sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2021 Winter Universiade, Alpine skiing, Andermatt, Ski orienteering, Speed skating, Universiade

Media Documentation

Contents 1 Winter 2021 ...... 4 1.1 Organisations Involved ...... 5 1.2 History ...... 5 1.3 Postponement ...... 7 1.4 Logo ...... 7 2 Venues ...... 8 2.1 - UR ...... 9 2.2 OW ...... 10 2.3 Lenzerheide GR ...... 11 2.4 LU ...... 12 2.5 Stoos SZ ...... 13 2.6 St. Moritz GR ...... 14 2.7 Sursee LU...... 15 2.8 ZG ...... 16 3 ...... 17 3.1 ...... 17 3.2 ...... 19 3.3 ...... 20 3.4 Freestyle & Freeski ...... 21 3.5 ...... 22 3.6 Short Track ...... 23 3.7 ...... 24 3.8 ...... 25 3.9 Cross-Country ...... 26 3.10 ...... 27 3.11 ...... 28 4 Host City Lucerne ...... 29

4.1 Universiade Park ...... 30 4.2 Cultural Programme ...... 30 5 Delegations/Participants ...... 31 5.1 Accommodation ...... 32 5.2 Transport ...... 33 6 Universities ...... 33 6.1 Student Projects ...... 34 6.2 World Conference ...... 35 6.3 University of Lucerne ...... 35 7 Volunteers ...... 36 8 Mascot ...... 37 9 Medals ...... 38 10 Sustainability and Legacy ...... 39 11 Finances ...... 41 Partners ...... 42

1 Winter Universiade 2021

The Winter Universiade is the largest winter multisport event after the . In 2021 the 30th occasion of this unique event will take place in Central and . The organisation is a joint project of the six cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, , and Zug, and the City of Lucerne. The programme from the 11 to 21 December 2021 comprises ten sporting disciplines, to be contested at seven event venues. Around 1600 Students aged between 17 and 25 from more than 540 universities in 50 countries are expected to attend.

Further information about the Lucerne may be found here: www.winteruniversiade2021.ch

Winter Universiade 30th edition 2021 Date 11 to 21 December 2021 Host City Lucerne Sports Biathlon, Curling, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Freestyle & Freeski, Cross-Country Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Alpine Skiing, Snowboard, Days of Competition 11 Venues Andermatt-Realp, Engelberg, Lenzerheide, Lucerne, Stoos, St. Moritz, Sursee, Zug Notable 2nd edition in Switzerland after Villars 1962 Number of expected Athletes 1600 Team Officials 900 Volunteers 3800

1.1 Organisations Involved

The successful realisation of the Winter Universiade depends on the interplay of three organisations: the International University Sports Federation FISU, the Association Winter Universiade Lucerne-Central Switzerland 2021 and Swiss University Sports. It was in 1959 that FISU launched the , now the largest multi-sport event for students. Since then, a total of 29 Winter Universiades and 30 Summer Universiades have already taken place. Unlike the Olympic Games, both Universiades are held in the same year and in a two-year cycle. In March 2016, FISU assigned the 30th winter edition to Central Switzerland with Lucerne as the host city. The six cantons of Central Switzerland and the city of Lucerne founded an association for the purpose of this major project. Government representatives from each of the six cantons and Lucerne’s city council are responsible for strategic decisions under the chairmanship of Guido Graf, Cantonal Councillor Lucerne. The organising committee, directed by the Managing Director Urs Hunkeler, reports directly to this board.

The organising committee works closely with Swiss University Sports. The National University Sports Federation of Switzerland is a member of FISU and is in charge of the selection of Swiss athletes for the multi-sport event. It has set itself the goal of building a strong Swiss team for the upcoming Winter Universiade at home.

1.2 History

Staged every two years in a different global city, the Winter Universiade is the world's largest winter multi-sports competition for university athletes.

The rich history of the Winter Universiade began in , in 1959. Sixteen countries and 220 athletes took part in the first edition, with six sporting disciplines: ice hockey, , alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and . Today, the programme has nine compulsory sports.

The Swiss mountain village of Villars hosted the Winter Universiade’s second edition in 1962 which was a big success thanks to the support of the Swiss University Sports Association. Nearly 300 athletes from 23 nations took part, including teams from , Lebanon and New Zealand.

The Winter Universiade drew more than 500 athletes for the first time in , in 1983 and by the 1991 edition in Japan, countries like the , and Japan were fielding delegations of more than 100 athletes each. The flawless execution of Sapporo 1991 helped Japan bring the Winter Olympics to Nagano in 1998 and paved the way for other major events in Asia.

The 2005 Winter Universiade in , , saw a record 2,223 participants from 50 countries and set the trend for night competitions. In another first at Innsbruck, women’s ski jumping was added to the programme, a full nine years ahead of its Olympic debut.

In 2013, the Winter Universiade drew 2,668 competitors to the Italian . Proving the Universiade as a launchpad to student-athletes’ future success, no fewer than 29 athletes who competed at Trentino went onto win medals at the Sochi Olympics, which took place just two months later.

The most recent edition of the Winter Universiade in , Russian Federation, had nearly 2,000 athletes representing a record 58 countries, competing in 11 sports.

True to its #WelcomeHome motto, Lucerne2021 represents the Winter Universiade’s return to Switzerland after nearly 60 years away.

1.3 Postponement

In late August 2020, the International University Sports Federation (FISU), Organising Committee and Swiss University Sports came to the mutual decision to halt preparations for the Winter Universiade in January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The key factors in this decision were the epidemiological situation and the travel restrictions in force at the time.

