Jinjiang to host FISU University World Cup
- By Cui Can
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 2, 2018
The FISU University World Cup will be held in Jinjiang city, southeast China's Fujian Province from 2019 to 2025, according to an official from the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
FISU President Oleg Matytsin delivered the opening remarks at a press conference held in Beijing on Feb.2. He said that holding the University World Cup in Jinjiang is "a unique opportunity for FISU to move towards the future of international university sports," adding that China has very realistic ambitions to host the FIFA World Cup in the future and "hosting the FISU World Cup is a logical step towards this ambition."
The FISU University World Cup, with an aim to make itself a worldwide football competition for college students, will invite football teams from 170 member countries and regions to fight for a spot in the finals. And some 800 players from 16 men’s teams and eight women's teams will compete for the title in the finals held in Jinjiang.
"Jinjiang was honored as the third national sports industry base, following Shenzhen and Chengdu in 2007,"said Jinjiang party secretary Liu Wenru. In his speech at the press conference, Liu added that Jinjiang is confident that hosting the FISU World Cup will serve both China and world well, presenting an opportunity to boost the national sports industry and a platform for college students all over the world to learn about each other's cultures through sports.
Initiated by FISU in 2017, the University World Cup will be held every two years, including two stages – qualifiers and the finals. Jinjiang was approved by FISU as the host of the FISU University World Cup in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. According to the schedule, the first FISU University World Cup is set to kick off in Jinjiang next October.
"To serve as the host of FISU University World Cup is the city's active response to the national overall strategic development, and an important step to promote sports industry," Liu said.
China has taken promoting football games as one of its national missions in recent years. The State Council issued the Overall Plan for China's Football Reform and Development in 2015, stressing that the sport plays an important role in economic and social development.
Holding the FISU University World Cup may also help Jinjiang foster its sports industry and other sports services. In 2014, the sports industry in Jinjiang reached an output of more than 100 billion yuan (US$15.93 billion). The number of new jobs created by the sports industry is expected to be more than 350,000 in 2018.
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