2013 SU: Evaluation Visit in Vigo - Day 3
April 20th, 2008
Today, April 20th, the FISU delegates spent their last day of the evaluation visit of the 2013 Summer Universiade Candidate City Vigo, Spain. The last day started with another working session. Antonio Montalvo from CEDU gave a brief presentation about the security. Rúben Lois, General Director of Tourism of Galicia gave an impression on the popularity of Galicia and Vigo as a tourist destination. The fact that this part of Spain is an Atlantic territory in a country that is predominantly Mediterranean makes it special and well sought by the tourists. Sergio Roman, President of the Hotel Association of Vigo gave an introduction on the hotel capacity of Vigo. He also mentioned the possibility to use cruise ships to host Universiade participants in case more beds are needed. He also informed about the new congress center which the city will start to build this month and which will be finished in 2012.
María del Carmen Cabeza Pereiro
María del Carmen Cabeza Pereiro, Vice-Rector of the University of Vigo, gave a presentation about the volunteer program of the Universiade. Since the eco-disaster in 2002 where an Oil tanker (Prestige) broke down in front of the Galician coast, the volunteering community has been quite active in this region. Also the University of Vigo was involved. For the 2013 SU 20,000 volunteers will be needed and they will be recruited within the University, alumni and citizens. Recruitment will be based on language skills, knowledge of sports and other specific knowledge in certain fields. Angél Rioz gave an overview of the current available healthcare. Vigo boasts four hospitals and a new one will be built which will serve as the Universiade Hospital.
After the coffee break the FISU delegates visited the Hotel Acera, the proposed Hotel for the FISU Family during the Games. They also visited the Vigo Yacht Club. This club with a magnificent club house is more than a century old and breaths tradition. It will serve as the FISU Headquarters office during the Games. After lunch the FISU delegates held their internal meeting and at the end of the afternoon they met again with the Bidding Committee with their comments.
The 3-day evaluation visit ended with a press conference
The day and the Evaluation visit ended with a press conference. It needs to be stressed that the visit of the Evaluation Group was well followed by the local press as large articles were published daily and photos were found on the cover pages of the local newspapers. Everywhere in the streets banners could be found with the Vigo logo and the credo ‘We Are Ready!’ In May the Evaluation Group for the 2013 Summer Universiade will also visit the candidate cities of Gwangju, Korea and Kazan, Russia. The final decision to attribute the 2013 Universiades will be made by the FISU EC on May 31st in Brussels.
At the building site of the new congress center
The club house of the Yacht club of Vigo
The Yacht club of Vigo
At the Yacht club, which is proposed as the temporary HQ of FISU in Vigo for the 2013 SU
FISU Vice-President at the Press Conference