In early November 2020, following numerous discussions, the bodies decided to postpone the Winter Universiade 2021 to 11 to 21 December 2021 in Central Switzerland and Lenzerheide. “It was only thanks to enormous commitment and good collaboration between the cantons, the city of Lucerne and the main stakeholders in the sports industry and the region that we were able to present the International University Sports Federation with a proposal to postpone the event,” explains Organising Committee President and Lucerne’s Health and Sport Director, Guido Graf.

In their considerations regarding the postponement, the organisers not only had to find solutions for numerous organisational and sports-related issues, but also predict how the pandemic would develop. To this end, the Organising Committee called on the expert assistance of Daniel Koch, the former head of the Communicable Diseases Division at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

1.4 Logo

The snowflake in the logo is made up of six individual, interconnected “U”s. The “U” stands for “University” and is an integral part of all Universiade logos and its lettering. The five coloured stars symbolise the five continents. The centre of the snowflake represents the city of Lucerne, which will host the Winter Universiade 2021, while the number six stands for the six cantons that comprise Central Switzerland and which are working closely together to plan and carry out the event. The Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade project demonstrates the way in which the region’s cantons work closely and successfully together. The crowning achievement of this cooperation will come once this major event gets under way, which is already represented symbolically in the logo.

2 Venues

The organisation of the event is a joint project of Central Switzerland’s six cantons (Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug) and the city of Lucerne. “The Winter Universiade is further proof of the good cooperation between the six cantons of Central Switzerland”, says Othmar Filliger, Cantonal Councillor of Canton Nidwalden and board member of the Association Winter Universiade Lucerne-Central Switzerland 2021.

Only existing infrastructures are being used for the Winter Universiade and all sports facilities are well accessible by public transport.

Venue Sports Venue Dicipline(s) Andermatt-Realp UR Realp Nordic Centre Cross-Country Skiing Engelberg OW Sporting Park Curling Jochpass 2222 Snowboard, Freestyle & Freeski Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena Biathlon, Ski Orienteering Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating Stoos SZ Maggiweid Alpine Skiing St. Moritz GR Salastrains Alpine Skiing Sursee LU Sursee Ice Centre Ice Hockey Zug ZG Bossard Arena Ice Hockey

2.1 Andermatt-Realp UR

The cross-country skiers will hold their competitions in Andermatt-Realp, which is a one-hour drive south from the host city Lucerne. The Swiss Ski Association Swiss-Ski has set up a national performance centre in the Urserental, where the Swiss Championship in Cross-Country Skiing took place in 2020, with many kilometres of cross-country ski tracks. In order to meet the training and competition requirements of modern Cross-country events, the ski runs were re-laid and homologated in summer 2020. Beat Jörg, Cantonal Councillor of Uri and President of the local organising committee in Andermatt-Realp, looks forward to 2021: ”Our cross-country ski tracks and the beautiful landscape of Uri will delight both international students and the worldwide audience.”

Sports at the Winter Cross-Country Skiing Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Sport Stützpunkt (SSU), 6491 Realp Operating Hours All year round as National Performance Centre Technical Data 1’458 m above sea level, FIS Homologation 2019 Capacity 5‘000 spectators Notable Originally intended as a sports base of the Swiss Army, it was established in 2002 by Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi as part of the Sion 2006 Olympic bid. The Federal Office of Sport (BASPO) has been in charge of the Sport Stützpunkt Urseren since 2017. BASPO makes it possible for federations to use the infrastructure. The base has thus become the official Swiss Olympic Training Base in various sports. Number of Residents Andermatt: 1'524 (as of January 2019) Realp: 151 (as of December 2017) Canton Uri Attractions SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun, Teufelsbrücke, Schöllenenschlucht

2.2 Engelberg OW

The athletes of the Curling, Snowboard and Freestyle & Freeski competitions will meet a well- practiced team in Engelberg. Engelberg is home to numerous different sporting events, not to mention the Ski Jumping World Cup. “It is therefore a great pleasure for us to be part of this unique event as a venue as well,” says the local organising committee President Hubert Mathis. The sports events will take place in the Engelberg-Titlis on the Jochpass 2222, while the curlers will compete down in the valley at the Sporting Park Engelberg.

Sports at the Winter Curling, Freestyle & Freeski, Snowboard Universiade 2021 Curling: Sporting Park, Engelbergerstrasse 11, 6390 Engelberg Sports Facility Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: Jochpass 2222 Curling: From early September to end of March Operating Hours Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: From mid December to 26 April and from 13 June to 20 October Curling: 5 fields Technical Data Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: 2‘220 m above sea level Curling: 600 spectators Capacity Freestyle & Freeski / Snowboard: 400 spectators Notable Curling: Ice preparation testing will take place on 22 April 2020 Number of Residents 4’427 (as of 31 December 2018) Canton Obwalden Attractions Monastery Engelberg, Titlis, cheese dairy exhibition

2.3 Lenzerheide GR

Biathlon and ski orienteering enthusiasts can forward to the top-modern Roland Arena in Lenzerheide, built between 2013 and 2017. In the interests of sustainability, the World Cup compliant infrastructure, with a fully automatic shooting range and 30 shooting places, led the organising committee to decide in favour of a venue outside Central Switzerland. The venue of numerous world-class sports events such as the has already gained experience with international title races in both Ski Orienteering and Biathlon: in 2015, the Elite European Championships and the World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships took place here. In January 2020, Lenzerheide also hosted the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships. The Roland Arena and Swiss-Ski also received approval to host the IBU Biathlon World Championships in 2025. “At the Winter Universiade 2021, we will be welcoming the top biathletes who are also currently studying at university. I’m excited to see which of them will be returning to Lenzerheide in 2025,” says President of the Local Organising Committee Hannes Parpan, looking toward the future.

