International University Sports Federation (FISU) President Claude-Louis Gallien recently praised Kazakhstan’s progress in preparing for the Universiade in Almaty 2017.
The official’s comments came following the presentation of a report to the Federation on Kazakhstan’s preparation efforts. According to the report, two new ice arenas are being built. The Ice Arena will have a capacity of 3,000 spectators and will host the men’s ice hockey tournament. The Ice Palace with a capacity of 12,000 spectators is also under construction and will host figure skating competitions as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the Universiade.
The technical and economic study for a Universiade Village project for 5,000 people is under development as well ,including an accreditation centre, clinic, dining hall with1,000 seats, restaurants, banks and more. Upon completion of the Universiade, the residential buildings in the village will be incorporated into a local college campus.
The Torch Relay route for the 2017 Winter Universiade has also been approved. The total duration of the relay will be 45 days. In the meantime, a promotional campaign ‘The Lessons of the 2017 Winter Universiade’ is running throughout schools, colleges and universities in Kazakhstan’s main cities Astana and Almaty.
FISU is responsible for the organisation and governance of worldwide competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28. It was founded in 1949 as the world governing body of national university sports organisations and currently has 167 member associations (national federations) from five continents. Between 1949 and 2011, it was based in Brussels, Belgium; since 2011, it has been based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It is the only international federation with more than 50 sports on its competition programme. The FISU stages its events every two years. They currently include two Universiades (summer and winter) and 32 World University Championships.
