(Photo by ISMF)
LAUSANNE, December 16, 2023 – The Organising Committee of the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games has announced that Ski Mountaineering will be added as sports to its programme, following FISU’s formal approval this week. FISU has also included Ski Orienteering as one of the sports on the programme.
RECOGNITION For Ski Mountaineering, this comes after it was added as a recognised sport by FISU during the Executive Committee meeting in Chengdu, China in July. Being a recognised sport opened the door for Ski Mountaineering events to be held under the FISU banner, such as at the Torino 2025 FISU Games. In November, this partnership was formalised by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between FISU and the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF).
FIRST ENDORSED COMPETITION Ski Mountaineering is the 78th FISU recognised sport and will see its first endorsed competition take place at the Jennerstier event in Berchtesgarden, Germany this upcoming February. Student athletes there will compete in a vertical race that officially welcomes the sport to the FISU programme.
At the Torino 2025 FISU Games, sprint and vertical races will be held for women and men, as well as a mixed relay race. Competition will be held in Sestriere, which has historical FISU roots having hosted the 4th Winter Universiade in 1966.
POPULAR AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS “FISU is delighted to keep on track with very popular sports among university students and both ski orienteering and ski mountaineering are no exceptions. The long process of evaluation and good collaboration with ISMF (International Ski Mountaineering Federation) showed us that this sport is very popular in many winter countries. Being part of the programme of the Torino 2025 FISU Winter Games will create a good legacy for university sport itself. We are sure that TOROC 25 together with FISU has made a good, long-lasting decision to contribute to development of this sport. And to host it in Sestriere Village is to remember Winter Universiade from 1966 and we all will be happy to see this ski resort as part of the Torino 2025 FISU Winter Games,” said FISU Games Winter Director Milan Augustin.
Source AIPS News