Sports at the Winter Biathlon, Ski Orienteering Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Roland Arena, Voia da Bual 1, 7083 Lantsch/Lenz Operating Hours All year 1‘400 m above sea level / year of construction: 2013 / A-Licence Technical Data of the International Biathlon Union (valid until 1 November 2023) Capacity 10’000 spectators The Roland Arena is a national performance centre for Biathlon. With regards to Ski Orienteering, as a legacy of the Winter Notable Universiade, it is intended to strengthen the promotion of young talents and to intensify training activities. Number of Residents Lantsch/Lenz: 537 (as of December 2018) Canton Grisons Attractions Ski resort Arosa-Lenzerheide, bike park, Heidsee

2.4 Lucerne LU

In the host city Lucerne, the Regional Ice Centre will host the competitions in Short Track Speed Skating and Figure Skating. Françoise Schnydrig, President of the local organising committee Lucerne, can hardly wait for the start of the Winter Universiade: “We will do everything we can to host memorable competitions and carry the spirit of the Winter Universiade out into the world,” says the experienced Ice Skating event organiser. The Europaplatz in front of the Culture and Congress Centre KKL Lucerne will turn into the official Universiade Park with a public viewing zone among others, where spectators, tourists and athletes will all come together. Additionally, the medals will be presented here every night, ensuring a mesmerising sports festival. Further information on the Universiade Park can be found in Chapter 4 Host city Lucerne.

Sports at the Winter Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Regional Ice Centre, Eisfeldstrasse 2, 6005 Lucerne Operating Hours From 6 October 2019 to 15 March 2020 Technical Data Ice field size: 60 m x 30 m Capacity 1‘100 spectators Notable - Number of Residents 81'546 (as of 2018) Canton Lucerne Attractions Kapellbrücke, Spreuer Bridge, KKL, Old Town of Lucerne

2.5 Stoos SZ

During the Winter Universiade, the world of Alpine Skiing takes place on the Stoos. Stoos will host the Mixed Team Parallel and the Individual Parallel Slalom. “We can promise both the athletes and the public a wonderful competition atmosphere and a wide-ranging supporting programme for the events in Stoos. The two competitions will be amongst the highlights of the Winter Universiade,” predicts Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee.

In Stoos, the future stars of Swiss skiing can also hope to benefit from the Winter Universiade 2021, as the facilities on the Maggiweid were improved in summer 2020, representing a sustainable improvement to the training infrastructure available to the Swiss skiers of the future. “To get the soil that we needed for the improvements, we were able to directly re-use the materials that had been excavated as part of the ongoing building works on the Stoos Lodge, which are taking place at the base of the ,” explains Peter Föhn. A new lighting system is also set be installed over the coming summer months. On the one hand, this will transform the team parallel slalom into a floodlit spectacular and, on the other hand, local junior skiers will benefit from the improved lighting conditions as they will now be able to use the Maggiweid ski lift for training or to hold competitions in the evening. “Going forward, up-and-coming ski talents will also be able to train efficiently after school without having to go out of their way to do so,” says Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee Stoos. In this respect, the expansion of the Maggiweid ski lift on the Stoos represents an important and sustainable training development project for Switzerland as the current top nation for skiing.

Sports at the Winter Alpine Skiing Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Maggiweid Operating Hours From mid December to Easter Monday Technical Data 1305 m above sea level / FIS Homologation Capacity 3‘000 spectators Notable - Number of Residents 150 (as of December 2018) Canton Schwyz Attractions Hölloch Cave Experience, Stoos Railways, Fronalpstock

2.6 St. Moritz GR

The Alpine skiing disciplines will be held at the Winter Universiade on Stoos (see 2.5 Stoos) and in St. Moritz. I am confident that together with the team in Stoos, we will be able to offer competitors the perfect conditions for the Alpine Skiing races”, says Martin Berthod, Responsible in St. Moritz. The Super-G, and Slalom races in the Alpine Skiing discipline will now be held in St. Moritz on the courses used for the Skiing World Championships in 2017. This will enable the Organising Committee to benefit from the infrastructure of the women's World Cup races, which will be held a few days prior.

Sports at the Winter Alpine Skiing Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Salastrains Operating Hours End of November to Easter Monday Technical Data 2048 m above sea level / FIS Homologation Capacity Five World Ski Championships and the 1928 and 1948 Winter Notable Olympics have already been held in St. Moritz. Number of Residents 5050 (as of 2017) Canton Grisons Attractions Lake St. Moritz, Muottas Muragl, Piz Nair, Lej da Staz, Olympia Bobrun, Olympia Stadium

2.7 Sursee LU

Thanks to the Lehner Cup in Sursee, international ice hockey teams compete against each other every year at the Sursee Ice Centre. "The fact that the ice stadium will now also be a venue for the largest multi-sport event after the Winter Olympics is really amazing", says local organising committee President Philipp Häfliger. During the Winter Universiade, the arena, which was built not far from the historic old town in 1999, will be the stage for the women's preliminary round matches as well as the women and men’s placement matches.

Local associations and future visitors to the Sursee Ice Centre too are set to benefit from the Winter Universiade. The Centre has been upgraded with two new improvements to its infrastructure. A new lighting system using modern technology enables the Centre to meet international requirements, with the added benefit of being sustainably energy-efficient. An additional dressing room has also been created.

