FISU GAMES UPDATE: Games will not take place in January – postponement still possible at this time

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The Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade will not take place as planned from January 21 to 31, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International University Sports Federation FISU, together with the Organising Committee and Swiss University Sports, has decided to stop preparations for the event to be held in January 2021 and to examine in the coming weeks a possible postponement of the event to a later date.

With our slogan “Welcome home”, we wanted to welcome the participants of the Winter Universiade to beautiful Central Switzerland and Lenzerheide in January 2021. Unfortunately, we have decided together with the International University Sports Federation FISU and Swiss University Sports that the Winter Universiade cannot take place from 21 to 31 January 2021 as planned.

The main reasons for the decision were, firstly, the epidemiological situation and, secondly, travel restrictions, in particular for entry into Switzerland. Currently, many of the registered participants are highly affected by the restrictions, among others the large delegations, such as the USA, Russia, China and Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, there is not much prospect of this situation changing in the coming months. Under these circumstances, it is regrettably not possible to hold a world sports event such as the Winter Universiade in January 2021.

After more than four years of preparation, it is a painful decision, but in the end the right one. The health of all the participants has always been the top priority in our evaluations.
 
Over the coming weeks, we will examine a possible postponement of the event to a later date together with the International University Sports Federation FISU and Swiss University Sports. This will now take several weeks to evaluate. We will inform you as soon as we have more information.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our OC members as well as all our partners for their great commitment and support. I would be delighted if you would still like to participate at a later date and we could count on your support.
 
Yours in sport
Guido Graf
President Association Winter Universiade Lucerne-Central Switzerland 2021