Winter Universiade 2021 cancelled!

The 2021 Winter Universiade, which was to have taken place in Central Switzerland and Graubünden from 11 to 21 December 2021, has been cancelled. «We are saddened and very sorry that we will not be able to welcome the athletes from all over the world, who have been preparing intensively for their competitions, as planned,» says OC President Guido Graf.

The newly discovered virus variant Omikron has been classified as a cause for concern by the World Health Organisation WHO. In order to prevent or slow down the spread of the new virus variant in Switzerland, the federal government has, among other things, imposed entry restrictions for various countries and placed various countries on the quarantine list. Due to these official requirements, it will not be possible to hold the 2021 Winter Universiade. On the one hand, the measures have an influence on the delegations participating in the Winter Universiade. As things stand, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Israel and the Czech Republic are affected by the 10-day quarantine. Other countries are very likely to be added. On the other hand, these entry regulations also apply to skilled workers in various areas of the event, such as timekeeping or TV production.

«We are incredibly sad that we will not be able to hold this great event and would like to thank everyone who has worked and invested so much over the past years. We are convinced that despite the cancellation, Lucerne 2021 will leave a long-term legacy for Swiss sport.

For example, almost 50 legacy projects were launched or implemented around the Winter Universiade in areas such as strengthening dual careers, sports infrastructure, sports development or innovation in Swiss sport,» says Mike Kurt, President Swiss University Sports.