Sports at the Winter Ice Hockey (women's preliminary round matches & women and Universiade 2021 men’s placement matches) Sports Facility Sursee Ice Centre, Moosgasse 6, 6210 Sursee Operating Hours In winter: From August to mid April In summer: From Easter to mid July Technical Data Ice field size: 29.8 m x 59.8 m Capacity 800-1‘000 spectators The Sursee Ice Centre was built and first opened in 1999. In winter, the hall is used for ice sports. In the summer months, the Notable arena is used as a triple indoor hall for school sports and inline hockey. Number of Residents 10’062 (as of June 2019) Canton Lucerne Attractions Rathausplatz und Pfarrkirche, Old Town, Untertor

2.8 Zug ZG

Zug, along with Sursee, will delight ice hockey fans. In 2010, the Bossard Arena in Zug, one of the most modern ice hockey temples in Switzerland, was inaugurated. The U18 Ice Hockey in 2015 was the first major international event to be hosted there. At the Winter Universiade, the men’s preliminary round matches will take place in the Academy Arena. The home stadium of first division team EV Zug will host the semi-final and final matches of the women's and men's national teams. The ice hockey city of Zug, with its president of the local organising committee Urs Scholl, is looking forward to the upcoming spectacle: ”All those involved should notice that Ice Hockey is not only played in Zug, it is lived.”

Sports at the Winter Ice Hockey Universiade 2021 Sports Facility Bossard Arena, General-Guisan-Strasse 4, 6303 Zug Operating Hours All year Technical Data Ice field size: 60 m x 30 m (Olympic standard) Capacity 7‘200 spectators (4‘512 seating, 2‘735 standing) Notable Home stadium of EV Zug, current Swiss Ice Hockey Champion Number of Residents 30’542 (as of December 2018) Canton Zug Attractions Lake Zug, Old Town, Castle, Fountain, Zytturm

3 Sport

3.1 Sports

Winter sports have a long tradition in Switzerland. As early as 1900, daring pioneers from throughout Europe met in Central Switzerland to indulge their passion for skiing. This tradition continues today. In addition to the prestige international events such as the Lauberhorn Downhill, Spengler Cup or the Engadin Ski , local events are held for all ages and abilities.

From 11 to the 21 December 2021 the Winter Universiade will include competitions in nine winter sport disciplines. Students aged between 17 and 25 are eligible to enter. Around 1600 Students from a total of over 540 universities and polytechnics from 50 countries will take part. The teams are selected by their own national university sports federations.

Discipline(s) Location Sports Venues Stoos SZ / Maggiweid / Alpine Skiing St. Moritz GR Salastrains Biathlon Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena Cross-Country Skiing Andermatt-Realp UR Realp Nordic Centre Curling Engelberg OW Sporting Park Figure Skating Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre Freestyle & Freeski Engelberg OW Jochpass 2222 Zug ZG / Bossard Arena / Ice Hockey Sursee LU Sursee Ice Centre Short Track Speed Skating Lucerne LU Regional Ice Centre Ski Orienteering Lenzerheide GR Roland Arena Snowboard Engelberg OW Jochpass 2222

3.2 Biathlon

Biathlon competitions have been held at Winter Universiades 14 times, with the first event held in 1983 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The origins of this discipline are much older than military sport: in the early viking age, northern norwegians on successfully defended attacks by danish vikings.

Biathlon and ski orienteering enthusiasts can look forward to the top-modern Roland Arena in Lenzerheide, built between 2013 and 2017. In the interests of sustainability, the World Cup compliant infrastructure, with the fully automatic shooting range and 30 shooting places, led the organising committee to decide in favour of a venue outside Central Switzerland. In January 2020, Lenzerheide also hosted the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships. In mid- November 2020, the Roland Arena and Swiss-Ski received approval to host the 2025 World Championships.

Location Lenzerheide GR Sports Venue Roland Arena Men Women Individual 15 km Individual 12.5 km Disciplines 10 km Sprint 7.5 km Pursuit 12.5 km Pursuit 10 km Mass Start 15 km Mass Start 12.5 km

3.3 Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is not only the most popular team sport on ice, it‘s also the fastest. It has been a part of the Winter Universiade programme since its introduction in Villars, Canton of Vaud, in 1962. The best ever result by a Swiss team – fourth place – was achieved in this first event. At that time only four men’s teams took part: tournaments now generally comprise twelve men’s and eight women’s teams. Switzerland has never entered a women’s team – until 2019 in Krasnoyarsk. For the first time in the history of the Universiade, two Swiss ice hockey teams, men and women, will be sent to the multi-sport Event.

During the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade, the Sursee Ice Centre and Bossard Arena in Zug are the places to be for ice hockey fans. Excitement is guaranteed when ten men's and six women's teams compete for the title. The men's preliminary matches as well as the semi-finals and finals of the men's and women's teams will take place in Zug. In Sursee, the women will be contesting their qualification matches and the placement games of women and men.

Location Zug ZG / Sursee LU Sports Venue Bossard Arena Zug / Sursee Ice Centre Disciplines Men Women Tournament Tournament Number of Teams 10 Teams 6 Teams

3.4 Freestyle & Freeski

Freestyle & Freeski disciplines are very diverse – While just watching the astoundingly high jumps in competitions takes a spectator’s breath away, the excitement at the end of a run is hard to beat. Which athlete has conjured up the perfect run with the most technically challenging jumps and earned the highest number of points? Freestyle & Freeski at Winter Universiades is a relatively new discipline: the first medals were awarded in 2005 at the Universiade in Innsbruck, Austria. Since then the popularity of this sport has increased substantially.

The International University Sports Federation FISU has decided to include Freestyle & Freeski in the Winter Universiade compulsory programme. This programme change will be introduced at the 30th Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland. The competitions will be held on the Jochpass 2222 in the Engelberg-Titlis ski region.

