A preliminary overview of the XXXII Edition of the 2025 Universiade
After 10 intense days of adrenaline and sports, the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games concluded on January 23, 2025.
The event’s closing press conference was held on Thursday morning at the State Archives in the presence of FISU President Leonz Eder, Organizing Committee President Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, FISU Secretary General and CEO Matthias Remund, Italian Delegation Head of FederCUSI Pompeo Leone, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Piedmont Region Claudia Porchietto, Vice Major of the Metropolitan City Jacopo Suppo, and City of Torino Councilor for Sport and Major Events Domenico Carretta.
The meeting was moderated by Organizing Committee Deputy Director Silvia Carrera.
The initial summary of this 32nd edition of the Games focused on the first statistics collected during the event.
More than 10,000 people have travelled from all over the world over the past two weeks to converge on Piemonte and take part in this marvellous festival of university sport, the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games.
In particular, the 6 competition venues where the 13 disciplines were held – Torino, Pinerolo, Pragelato, Torre Pellice, Bardonecchia and Sestriere – were literally invaded by the more than 2,500 athletes and staff from 54 different countries, with 26,500 hotel nights occupied, divided between Pinerolo, Bardonecchia, Fenestrelle, Pragelato Rua, Borgata Sestriere, Sestriere, Cesana, Bardonecchia and Torino.
The number of people accredited for the competitions was over 15,000, while total ticket sales exceeded 100,000.
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the Exhibition Gala at the Palavela and the semi-finals and finals competitions all sold out.
As for the Italian medals, 15 were won by the 89 athletes competing: four gold medals – two won by Martina Vozza with Ylenia Sabidussi (Guide Athlete) for Para Alpine Skiing Super-G Vision Impaired, one by Elisa Fava in Giant Parallel Snowboarding and one by Nathalie Bernard in Women’s Freestyle Ski Cross; five silver medals – Maria Eugenia Boccardi for Women’s Individual 10km Cross-Country Skiing, Daniel Grassl for Figure Skating Single Skating, Elisa Fava for Parallel Giant Snowboarding, Simon Dorfmann in Men’s Parallel Giant, and finally Stefano Pizzato in Alpine Skiing Special Slalom. Lastly, there were six Italian bronze medals: one for Marika Savoldelli in Snowboard Cross, one for Andrea Tuba and Giulia Isabella Paolino in Figure Skating Ice Dance (Free Dance), two for Margherita Cecere in Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom and Special Slalom, one for Noemi Junod in Ski Mountaineering Vertical Race and one for Fabian Lantschner in Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom.
The athletic results of these Games surpassed those of the previous Universiade in Lake Placid 2023, which concluded with a total of 10 medals: 3 golds, 3 silvers, and 4 bronzes.
As far as the Torch of Knowledge Tour is concerned, a total of 16,870 km were covered, of which 14,859 km in the international phase (4 stages), 1,256 km in the national route (3 stages), and 61 km in the Piemonte Tour (13 stages).
This extensive relay involved 692 torchbearers, including Organizing Committee President Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, who was consistently present throughout the relay.
On the media front, the FISU network broadcasted approximately 1,000 hours on linear TV worldwide and 140 hours of live coverage on Eurosport, while the Opening Ceremony drew an estimated 85 million views globally. Additionally, over 10,000 online publications were tracked. Social media platforms managed by the Organizing Committee recorded 694,404 unique users viewing the content during the Games, with 33,093 interactions and 10,957 accounts engaging through comments, tags, shares, and likes.
The volunteers numbered 2,099, ranging from the youngest, aged 18, to the oldest, aged 87, covering more than 16,000 shifts. Among these, 78 international volunteers from 20 different countries participated: one volunteer travelled from South Africa to work in Bardonecchia, while a mother from Alaska volunteered in Pragelato to support her athlete son. Other non-EU countries represented included Canada, the United States, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, South Korea, Russia, and India. Among Italian volunteers, 61 came from regions outside Piedmont.
INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENTS
Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, President of the Organizing Committee
“We are extremely proud of this incredible event that we had the honour to organize. The Torino 2025 FISU World University Games have undoubtedly been a record-breaking edition, especially in terms of sustainability, both environmental and social. For the first time in the history of the Universiade, in this 32nd edition, able-bodied student-athletes and para-student-athletes competed on the same slopes in Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing disciplines (Standing, Sitting, and Visually Impaired categories), reaffirming the value of sports as a tool for change, education, growth, integration, and inclusion. In this sense, the collaboration with Lions International, which provided assistance to para-athletes, was particularly important. The FISU World University Games Winter stood out for their reuse of sports facilities from the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics, giving new meaning to circular economy principles in sports. Additionally, the choice of Green Pea as the Media Center location reflects this vision: combining major international events with environmental respect, offering media operators a space that fully embodies values of innovation and responsibility. In terms of sustainability and legacy, the Committee can boast significant successes in educational and school-related projects. The BoscoTO 25 project, carried out in collaboration with the Command of the Forest Carabinieri Regiment “Piemonte,” the Environment and Territory Office of the Piedmont Region, the Forest and Parks Protection Command, and the Public Green and Educational Policy Departments of the City of Torino, involved over 360 students aged 5 to 10 years old. The project resulted in the planting of 123 trees, with an estimated absorption of about 198 tons of CO2 equivalent over 20 years. The TO Art In Motion project, created in collaboration with the Regional School Office, engaged nearly 250 students from schools in the competition venues, promoting and celebrating the history, culture, and identity of these historic locations while educating about urban regeneration. As a concrete legacy of the Games, the project contributed to the revitalization of the facilities themselves. Tourism undoubtedly benefits from the global media and television exposure of our cities and natural landscapes. Local communities also gain, as they have the opportunity to develop skills and build on their strengths. Finally, I am pleased to announce that during this year, a study will be published on the ecological impact of the Games on the territory and the resulting global social visibility. With the Torino 2025 FISU Games, we aim to serve as a catalyst for future events, ensuring continued interest in sports and commitment to sustainable and innovative practices in our beautiful Piedmont region.”
Jacopo Suppo, Vice President of the Metropolitan City
“The organizational success, which we reflect on this morning, but above all the achievements of our athletes, demonstrates that despite the challenges and difficulties we faced in recent months, the Torino 2025 FISU World University Winter Games have further raised the international profile of our territory. The Metropolitan City of Torino is particularly proud of the medals won by two athletes who epitomize a thriving sports movement. The gold and silver medals won by Elisa Fava from Valsusa in alpine snowboarding and the two bronze medals by Margherita Cecere from Torino in alpine skiing are the results of passion, sacrifices, and dedication to balancing study and sports—a model for all the youth in our region. This territory continues to strengthen its international reputation as a hub for sports, from major soccer events to the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, ATP Finals, the Universiade, and the Tour de l’Avenir. We support sport, both grassroots and top-level, because we are aware of its irreplaceable educational and social function’.
Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Torino
‘This concludes a great international initiative that has put the spotlight back on Torino and the Olympic mountains and on the very important values of sport and inclusion. Delegations of young people arrived in our city from all over the world, helping to strengthen the sporting and university vocation that we have in mind. Special thanks go to the thousands of volunteers of all ages who contributed to the success of these Winter Universiade. These were days of great sport and we are preparing to experience more emotions soon, in March, when we will host the Special Olympics World Winter Games’.
