Read latest Sports News for today

SUMMER UNIVERSIADE 2019

The2019 Summer Universiade, the XXX SummerUniversiade(Italian: Universiade festive 2019) will be held inNaples, Italy, between 3 and 14 July 2019.

It was initially scheduled for Braslia, Brazil in July 2019. However, on 23 December 2014, it was confirmed that Braslia had withdrawn from hosting the event, citing financial problems. International University Sports Federation decided to reopen the bidding process after the withdrawal. 

There has been a long history of multi-sport events for students. University sports were active in the early 1900s. The first international university sports event was held in 1923 when the first World Student Games took place in Paris in May. Events continued until 1939, then there was a break due to the second World War. The Second World War interrupted these meetings, but when peace was restored, France relaunched the World University Games.

In 1959 International Students Union and FISU for the first time combined to organize the World University Games in Turin, for the first time using the name Universiade.

In 1960 Chamonix, France hosted the first Winter University Games, though there had been other university winter games previously.

On 14 June 2012, the then-Brazilian Minister of Sports, Aldo Rebelo, and the president of CBDU, Luciano Cabral announced that after the failed bidding of the 2017 they will bid again for the Summer Universiade in 2019. Brazil's capital Braslia was appointed as the bid city again after it lost the 2017 Summer Universiade to Taipei. Brazil hosted the Summer Universiade just one time in 1963 in Porto Alegre.

On 11 December 2012, Azad Rahimov, the Youth and Sports Minister of Azerbaijan, announced that after the country wins the bid for the first European Games. Is a first time which Azerbaijan puts a bid for the Universiade, where Baku will represent the country as bid city. 

On 31 January 2013, Mikls Tth, the vice-chairman of Hungarian Olympic Committee, announced that Hungary will make a bid for 2019 or 2021 Summer Universiade with the aid of Alfrd Hajs' Plan. Budapest hosted the 1965 Summer Universiade and confirmed as bid city on 19 February 2013. 

On 3 April 2013, FISU, officially confirmed three candidate cities:

1. Azarbaijan
2. Brazil
3. Hungary

On 31 October 2013, Baku officially withdrew from the bidding process for the 2019 Summer Universiade, citing that the city will be busy with other sporting events in the period of 20152017, with the 2015 European Games and the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. On 8 November 2013, Budapest withdrew because the city could not afford the cost of the event, leaving Brasilia as the only bidding city. On 9 November 2013, FISU nominated Brasilia as host city of the 2019 Summer Universiade. On 5 March 2016, FISU reattributed the 2019 Universiade to Naples, Italy. 

The Organising committee plans to involve already existed sports facilities after their renovation.

• Naples venues
• Stadio San Paolo opening ceremony and athletics
• Piazza del Plebiscito closing ceremony
• Palo Vesuvio Artistic gymnastics and Rhythmic gymnastics
• PalaBarbuto Basketball
• Mostra d'Oltremare Diving and Shooting sports
• Ex Born Rugby sevens
• Circolo del Remo and Vela Italia Sailing
• Felice Scandone pool Swimming
• Tennis and Caracciolo boardwalk Tennis
• Avellino venues
• Stadio Partenio-Adriano Lombardi Archery
• Palasport Del Mauro Basketball
• Baronissi venues
• University Sports Center CUS Salerno Fencing
• Caserta venues
• Royal Palace of Caserta Archery
• Stadio Alberto Pinto Football

Every year, various countries participate in the event. In the year 2016, following are the participating countries of the event:

Participating National Olympic Committees

• Albania
• Algeria
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bermuda
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Canada (274)
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chile
• China
• Comoros
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Costa Rica
• Ivory Coast
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Egypt
• Estonia (51) [18]
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• Finland
• France
• The Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Honduras (2)
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia (51)
• Iran
• Ireland
• Israel
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• South Korea (207)
• Kosovo (1)
• Kyrgyzstan
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Moldova
• Mexico
• Monaco (1)
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Nepal
• New Zealand
• Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• Norway
• Oman
• Paraguay
• Philippines
• Palestine
• Poland (117) [19]
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia (275)
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Serbia
• Sri Lanka
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Chinese Taipei (131)
• Thailand
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan (19) [20]
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• Great Britain
• United States (371)
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam (0)
• Virgin Islands
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Italy (301) (host)

The Universiade Opening Ceremony will take place on 3 July at Naples' Stadio San Paolo, which is also home to the SSC Napoli football team. Some 1,500 performers are expected to be involved in the show.

Competitions starts the day before, on Tuesday 2 July, with qualification heats in diving, football, and water polo.

The Closing Ceremony will be on 14 July.

The Games' theme song, Glory, an EnglishNeapolitan mix of pop and rap, was written by Stefano Gargiulo and will also be performed at the ceremony.

Marco Balichhas been named creative director of the Opening Ceremony. Balich previously worked on theTorino 2006 Winter Olympicsceremonies and was also involved with the presentation video of thesuccessfulMilanoCortina d'Ampezzo 2026 candidature.

Nearly 4,000 athletes and officials will be housed on board two cruise ships moored in the port of Naples. The ships have been converted for use as the Athletes' Village, with everything from gyms to running tracks provided on board.

As befits a nation so proud of its food, the organisers have promised that bread and mozzarella will be made fresh aboard, in addition to other Neapolitan favourites like rag.

With 18 sports on the schedule, some more traditional events at the Olympics will not be contested in Italy. For example, the longest athletics race will be the half-marathon, in place of a full marathon.

There is also new technology on display for the taekwondo competitions with electronic sensors installed in athletes' socks to register scoring kicks automatically. The socks were tested in World Taekwondo's recent Rome Grand Prix.

Tickets for the 2019 Summer Universiade are available relatively cheaplyand can be boughtin personin selected towns, byphone, as well asonline. Reduced price and free tickets (as listed below) can be collected from ticket offices at venues.

Children under 10 or who are shorter than 1m will receive free entry.

All sports sessions involving qualifiers will cost 3 euros (3.40 US$) for adults with children under 18, seniors over 65, university students, and the military getting in for free.

Sports sessions involving finals will cost 5 euros(5.67 US$) for adults and 3 euros (3.40 US$) for concessions. Family tickets (for two adults and two children under 18) are available for 14 euros (15.87 US$).

'Season tickets' are also available for all sessions in selected sports.

The Opening Ceremony costs 5 or 15 euros (5.67 or 17 US$) for adults and 3 or 5 Euros (3.40 or 5.67 US$) for people in the reduced price groups, depending on where the tickets are located. A family ticket costs 36 euros (40.80 US$).

The Closing Ceremony is free to the public.