Location Engelberg OW Sports Venue Jochpass 2222 Disciplines Men Women Slopestyle Slopestyle Big Air Big Air

3.5 Snowboard

The success story of Universiade started at the event in Jaca, , in 1995. At that time it was a , but quickly became part of the permanent programme – to the delight of the successful Swiss teams. Both the Olympic Giant Slalom champions Patrizia Kummer and Daniela Meuli know the Universiade well, as does the Olympic champion from 2018 Nevin Galmarini: they have all stood on the podium at this unique event.

The alpine events of Slalom and Giant Slalom were held initially, with the first freestyle discipline appearing in 1999. A choice of Snowboardcross, Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air events is now offered. Competitions in all disciplines will be held at the Central Switzerland games, with the exception of the Halfpipe and Snowboardcross. Snowboard experts start in the largest summer and winter holiday paradise in Central Switzerland – in Engelberg.

Location Engelberg OW Sports Venue Jochpass 2222 Disciplines Men Women Parallel Giant Slalom Parallel Giant Slalom Parallel Slalom Parallel Slalom Slopestyle Slopestyle Big Air Big Air

3.6 Short Track Speed Skating

Fast, faster, Short Track Speed Skating – speed and strategy are vital in Short Track, which has been a Universiade event since 1985. The first event saw the men’s medals go to and the women’s medals to America. These days the sport is dominated by athletes from Asia: the leading countries are Korea, Japan and . However, an increasing number of countries are challenging this dominance.

Short Track Speed Skating events are held over 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000/5000 m, and may be hosted in any ice hockey stadium conforming to international standard dimensions. There are many of these in Switzerland, but this television-friendly sport is the only Winter Universiade event which is largely unknown in Switzerland. This was set to change with the 2020 in Lausanne. One year later, the sport's popularity will be further increased thanks to the Winter Universiade 2021. The competitions will then be held in the host city of Lucerne.

Location Lucerne LU Sports Venue Regional Ice Centre Lucerne Disciplines Men Women 500 m 500 m 1000 m 1000 m 1500 m 1500 m 5000 m Relay 3000 m Relay

3.7 Curling

Universiade Curling competitions are very popular with spectators. The standard of competition is very high, with many of the leading players at World, European and World Cup championships taking part. Most recently in Krasnoyarsk 2019, when the team led by Yannick Schwaller of Team Bern Schwaller, who would go on to become World silver medallist, came tantalisingly close to winning the bronze medal play-off. The Swiss team has been at the forefront of competitions many times, but has yet to win a gold medal.

Pascal Hess, the Head of Swiss Curling, would like to change this at the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade. He is from the city of Zug, and was Skip in the silver medal winning team in 2011. The Swiss teams will fight against nine other women's and men's teams to win one of the prestigious Universiade medals. The tournament will take place at the Sporting Park in Engelberg.

Location Engelberg OW Sports Venue Sporting Park Engelberg Disciplines Men Women Tournament Tournament Number of Teams 10 Teams 10 Teams

3.8 Figure Skating

At the Winter Universiade 2009 in (China), the Figure Skating competitions attracted an enormous number of spectators: 42,000. This discipline is not just popular in China – quite the opposite, Figure Skating competitions are among the best-loved Winter Universiade events throughout the world. They are an established part of the programme: Figure Skating was first introduced at the Winter Universiade in Chamonix in 1960, and it’s now hard to imagine the largest multisport event for students without it. The Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland will feature individual events for women and men, and Ice Dancing.

In Ice Dancing, a male figure skater and a female figure skater perform a rehearsed routine together. This discipline is considered by experts to be the most detailed and technically complex form of skating, as it has its origins in ballroom dancing. The interaction of the skaters with the musical rhythm is of particular importance. The skaters must remain in contact with each other (except in rare cases) and have at least one skate on the ice (except during technically demanding lifts), thus increasing the difficulty of the routine.

During the Winter Universiade, competitions in Short Track Speed Skating and Figure Skating will be held in the host city of Lucerne at the regional ice centre. In all disciplines, both, women and men will compete.

Location Lucerne LU Sports Venue Regional Ice Centre Lucerne Disciplines Men Women Individual Individual Ice Dance

3.9 Cross-Country Skiing

Cross-Country Skiing has been included in the programme since the first Winter Universiade in 1960. The tradition in university sports is even older: it was part of the “International Winter Weeks“ from 1951 to 1959, the predecessors of the current Universiades.

The great stars of the Cross-Country Skiing scene were often present, for example the double Olympic Games and World Championship gold medallist Justyna Kowlczyk of . The former top cross-country skier Bettina Gruber was the most recent Swiss competitor to achieve a Cross-Country Skiing podium position: the athlete from SAS Bern won the silver medal at the Harbin games in China in 2009. A particular highlight for Swiss fans was the Men’s Relay bronze medal at the Sapporo games in 1991. The Swiss team included Raoul Volken, Toni Dinkel, Matthias Remund (now Director of the Federal Office of Sport BASPO), and Urs Schmidig (now Director of the Zürich Department of Sport).

Location Andermatt-Realp UR Sports Venue Realp Nordic Centre Disciplines Men Women Sprint Sprint Pursuit 10 km Pursuit 5 km Individual 10 km Individual 5 km Mass Start 30 km Mass Start 15 km Relay 4 x 7.5 km Relay 3 x 5 km Mixed Team Sprint

3.10 Alpine Skiing

The Alpine Skiing competitions are a central part of Winter Universiades. No other sport has higher participation numbers: 40 nations competed in the Alpine Skiing event at the Winter Universiade in Erzurum in 2011. The most successful Winter Universiade ski racer of all time is Sandro Boner. This Swiss athlete won a total of five gold and two bronze medals at Universiades at the 2009 and 2015.

The Alpine Skiing disciplines of Mixed Team Parallel and Individual Parallel Slalom will be based at the Stoos ski resort in the , while the Super-G, Giant Slalom and Slalom events will be held in the former Winter Olympics venue of St. Moritz.

