The visit was designed to provide an introduction between the FISU staff and the Organising Committee leaders, as well as to hold meetings with FISU’s functional areas of marketing, media and education and development.

Chief executive Stefan Kürten and chief operating officer Alexis Schäfer led the delegation

Kürten became chief executive on November 1 of last year and has an experienced history in international sports media.

Schäfer was previously the commercial and marketing director of the International Paralympic Committee before moving into his latest role on February 1.

Jörg Förster, chairman of the board of the German University Sports Federation, attended some of the meetings online.

Last month, the Advisory Board for Rhine-Ruhr 2025 met for the first time as the first steps of preparation continue to be ramped up.

The German region of Rhine-Ruhr, the largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over 10 million inhabitants and includes world-class cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Bonn, was awarded the Games by FISU last May.

Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf is expected to be among the main venues used by organisers for the Games, scheduled to take place between July 16 and 27 in 2025. 

A total of 18 sports are expected to be contested, including 15 core sports.

Beach volleyball, rowing and 3x3 basketball are the optional sports favoured by Rhine-Ruhr 2025.