The Swiss contingent. (Picture Courtesy- Swiss University Sports/ Maria Schmid)The largest ever Swiss delegation in the history of the Winter Universiade is heading to the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, for the Winter Universiade 2019. A neat 100 athletes are travelling to Russia for the 29th edition of the winter sports spectacle, to test their skills against the best university athletes from around the world.
There are many firsts for the Swiss team, which is always a strong contender in winter sports. In addition to being the largest team ever fielded at a Winter Universiade, the Swiss contingent also includes a female ice hockey team for the first time.
Enrico Fromm- Freestyle Skiing
(Picture Courtesy- Swiss University Sports/ Maria Schmid)From 2-12 March, these student-athletes will seek to follow in the footsteps of the likes of celebrated Swiss Snowboarder Patrizia Kummer and Alpine Ski racer Ramon Zenhäusern, who gained their first major international experiences at Winter Universiades. The Swiss are surely expecting to unearth a few future stars during Krasnoyarsk 2019.
The men’s Curling team is currently placed in the Top 20 in the world and two medal winners from the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan are also in the team: Freestyle Skier Enrico Fromm and Snowboarder Sandro Perrenoud.
While they will look to repeat their success, compatriots Noah Käch (Ski Cross) and Stefanie Rieder (Snowboard Cross) are also athletes to watch out for.
Marilen Matter Graf, Head of Elite Sports at Swiss University Sports explains on how their sights are set even beyond Krasnoyarsk.
Stefanie Rieder- Snowboard Cross
(Picture Courtesy- Swiss University Sports/ Maria Schmid)“The Swiss team is bristling with lots of great talent, so success is guaranteed at the Swiss-hosted Universiade in two years’ time. The potential of the front-ranking athletes selected for the team promises great things, possibly even medals.”
As the 29th Winter Universiade closes in Krasnoyarsk on 12 March, the flag of the International University Sports Federation will be presented to Switzerland, where the next Winter Universiade will be held in Lucerne, in 2021.
“We plan to take the audience on an entertaining trip from Siberia to Switzerland, offering a visual and cultural taster of the Winter Universiade in our country,” reveals Urs Hunkeler, Managing Director of the Winter Universiade 2021.
For the eleven days preceding that though, the young athletes will put in their best on the field, hoping to get major international experience under their belt. Swiss athletes will compete in Biathlon, Curling, Ice-Hockey, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Ski Orienteering and Snowboard disciplines. You can find the list of the selected athletes here and the full competition schedule here.