Location Stoos SZ / St. Moritz GR Sports Venue Maggiweid / Salastrains Disciplines Men Women Super-G Super-G Giant Slalom Giant Slalom Slalom Slalom Individual Parallel Individual Parallel Slalom Slalom Mixed Team Parallel

3.11 Ski Orienteering

Hardly any other sport so clearly exemplifies the motto of the International University Sports Federation FISU «Excellence in Mind and Body». According to Swiss Orienteering, about three- quarters of orienteers are students, including orienteers on foot, bikes and skis. Ski orienteering made its debut on the competition programme at the Winter Universiade 2019. As the sport will also be included in Lucerne 2021 and Lake Placid 2023, the FISU has decided to adopt ski orienteering into its compulsory programme for the Winter Universiade with effect from 2027.

In Ski-O a , a and cross-country skis are used to visit a number of checkpoints in a specified order as rapidly as possible. The competitions are held on a specially prepared cross-country ski trail network. The checkpoints are always located beside a ski trail track. The challenge lies in choosing the fastest route through the complicated network of trails, and in quick map reading and decision-making en route.

The Ski-O competitions will be held in parallel to the biathlon races at Lenzerheide. This venue has hosted numerous world-class events such as the Tour de Ski, and already has experience of Ski-O international title competitions: in 2015 the Elite European Championships and the Masters World Championships were held at this winter sports resort in Grisons.

Location Lenzerheide GR Sports Venue Roland Arena Disciplines Men Women Sprint Sprint Pursuit Pursuit Sprint Relay

4 Host City Lucerne

The city of Lucerne is the host city of the Winter Universiade 2021 and thanks to the short distances to all the various sports venues, Lucerne is ideally suited to be the centre of the Winter Universiade. Guests from all over the world will be accommodated and catered for in the heart of the "Leuchtenstadt", as the city is also called. Moreover, the opening ceremony and the medal ceremonies will take place in the Universiade Park, situated at the Europaplatz, and a cultural programme will be organised.

The Lucerne- Region is situated in the heart of Switzerland and the city of Lucerne itself is a stronghold of culture. Nowhere will you find more things to see than in this city nestling in a magnificent landscape characterized by mountains and its eponymous lake. Charming Lucerne is brimming with things to do; Century old sights such as the Chapel Bridge and historic Old Town, museums, shopping, festival and events during all year. The region also contains a wealth of summer activities and record-breaking railways and cableways. Mount Rigi, Mount Pilatus, Mount Titlis, Mount Stoos and many other corners of the mountains are popular excursions with stunning views.

4.1 Universiade Park

The Europaplatz in front of the Lucerne Cultural and Conference Centre (KKL) will become the centre of the Winter Universiade 2021: the Universiade Park will be created here, in a unique setting with views of the lake, city and mountains. For eleven days it will be the meeting point for athletes, officials, volunteers and the general public. The Universiade Park is located in the immediate vicinity of the railway station, Lucerne University and Lucerne Teacher Training University. The opening, closing and daily medals ceremonies will take place here. Spectators can follow the action at the various venues live in the public viewing area.

In addition to the medal ceremonies, the Universiade Park stage will also be used to present aspects of cultural life in Central Switzerland. Sustenance for visitors will not be forgotten.

4.2 Cultural Programme

On and around the Europaplatz in Lucerne, a diverse programme will be presented to guests and the people of Central Switzerland during the Winter Universiade 2021. The aim is to give visitors an insight into the cultural life of the region and the traditions of Central Switzerland.

On the stage of the Universiade Park at the Europaplatz, there will be various performances and concerts every day before and after the award ceremonies to showcase the cultural life of Central Switzerland. Central Swiss venues, associations and artists will be featured.

5 Delegations/Participants

"Welcome home" – the slogan of the Winter Universiade 2021 sums it up perfectly: all participants should feel at home in Central Switzerland. An estimated 1,600 athletes and their coaches from over 50 countries are expected to attend. That makes a total of around 2,500 people who will all be staying in hotels for maximum comfort during the Winter Universiade. Transportation and catering will also be arranged, but will vary depending where the accommodation is located. For this full service package, the cost for a delegation member is EUR 75 per day.

5.1 Accommodation

All participants of the Winter Universiade 2021 will be accommodated in 2-, 3- and 4-star hotels. There are four accommodation clusters: Lucerne, Andermatt, Engelberg and Lenzerheide.

The majority of the delegations will be staying in the host city of Lucerne – at a total of around 20 hotels. Due to the distance to the host city, the cross-country skiers will be accommodated in Andermatt, the curlers in Engelberg and the biathletes and orienteers in Lenzerheide.

Further hotels in Lucerne are reserved for other client groups, such as the FISU or international media representatives.

5.2 Transport

It is a novelty in the history of Universiades: public transportation is an integral part of the transport concept of the event. "This may sound unspectacular to us Swiss, but it took us a lot of persuasion," explains Managing Director Urs Hunkeler. In concrete terms, the short-track speed skating and figure skating athletes will have to take the bus from their hotels to the Ice Centre in Lucerne. A truly special experience awaits all customer groups in Andermatt. In order to get to the stadium in Realp, the participants will use a train shuttle of the between Andermatt and Realp. All the other athletes will be transported to their sports facilities by the (team) bus.

Furthermore, all participants who are accommodated in the host city of Lucerne will benefit from a 10-zone public transport pass for the entire city thanks to the Lucerne Guest Card. This will allow them to move around the city of Lucerne completely free-of-charge in their free time.

The organising committee recommends and promotes public transport as a means of transport for visitors. Media representatives will be transported from the Press Centre (at the University of Lucerne) to the competition venues by a dedicated media shuttle service.

