The 29th Summer Universiade Taipei 2017 concluded on August 30 with the spectacular closing ceremony. Taipei Stadium once again welcomed athletes, officials, as well as numerous visitors and volunteers of the Summer Universiade 2017. The torch for the world university games was extinguished, bringing the flame to the end of a long journey. Almost 11.000 participants formed 134 delegations from around the world.

High-quality fields of play, record-setting performances and exceptional spectator support made the event to remember as the torch is passed to Napoli for the anniversary 30th Summer Universiade, marking also the 70th anniversary of FISU's founding.



This year’s Universiade saw competitions in 22 sports between August 19 and 30, and also setting of two new world records. The first was by Taiwanese weightlifter Kuo in the women's 58kg category and the second one by South Korean recurve archer Choi. Apart of that, 36 Universiade records were set throughout the competition.



The flag of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) was lowered in the closing ceremony in Taipei on Wednesday and passed to Naples, the host of the 2019 Summer Universiade.



The closing ceremony on Wednesday followed the march-in of the participants, and was a three-part program beginning with “Taipei Loves You” before putting the spotlight on the next host city of Naples and concluding with a lineup of live acts titled “A Beautiful New World.” The show began after the athletes entered the stadium, starting with a documentary looking back on the games. Live acts included Aboriginal singer-songwriter Jia Jia and the punk rock group Fire EX, who projected the voices of Taiwan to the world.



“Well, fellow citizens, we did it,” said the Vice President of the hosting nation Mr Chien-Jen Chen, who delivered remarks at the closing ceremony. Taipei Mayor Wen-Je Ko, also the head of the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee, said that the end of the Taipei Universiade was a new beginning. “This event has allowed us to befriend the world through sport, to be further integrated into the international community, and to make the world see us as we are,” Ko said.



FISU President Mr Oleg Matytsin hailed the 2017 games, saying Taipei has created unforgettable memories for many athletes. Matytsin also reflected back to a comment he made in the opening ceremony, that “the best things are worth waiting for.”



Although the Universiade was set in Asia, we saw participation of student athletes from 45 European countries, 31 of which brought back at least one medal. European University Sports Association (EUSA) would like to acknowledge all participants, and congratulate the medal winners!

For more information, please see www.2017.taipei and www.fisu.net.