Over the past four days, Bochum, Germany, has been the venue for a knowledge exchange, transferring insights from the FISU World University Games in Chengdu to the upcoming organizing committees of Rhine-Ruhr and Chungcheong. "Knowledge transfer is extremely important," stated Jing Zhao, Director of the FISU Summer Games

"It's not often that three different organizing committees come together in one place, so the visit should be used to make friends and exchange knowledge." This collaboration and working approach are the embryo of what is to come and the working strategy for the upcoming events. This debriefing complements the visits that both organizing committees of Rhein-Ruhr and Chungcheong made to Chengdu to experience the operations of the FISU Games firsthand. The aim is to work together, unify criteria, and establish a roadmap that can function and improve on past experiences.


Chengdu organizers highlighted their successes and challenges in hosting the recent FISU Games held in the months of July and August. Discussions included sport-specific topics, transportation, logistics, and technology. They also shared specific case studies and data to provide additional details that future organizers can incorporate into their planning. 

A sports seminar was held, and working meetings on technology and education for Rhein-Ruhr 2025 were organized. Bochum's Jahrhunderthalle was the site of the first day of the meetings and will also host the FISU World Conference 2025, from July 17 to 20, focused on how university sport contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In her welcome speech, Bochum's Mayor Gabriela Schäfer spoke about the importance of the World University Games for the Rhine-Ruhr region and for Bochum in particular. 

"Bochum is a city of sport. We are currently renovating our beautiful stadium [site of the athletics competition] to welcome the athletes there." Bochum is one of the five German cities that will host the FISU Games of Rhein-Ruhr 2025, joining Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Mülheim an der Ruhr.