6 Universities

Participants at Winter Universiades combine competitive sports and education. In total, students from more than 540 universities from over 50 nations will travel to Central Switzerland for the Winter Universiade. Education is a central element of the Winter Universiade programme. For example, a scientific conference on "Challenges and opportunities of sport in modern society" will be held during the event from 13 to 14 December 2021 and Swiss students will be involved in organising the event. Collaborating in this major project offers them the opportunity to develop their skills and gain valuable experience for their future careers.

6.1 Student Projects

The Winter Universiade offers space for innovative projects, scientific research and creative ideas. Students at Swiss universities can actively get involved in the planning and organisation of the event by submitting student projects. "For us, the involvement of students is key," explains Patrick Udvardi, Director of Academic Liaison, and continues: "This event is a unique opportunity. We want as many students as possible to benefit".

In addition to a study on the suitability of a venue or a bachelor's thesis on how to maintain sponsor satisfaction, the Winter Universiade mascot, for example, was also designed by students. Four aspiring female artists from the Lucerne School of Art and Design have each designed a character. A seven-member jury selected Luisa Zürcher's proposal to be the mascot of the Winter Universiade 2021. The four students volunteered for the student design project and worked on it in their spare time. The decision to take part was easy, as the 23-year-old Luisa Zürcher explains: "What could be more exciting than designing a mascot that you can later hug?" In addition to numerous design tasks, the students support the marketing department, especially in the area of social media.

By the way: interested students can still work on numerous projects and contribute their ideas. The complete overview can be found on the website of the organising committee at winteruniversiade2021.ch/en/universities.

6.2 World Conference

The FISU World Conference on Innovation, Education and Sport will be held during the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade on 13 and 14 December 2021. Under the main topic Challenges and Opportunities in Sport in modern society researchers will focus on three subthemes: Dual career, Digitalisation and Women in top-class sport. The conference is located at the building of the University of Lucerne and organized by the University of Lucerne, the Universities of teacher education Lucerne, Zug and Schwyz and the Universities of applied sciences of Lucerne and Grisons as well as the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM.

6.3 University of Lucerne

The organising committee can count on the generous support of the University of Lucerne and the PH Lucerne. During the Winter Universiade, the University/PH building will be transformed into the hub of the multi-sport event.

In the building you will find • the accreditation centre, • the information centre for all participants, • the canteen as a catering centre for volunteers, the organising committee and other customer groups, • the media centre as well as a room for press conferences and • the international broadcasting centre.

In addition, the following rooms/facilities in particular are available for use by the delegations: • a waxing and storage room for skis and in alpine snow sports, • meeting rooms, • individual offices of the delegations.

Moreover, the Uni/PH building will also be the headquarters of the organising committee during the event. The organising committee will be using rooms for the following purposes: • offices of the various departments, • meeting rooms, • main operation centre of the multi-sport event.

7 Volunteers

In order to ensure that the multi-sport event can run smoothly, the organising committee is looking for over 3800 helpers. The tasks of volunteers at Universiades are very diverse: supervising teams, printing results or serving as a forerunner are just a few examples. The Volunteers Programme was launched on 3 May 2021. Future volunteers are able to register on the Swiss Volunteers platform and sign up for their chosen field of work. As a token of appreciation for their commitment, volunteers will be rewarded with an appreciation programme and, in particular, with a unique experience.

The organising committee can count on strong partners for the recruitment of volunteers. Together with Swiss Volunteers, the universities and other institutes of higher education as well as local organisations, the volunteers will be mobilised.

8 Mascot

Whether "Cooly", the mascot of the Ice Hockey World Championships 2009 and 2020, the FC Lucerne mascots "Siegfried & Leu" or "Yodli" at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020 – all mascots have one thing in common: they captivate audiences and have become an integral part of major sporting events. On the occasion of the "One-Year-To-Go" event, the Winter Universiade 2021 has also introduced an event mascot. This fabulous creature was designed by Luisa Zürcher, an animation student at the Lucerne School of Art and Design.

The young artist was inspired by Yeti, the mountains of Central Switzerland and its myths, and the carnival, which has deep roots in the traditions of Central Switzerland. Luisa Zürcher has created a character perfectly suited to the Winter Universiade: the fabulous creature has its origins in the myths of Central Switzerland, loves carnival, and lives in the mountains of the region. The curious mascot will travel to Winter Universiade venues to make friends with athletes from all over the world. The sporty mascot will help visitors to the Winter Universiade 2021 feel at home, in keeping with the event motto "Welcome Home".

Luisa Zürcher volunteered for the student design project, and created the mascot in her spare time. The decision to take part was easy, as the 23-year-old explains: "What could be more exciting than designing a mascot that you can later hug?" This moment became reality for Luisa Zürcher at the "One-Year-To-Go" event. Over the next twelve months, the fabulous creature will put a smile on the faces of many more people with a hug.

The Organising Committee of the Winter Universiade 2021 named the mascot ‘Wuli’ in a ceremony held at the IBU Biathlon Youth and Junior World Championships in Lenzerheide. The name is a combination of the initials of "Winter Universiade" with the typical Swiss word ending "-li". It was chosen by the public in an online vote on the social media channels of the Winter Universiade 2021. The naming ceremony was conducted by the Head of Marketing & Sponsoring Fabienne Meyerhans, and Hannes Parpan, President of the local organising committee in Lenzerheide.

