2025 Winter World University Games Explained

Host City:Turin, Italy
Previous:2023 Lake Placid
Next:2027 TBA
XXXII Winter Universiade
XXXII Universiade invernale
Opening:13 January 2025
Closing:23 January 2025
Opened By:President Sergio Mattarella (expected)
Motto:Piemonte land of sport, Piemonte terra di sport
Events:96 in 11 sports
Stadium:Inalpi Arena (opening) / Piazza Castello(closing)
Edition:32nd

The 2025 FISU Winter World University Games, also known as the XXXII Winter World University Games, or the 32nd Winter Universiade, and commonly known as Turin 2025 or Torino 2025, is a multi-sport event scheduled from 13 - 23 January 2025, in Turin, Italy. The Piedmontese capital was confirmed as the host city for the games on 15 May 2021.[1] This will be the 7th time in the history that the event will be held in Italy and 2nd time in the city, as the 2007 Winter Universiade was also held there. The city is considered the birthplace of the event, as in 1959 Summer Universiade, its first summer and winter edition was also held there. Torino also hosted the 1970 Summer Universiade and is the second dual World University Games host city, as Sofia in Bulgaria is the first.

If one counts the summer editions, this is the 12th time that the World University Games have been held on Italian soil, as the most recent 2019 Summer Universiade held in Naples.

The 2025 FISU Winter World University Games will be the first World University Games event to feature para-athletes competing in para-sport events, alongside the existing able-bodied events as part of FISU’s long-term strategy of inclusiveness and social sustainability.

Bidding process

On 6 July 2020, representatives from the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont Region, University of Turin, Polytechnic of Turin, CUSI Turin, EDISU and University of Eastern Piedmont formally announced their candidature to host the 2025 Winter games.[2] The joint bid, known as "Torino 2025," included for the second time intentions to host parasports events, in tandem with the 2025 World Winter Special Olympics in Piedmont Region. The Italian government's Minister of Sport, Vincenzo Spadafora, confirmed his strong support for the candidature on 7 July 2020.[3] Considered the birthplace of the event, the city has hosted the 1959 and 1970 Summer Universiades, the 2006 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the 2007 Winter Universiade and has a tradition of hosting international sporting and entreteniment events and also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022. Italy's relationship with university sports also stands out, as Rome hosted the Summer Games in 1975, while Sicily in also hosted the same event 1997 and Naples in more recently in 2019, replacing Brasilia as host city. Sestriere was the first Winter Games edition in the same event in 1966 games with Turin serving as the host city for ice hockey. And just as in 2007, it will be the sub-venue for snow events. Livigno in Sondrio Province, the 1975 Winter Games. In 1985, it was the turn of the resort of Belluno in Veneto. Another resort, Tarvisio in the most northeastern part of the country with neighboring cities in Austria and Slovenia, co-hosted the 2003 winter event. And in 2013 when the province of Trentino replaced Maribor in Slovenia and hosted the event during the bid process to the 2026 Winter Olympics with some venues who were also part of the project.

Despite having begun, negotiations for this edition to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland due to the cancellation of the 2021 Winter Universiade due to the COVID-19 pandemic were not useful and in addition there was a joint proposal made by Sweden and Finland led by Stockholm as main host.[4]

Venues

Along Turin, six municipalities in the Piedmont region will host 11 sports:[5]

VenueCitySportCapacity
Opening Cerimonies 12.500
Closing Cerimonies -
8.240
2.290
3.500
2.370
Biathlon, Cross-country skiing (Olympic and Paralympic) and Ski orienteering
Alpine skiing (Olympic and Paralympic) and Snowboard
Snowpark Melezet Sellette & Campo Smith 1
Sestriere Colle

Opening Ceremonies

The Opening ceremonies are scheduled for the evening of Monday, 13 January, at the Inalpi Arena.

Closing Ceremonies

The Closing ceremonies are scheduled for the evening of Thursday, 23 January, at the Piazza Castello.

