At the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, an international friend group emerged in mere moments. Over a shared doner dinner in the late hours of our first evening in Essen, during the infinite tram rides to the main press centre, through the struggles of research trying to find a story, we forged new and lasting bonds as young journalists all motivated by the same dream.
The FISU Young Reporters Programme is designed to equip aspiring journalists with skills, experience, and mentorship as they cover a major multi-sport event and discover the intricacies of writing, social media, and television.
We arrived in Germany ready to cover the first international sporting event of our young careers. It was 16 days of bunking with a stranger in a hotel brimming with young media talents while learning to navigate challenging schedules, language barriers, live television, and the S-Bahn.
This programme creates a unique space for learning alongside other students. We had the chance to share ideas and skills as we tackled covering the FISU Games with as much collaboration as we could.
With so much sport and fun packed into a quick two weeks, we rapidly advanced from acquaintances to teammates, working hard to trade skills and lift each other up along the way. And of course, we collected experiences that will root our careers for years to come.
Meet the team
Fisher Madsen (USA) traveled to Germany—his first ever international flight—to pick up a pen when he’d previously felt most comfortable behind the camera. He jumped in, writing the first story of the Games, and met each day dedicated to improving on the one before. His favourite memory came on the last full day of competition when he covered the men’s basketball final and USA’s heartbreaking collapse against Brazil. “Locking in on a difficult story in a difficult circumstance really stretched me, but it turned out to be a really great emotional story from the people of Brazil.”
Lara Zugck (Germany) will remember her experience doing TV interviews for the 3 x 3 basketball and 3 x 3 wheelchair basketball finals as something that pushed her outside her comfort zone, but also as one of the most exciting moments of the Games. As she puts it, “the venue went nuts, it was such a cool place to be watching sports, and then to also get to be there talking to athletes and helping tell stories too, that made it even better.”
Like Lara, Coby Moratti (New Zealand) also has the 3 x 3 wheelchair basketball final as one of his favourite moments. He enjoyed kneeling to interview the players on the field of play and says the atmosphere in the stadium was “electric and just so cool to experience that sport at the Games.”
Soyoung (Cindy) Bang (South Korea) spent the Games making new friends and talking with athletes from all over the world. Her biggest takeaway was “everyone has their story,” and shared how she “found so much from every single person, even unexpectedly. Every single person has stories behind them.”
Sophie Wisely, of Australia, ventured away from her usual work covering the racetrack to take on the beasts of taekwondo and athletics, but even with all the cool sports experiences she encountered, it’s the unique work environment she’ll cherish most. “I think one of my favourite memories is just the very mundane part of our trip—our morning meeting. It was so much fun, we would be jibing at each other, but we’d also all be celebrating each other’s success.”
The only active athlete on our roster was Iretomiwa Ilerioluwa Jagunna – Jagz -who plays football in Nigeria. He showed up not knowing what to expect but left with connections and stories he plans to keep for life. “When I came on board and met all the great people who are intelligent, have a good work ethic, and were adventurous like me as well it was just a blend of good energy and vibes.”
When she wasn’t finding her way onto the jumbotron, Düşlem Gökgöz (Türkiye) enjoyed finding new creative ways to tell athlete stories. She really appreciated the young reporter mentors, Michel Bélanger and Stéphane Jobin, because “they don’t give us a lot of pressure and they are so open minded, and they give us a chance, some wings to fly, and now we are growing. We are different people than we were two weeks ago.”
Johanna Horn (Germany) appreciates this experience for the opportunity it provided for her to practice her English while working in an environment she loves. She tackled tough tv interview days with ease and leaves the Games having learned that “sometimes it’s necessary to get out of your comfort zone, to just do it even though you’re scared.”
Though Valentina Rasini (Italy) always brought the energy, life of the party, and the funniest jokes, she’s leaving these Games with an opposite skill to practice. “I learned to always listen to what other people are saying, especially in interviews before asking another question, then you will find another angle to the story.”
I (Sarah Maat, Canada) am hanging onto all the ways FISU has brought people together. As the Games pushed me out of my comfort zone, I spoke to young reporters and athletes from around the world and had the privilege of hearing their stories. It was incredible to see how sport builds community and then to get to be a small part of that as I tried to tell and amplify those stories to others.
Our coaches
So many of the above memories and growth would be impossible without Michel Bélanger (far left) and Stéphane Jobin (far right). Their coaching helped us try new things with confidence and they became our biggest cheerleaders. Without their patience, and especially their fun, this programme could not exist. Having mentors who work in the industry and who genuinely cared for us on a professional and personal level was a blessing we will cherish.
Receiving their certificates from FISU President Leonz eder
Written by Sarah Maat, FISU Young Reporter, Canada
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.
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