9 Medals

In addition to the athletes themselves, who successfully combine top-class sporting achievements and university education, the focus should also be on Swiss students. This is why students at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts were asked to design the medals for the Winter Universiade. Twenty-six students responded to the call for proposals within the university, with 13 young designers submitting a proposal. “Designing a medal is an exciting project – both for the students and for us lecturers. Working for a feasible project was a strong motivator for everyone,” says Thomas Aregger, who heads the introductory design . Course instructor Patrick Kälin adds: "The task was very demanding. To transform a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional object is a challenge." A five-member jury chose Nicole Schellhammer's design for the medal of the Winter Universiade 2021. The graphic design student is thrilled about the decision: "This medal aims to ensure the athletes remember the Winter Universiade 2021 for a long time,” she says. The design of the ribbon was also left in the capable hands of students at the Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts. Céline Eberle, who is studying textile design, created the ribbons in the official Winter Universiade

colours and adapted them to the final design in collaboration with Nicole Schellhammer. A total of 67 sets of medals will be presented at the largest winter multisport event for students.

Medal features Lake Lucerne and the cantons of Central Switzerland When designing the medal, Nicole Schellhammer drew her inspiration from the snow crystal in the Lucerne 2021 logo, amongst other things. She therefore arranged the cowbells in a similar manner to the logo. Six cowbells surround an amulet. On the medal, the cowbells symbolise the cantons of Central Switzerland that border on Lake Lucerne, which represents the amulet on the medal. “It was important to me that the medal represented all the Winter Universiade’s venues in Central Switzerland. I also wanted the design to be suitable for every sport,” Nicole Schellhammer explains. The organising committee wants to convey Swiss traditions and values to the visitors the event attracts from around the globe, so including the cowbells was convincing: “Cowbells and the Winter Universiade are a winning combination,” says Head of Ceremonies Brian Ruchti. “At the closing ceremony of the Winter Universiade 2019, our organising committee went on stage as a group of traditional cowbell carriers. Our mascot, Wuli, wears a bell around his neck. We also plan that the athletes parade at the opening ceremony will be opened by a group of traditional cowbell carriers.”

10 Sustainability and Legacy

Even when bidding for the Winter Universiade 2021, one focus was on the topics of sustainability and legacy. The major winter sports event should be carried out with as little impact on the environment as possible and with positive and lasting effects on the economy, society and Swiss sport. This objective has shaped the vision and mission and was specified in more detail in the Sustainability Charter.

Winter Universiade paving the way for many international events The Winter Universiade will ultimately be remembered in sporting history as an event for which no new infrastructures had to be built: all competitions will take place in existing facilities and infrastructures. For this reason, Lenzerheide, a venue outside Central Switzerland, was chosen for the Biathlon and Ski Orienteering competitions. A few minor improvements to the infrastructure will ultimately be available to all participating athletes and will remain available for use in the future as well. Important sections of the slopes in Andermatt-Realp were re-laid and homologated by the FIS in summer 2020. The infrastructure now meets the requirements of

modern cross-country events. This means that the Urserental will be able to host national and international competitions in future, while also strengthening the area as a regional and national performance centre. “After successfully staging the 2020 Swiss Championships, we’ve now submitted our first applications to host a number of international events. We’re hoping that the Winter Universiade 2021 will be the first of many international events to take place in Andermatt,” says Beat Jörg, President of the local organising committee Andermatt and Cantonal Councillor Uri. Switzerland has selected Andermatt as the host venue for Nordic events as part of its bid to host the Military World 2025, among other events.

Project to promote young talent in Stoos In Stoos, the future stars of Swiss skiing can also hope to benefit from the Winter Universiade 2021, as the facilities on the Maggiweid ski lift were improved in summer 2020, representing a sustainable improvement to the training infrastructure available to the Swiss skiers of the future. “To get the soil that we needed for the improvements, we were able to directly re-use the materials that had been excavated as part of the ongoing building works on the Stoos Lodge, which are taking place at the base of the piste,” explains Peter Föhn. A new lighting system is also set be installed over the coming summer months. On the one hand, this will transform the team parallel slalom into a floodlit spectacular and, on the other hand, local junior skiers will benefit from the improved lighting conditions as they will now be able to use the Maggiweid ski lift for training or to hold competitions in the evening. “Going forward, up-and-coming ski talents will also be able to train efficiently after school without having to go out of their way to do so,” says Peter Föhn, President of the local organising committee Stoos. In this respect, the expansion of the Maggiweid ski lift on the Stoos represents an important and sustainable training development project for Switzerland as the current top nation for skiing. The Franz- Heinzer-Piste was also optimised as part of the improvements, with enhanced run-off areas and the terrain being levelled off on the piste. In recent years, the Franz-Heinzer Piste has consistently required a lot of snow to be suitable for competition. These modifications mean that it now needs less snow, whether natural or artificial, meaning that less energy is required to bring the piste up to competition standards. “Thanks to this, the Winter Universiade will leave a fantastic, lasting legacy on the Stoos,” says Peter Föhn.

Combining top-class sport and academic studies The legacy in terms of sport will focus on the objective of further improving the conditions for combining top-class sport and academic studies. Swiss University Sports, together with Swiss Olympic, is making great efforts to ensure that young people do not have to choose between

top-class sport and studying but can combine both. Those who manage two careers at the same time acquire skills that are crucial for success in both, sport and professional life. "Today's stars, tomorrow's leaders" is the motto of Swiss University Sports. Initiatives are planned to increase the flexibility of study programmes, optimise advice or raise awareness of the concept of "dual careers" among professional associations.

11 Finances

The budget for the Winter Universiade 2021 is set at CHF 42 million. The organising committee can count on considerable support from the Swiss Federation and the cantons of Central Switzerland. The professional, material, financial as well as non-material support of private partners is an equally decisive factor for the success of the multi-sport event.

Partners

A joint project of the six cantons of Central Switzerland and the city of Lucerne