It was a colourful festival of sport and culture also 25 years ago when the Summer Universiade was held in Duisburg North Rhine-Westphalia in 1989. The Duisburg World University Games attracted some 3,000 student-athletes to the Ruhr metropolis. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, celebrated on October 28, the German University Sports Federation (ADH) together with the city of Duisburg hosted a solemn reception at the Duisburg City Hall.

At this occasion, guest speaker Prof. Dr. Andreas Hebbel-Seeger, Head of Media School at the University Macromedia on Campus Hamburg and silver medallist (rowing) at the Duisburg Universiade in 1989, pointed out the importance of university sports. „Conditioned by its organisational structure as a part of the universities, which are locations for new technologies and usage scenarios, the university sports has a great innovation potential”, Mr Hebbel-Seeger.



Also Mr Till Luft, ADH Secretary-General at that time, recognizes how important the impulses emanating from such a large event like the Universiade have been for university sport in Germany. Today he still looks back with special feelings to those hectic days in the Spring and Summer of 1989: “Indeed, when Sao Paulo in Brazil backed out of hosting the 1989 Universiade, we saw an opportunity to organize a reduced version in less than half a year time. Together with our partners we launched a great event!”



The Mayor of Duisburg Mr Sören Link, also confirmed the importance of the 1989 Summer Universiade for the sustainable development of sports in the city of Duisburg and the region, joining ADH officials, with the current President Mr Felix Arnold and his colleagues, as well as former officials in the celebrations.



The celebration was attended by various persons who had key functions or participated during the 1989 Universiade. Finally there was a roundtable discussion regarding the future of major university sports events with Bernd Neuendorf, Secretary of State Ministry of Family, Youth, Culture and Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia; Leonz Eder, FISU Vice-President; Prof. Dr. Jürgen Gramke, former Association Director at Ruhr Municipal Corporation, and Michaela Röhrbein, director of the Centre for University Sports at Leibniz University Hannover.



The anniversary was attended also by the President of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Mr Adam Roczek, who was also one of the guests to sign the Commemorative Duisburg Golden Book.



More information: www.adh.de