Taipei 2017 Universiade torch begins domestic relay
Penghu, 13 July 2017 - The FISU Universiade torch today began its journey through Chinese Taipei, travelling city to city before it arrives in the capital city of Taipei City for the start of the event on 19 August.
The torch was lit in Torino, Italy on 20 June to commemorate the first ever Universiade and will now complete the domestic part of the route, spelling out the word “LOVE” as it connects 22 cities throughout the country. The torch has already been taken to the summit of Mt Jade, lighting up the highest point of Chinese Taipei.
Speaking as the torch’s city tour began, FISU President Oleg Matytsin said that the event was an important part of uniting Chinese Taipei’s citizens around the spirit of the Universiade.
“As the torch travels throughout Chinese Taipei, it is an opportunity for the country’s residents to be a part of the 2017 Summer Universiade,” he said. “This event is the biggest that Taipei has ever staged, and second only to the Olympic Games in terms of world sport. It is my hope that, through the Torch Relay, residents will feel connected to this great event.”
The torch will now travel through Penghu, Kinmen and Lianjiang before 19 other city stops to complete the tour, with the flame being lit at the Universiade Opening Ceremony.
“I am now looking forward to arriving in Taipei for the finale of the Torch Relay and the beginning of the Universiade,” President Matytsin continued. “FISU has worked incredibly hard with the Taipei Organising Committee. The final preparations are going very well and I am sure this is going to be a wonderful celebration of sport and education.”
Tickets for the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade are now on sale and can be purchased here: https://tickets.2017.taipei/
The Universiade will commence on 19 August and run until the Closing Ceremony on 30 August. Over 10,000 athletes from 150 countries will represent their universities across 22 different sports.
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The International University Sports Federation – FISU
Founded in 1949, FISU stands for Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation). FISU was formed within university institutions in order to promote sports values and encourage sports practice in harmony with and complementary to the university spirit. Promoting sports values means encouraging friendship, fraternity, fair-play, perseverance, integrity and cooperation amongst students, who one day may have responsibilities and even key positions in politics, the economy, culture and industry.
Open to student-athletes aged between 17 and 25 (for events in 2016 and 2017 the upper age is still 28), FISU’s events consist of Summer and Winter Universiades and the World University Championships. Universiades are multisport events staged in odd-numbered years, while the World University Championships are single-sport events, staged in even-numbered years. Besides its sporting events, FISU stages educational events, such as the FISU Forum on University Sport, the FISU World Conference on Development through Sport, the FISU World Conference on Innovation - Education - Sport, the FISU Sport Education Summit and the FISU Seminars.
With FISU’s motto being “Excellence in Mind and Body”, all events include educational and cultural aspects, bringing together sport and academia from all over the world to celebrate in a true spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. FISU cooperates in developing its events and programmes with all major international sports and educational organisations. As major outcomes of those collaborations, in 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) proclaimed the International Day of University Sport to be celebrated on 20 September, and the Anti-Doping Textbook and teaching materials were developed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
FISU is composed of 170 Member Associations (National University Sports Federations). The FISU General Assembly elects the members of the FISU Executive Committee, its board of directors. Fourteen permanent committees advise the Executive Committee in their specialised areas. For the daily administration of FISU, the FISU Executive Committee relies on the Secretary General, who is assisted by the FISU staff. FISU’s headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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