Host city | Trentino, Italy |
---|---|
Nations | 51 |
Athletes | 1,725 |
Events | 79 in 12 sports |
Opening | December 11, 2013 |
Closing | December 21, 2013 |
Opened by | President Ugo Rossi |
Torch lighter | Franco Nones |
Main venue | Trento Dome Square Stadio del Ghiaccio de Gianmario Scola |
Website | universiadetrentino.org (archived) |
Winter | |
Summer | |
The 2013 Winter Universiade, the XXVI Winter Universiade, was a winter multi-sport event which took place in Trentino, Italy between 11 and 21 December 2013.
This was the first time that a Winter Universiade happened after the Summer Universiade in same the year and in the end of the year and missing two months for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Originally, it was planned to take place in Maribor, Slovenia in late January and early February,[1] but the Government of Slovenia overturned its decision to partially fund the project due to financial problems in February 2012.[2] In March 2012, the International University Sports Federation decided that it would organise the Universiade elsewhere.[3] FISU officially announced that the Trentino region of Italy would host the event.[4]
The motto of the event was "Inspired by U". The torch, made by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Trento, recalled a flower of gentian with five petals in the shape of a ski, with colors that recall the Olympic colors and the five stars of the universes. It was officially lit by Pope Francis in Rome on 6 November 2013.[5]