The Games

Events in 11 sports will be contested during the Games, with the nine compulsory sports, and two optional sports: ski mountaineering—which will make its World Winter University Games debut, and ski orienteering—which will return for the first time since 2019, and is also scheduled to debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics. As was proposed in the Turin bid, events for disability classifications will be held as part of the Games for the first time.[6] [7]

Schedule

This is the final schedule announced in October 2024.[8]

OCOpening ceremonyEvent competitions1Event finalsCCClosing ceremony
January11
Sat
12
Sun
13
Mon
14
Tue
15
Wed
16
Thu
17
Fri
18
Sat
19
Sun
20
Mon
21
Tue
22
Wed
23
Thu
Events
CeremoniesOCCC
Alpine skiing<--11-->2<--15-->1<--16-->1<--17-->1<--19-->1<--20-->1<--21-->1<--22-->1<--23-->9
Para alpine skiing<--11-->6<--17-->6<--19-->12
Biathlon<--11-->2<--15-->1<--17-->2<--19-->2<--21-->2<--23-->9
Cross-country skiing<--11-->2<--16-->2<--18-->1<--20-->2<--22-->2<--T-->11
Para Cross-country skiing<--11-->6<--16-->6<--18-->12
Curling<--11-->●<--12-->●<--13-->●<--14-->1<--15-->●<--16-->●<--17-->●<--18-->●<--19-->●<--20-->●<--21-->●<--22-->●<--23-->2<--T-->3
Figure skating<--11-->●<--17-->1<--18-->2<--19-->3
Freestyle skiing<--11-->●<--12-->●<--13-->●<--14-->2<--15-->●<--16-->●<--17-->2<--18-->●<--19-->2<--20-->●<--21-->2<--22-->2<--23-->10
Ski Mountaineering<--11-->2<--17-->1<--18-->2<--20-->5
Ice hockey<--11-->●<--12-->●<--13-->●<--14-->●<--15-->●<--16-->●<--17-->●<--18-->●<--19-->●<--20-->1<--21-->●<--22-->●<--23-->1<--T-->2
Short track speed skating<--11-->2<--22-->4<--23-->3<--T-->9
Ski-orienteering<--11-->bgcolor=#ffcc00 2bgcolor=#ffcc00 13
Snowboarding<--11-->●<--12-->●<--13-->●<--14-->2<--15-->●<--16-->●<--17-->2<--18-->●<--19-->2<--20-->●<--21-->2<--22-->2<--23-->10
Total events91110141186811896
Cumulative total920304455636977889696
January11
Sat
12
Sun
13
Mon
14
Tue
15
Wed
16
Thu
17
Fri
18
Sat
19
Sun
20
Mon
21
Tue
22
Wed
23
Thu
Events

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Accettata la candidatura: le Universiadi invernali 2025 si terranno a Torino . Davide Petrizzelli. May 15, 2021. TorinoToday. May 15, 2021.
  2. Web site: A Torino le Universiadi invernali del 2025 . Leonardo di Paco . July 6, 2020 . La Stampa . July 10, 2020 .
  3. Web site: Universiadi, il ministro Spadafora sta con Torino: Fermo sostegno alla candidatura . July 7, 2020 . La Repubblica . July 10, 2020 .
  4. Web site: Universiadi, Torino batte Stoccolma e si aggiudica i Giochi invernali studenteschi del 2025 . Mariachiara Giacosa. May 15, 2021 . La Repubblica . May 15, 2021 .
  5. https://wugtorino2025.com/content/files/2024/10/competition_schedule.pdf Torino 2025 Competition Schedule
  6. Web site: 14 November 2023 . The Torino 2025 World University Games Winter: the historic first Universiade open to para-student athletes . insidethegames.biz.
  7. Web site: 14 November 2023 . Torino 2025, the first Universiade without barriers: Para-athletes at the starting gate of the FISU Games . wugtorino2025.com.
  8. https://wugtorino2025.com/content/files/2024/10/competition_schedule.pdf Torino 2025 Competition Schedule