A diplomatic visit was recently conducted by FISU in the Swiss capital Bern, aimed at strengthening the organisation’s programs and collaborations. FISU’s President Leonz Eder and Director of Development and Healthy Campus Fernando Parente, engaged in productive discussions with the ambassadors to Switzerland from the Republic of Korea and Costa Rica.
The meeting held with Mr. Keum Chang-rok, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, had as its primary focus the preparations for the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games to be held in South Korea. Ambassador Keum expressed his country’s wholehearted support for the FISU Games and emphasised the significant role of university sports in Korea. Notably, South Korea has a rich history of hosting FISU events, including the Winter Universiade in Chonju-Muju (1997), and the Summer Universiades in Daegu (2003) and Gwangju (2015).
In a separate meeting with Mrs. Ana Gabriela Massey, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Switzerland, FISU’s sports and educational program were highlighted, with special emphasis on the Healthy Campus initiative. One of Costa Rica’s universities, Tecnológico da Costa Rica (TEC), is notably already an active participant in the Healthy Campus program. Ambassador Massey showed great interest in the initiative and committed to promoting it further with the relevant authorities in her country, especially in the government’s sports sector. In a show of continued support, Costa Rica will host the FISU World University Championship Cycling in San Carlos from 29 May to 2 June this year, after having previously hosted the 2022 FISU Forum in Cartago. Ambassador Massey also expressed her desire to promote stronger relationships, with more activities, between Costa Rican entities and FISU.
These diplomatic visits and meetings are steps in promoting the bonds between FISU and its member nations. This paves the way for enhanced collaboration in developing educational and sports events, as Healthy Campus initiatives, as well as with future international university sports events. FISU looks forward to further cooperation and expansion of its programs with the continued support of these dedicated ambassadors.