and, on the other hand, local junior skiers will benefit from the improved lighting conditions as they will now be able to use the Maggiweid ski lift for training or to hold competitions in the evening. “Going forward, up-and-coming ski talents will also be able to train efficiently after school without having to go out of their way to do so,” says Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee Stoos. In this respect, the expansion of the Maggiweid ski lift on the Stoos represents an important and sustainable training development project for Switzerland as the current top nation for skiing. The Franz- Heinzer-Piste was also optimised as part of the improvements, with enhanced run-off areas and the terrain being levelled off on the piste. In recent years, the Franz-Heinzer Piste has consistently required a lot of snow to be suitable for competition. These modifications mean that it now needs less snow, whether natural or artificial, meaning that less energy is required to bring the piste up to competition standards. “Thanks to this, the Winter Universiade will leave a fantastic, lasting legacy on the Stoos,” says Peter Föhn. Combining top-class sport and academic studies The legacy in terms of sport will focus on the objective of further improving the conditions for combining top-class sport and academic studies. Swiss University Sports, together with Swiss Olympic, is making great efforts to ensure that young people do not have to choose between
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