FISU have held a Krasnoyarsk 2019 debrief ©FISU

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has held a debrief of the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade to enable upcoming hosts Lucerne 2021 to learn from their Russian counterparts.

Eight functional areas were the subject of the debrief at the University of Lucerne, according to FISU, which would enable a transfer of knowledge.

Areas included refurbishing sports infrastructure to competition know-how to effectively attracting audiences and sponsors.

It was the second edition of the Winter Universiade debrief to be held, with sessions led by the FISU education department.

“A key role FISU plays is providing our event Organising Committees and their partners with access to the latest knowledge and experiences from major multi-sports events,” said Roger Roth, FISU Winter Universiade technical committee chair.

"It’s time to put the experiences gained from hosting this Winter Universiade to work.

"It’s time to put the main revelations gained in Krasnoyarsk on the table – what worked really well and what to avoid for next time – and discuss these points in depth.”

Krasnoyarsk 2019 took place between March 2 to 12 in the Siberian city, with around 3,000 student athletes participating in competitions.

The athletes were representing a record 58 nations.

FISU claimed the Winter Universiade had 328,000 spectators in total, with ticket sales registered at 252,000.

More than 300 million television viewers were claimed to have watched the Universiade, while 70 million were reported to have live-streamed action from the 10-day event.


The debrief was aimed at helping Lucerne 2021 gain knowledge prior to hosting in two years' time ©FISU
The debrief was aimed at helping Lucerne 2021 gain knowledge prior to hosting in two years' time ©FISU

An additional 100 million people were asserted to have accessed the Universiade across various digital channels.

Lucerne 2021, who participated in an observer programme at the Winter Universiade, will hope to build on Krasnoyarsk 2019’s achievements in two years’ time.

"With an event like this, you do it once in a lifetime, so there is only one chance to succeed,” said Urs Hunkeler, Lucerne 2021 managing director.

“This is an extra good opportunity for our team to catch this knowledge.

"We get the feeling after Krasnoyarsk that the attention now turns to Lucerne, we are the next ones.

"Hosting the Winter Universiade is similar to competing in a major sport event – we have to get fit before we do it.

“We look to be in peak condition when we welcome the world to Central Switzerland in January 2021.”

Lucerne 2021 will take place from January 21 to 31.