The German Federal Government and State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia support German University Sports Federation (adh) application to host the summer edition of the 2025 Games
Over the past few months, the German University Sports Federation (adh) has laid the foundation to formally bid to host the largest university multi-sports event, the FISU World University Games, in 2025.
Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community, said: “The bid for the FISU World University Games in 2025 gives us the chance to host the second-largest multi-sport competition in the world after the Olympic Games. The event would give us the opportunity to show how welcoming and enthusiastic about sports we are and to position Germany as a top location for sport and major sporting events. I am sure this would be a very special festival of sport for all those attending.”
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister President Armin Laschet added: “North Rhine-Westphalia is the number one address for top-class major sport events! With the 2025 World University Games, we want to attract thousands of sports enthusiasts and young people from all over the world to the Rhine and Ruhr. The region, our state and its people are efficient, innovative, cosmopolitan, tolerant and athletic – and therefore excellent hosts for such an international event. Hosting the event in North Rhine-Westphalia would be another important step on the way to the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032 in the Rhine and Ruhr region – there could be no better dress rehearsal.”
The pledge of support from state and federal politicians marks another milestone in bringing the second FISU World University Games to Germany after Duisburg hosted the event back in 1989, as it enables adh to take the next steps in the planning phase.
Jörg Förster, Chairman of the adh boardNo wonder that Jörg Förster, Chairman of the adh board, was satisfied with the latest developments. “We are very pleased with the joint support of the Federal Government and the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia regarding our possible bid to host the 2025 WUG in the Rhine-Ruhr region,” said Förster.
“This clearly shows that our efforts in recent months have been worthwhile,” he added. “And it underlines the potential the Universiade has to present the Rhine-Ruhr as a location for sport, science and business on an international scale.”
According to Förster, not only the entire region, but also “the universities, local sports and the sponsoring companies will attract international attention during the event, but will already be perceived in this context from now on. Adh together with Germany, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Rhine-Ruhr region are setting an example for the future in the heart of Europe during the German EU presidency. A future that needs smart minds to handle the questions and answers of tomorrow.”
As things stand at present, in five years, up to 8,000 top student-athletes from around 170 countries will compete in 18 different sports over a period of twelve competition days at sports venues in Bochum, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Krefeld and Mülheim.
Following the positive signal from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community as well as the NRW State Chancellery, adh will complete the bid book in the upcoming weeks, which will be the basis for the decision by FISU on who will host the summer edition of the flagship FISU event.
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