Napoli, Italy, 14 July 2019 – The Napoli 2019 Summer Universiade finished in spectacular style as the Closing Ceremony officially ended the 12-day celebration of university student sport.
More than 35,000 spectators attended the closing in a sold-out San Paolo Stadium. With an electric atmosphere, spectators paid tribute to the athletes and volunteers who made the games so unique. Following the ceremonial passing of the Universiade flag from Napoli to Chengdu, host of the Summer Universiade in 2021, the closing concluded with an incredible party that will live long in the memory of the athletes and fans in attendance.
In his final address, FISU President Oleg Matytsin praised the athletes’ performances and their impact on future generations:
“Throughout Napoli and the Campania region, there are so many young Italians who have been inspired by what they have seen here.
“Now these young Italians, proud of their country and their national teams, want to wear the blue of Italy. In the same way, we hope they are inspired to go to university and make sport a vital part of their lives.”
Earlier in the day, the final medal of the Universiade went to the hosts as the Italian Men’s Water Polo team secured gold over the USA in front of a raucous crowd at the Piscina Scandone.
Other highlights from Napoli 2019 included Dutee Chand winning India’s first Universiade gold in the women’s 100m, Zachary Apple and Gabrielle DeLoof’s respective five-gold hauls in the pool for the USA, and two-time Italian Olympian Carlotta Ferlito delighting the home crowd with her gold medal-winning floor routine. A total of 24Universiade records were broken in Napoli, while Japan and Russia finished joint top of the medal table.
With 300,000 tickets sold over the 12 days, Napoli has embraced the university sports movement and left a legacy that will benefit generations for many years to come. The renovation of many of the Universiade venues, including the Piscina Scandone and Mostra D'Oltremare, and the purpose built fencing hall at the University of Salerno Sports Centre, will continue to serve as world class facilities for the residents of the Campana region.
“It has been our great pleasure to host the world’s best university athletes in the Campana region,” Napoli 2019 Commissioner Gianluca Basile said. “We are proud to add the Summer Universiade to the long and prestigious list of major sporting events hosted by Italy.
“I would like to mention of the exceptional professionalism of Universiade volunteers. It is you who showed the best side of Napoli and who helped make these games a reality. With FISU, with the staff and the volunteers, we all worked together – all of the Campania Region – for its benefit, today and into the future.
“Celebrating our 70th anniversary, we wanted to make Napoli 2019 truly unique,” added President Matytsin. “The passion and enthusiasm from the city of Napoli has made sure that we have achieved our goal. I want to thank everyone, from the athletes and volunteers to the organisers and public authorities for creating such a special Universiade.”
The next edition of the Winter Universiade will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, from 21-31 January 2021, while the 31st summer edition will be hosted by Chengdu, China, from 8-19 August 2021.
EVENT INFORMATION For more information on the 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019, please click here. For more information about the international university sports movement, please click here.
EVENT IMAGE GALLERIES To download a select gallery of images from the Universiade, please click here. To download images from the event’s closing ceremony, please click here. To download images from the Universiade, please click here.
EVENT VIDEOS To download the Summer Universiade highlight video, please click here.