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FISU confident on re-opened bidding race for 2019 Universiade after Brasilia's withdrawal

Xinhua, February 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The international governing body for university sports FISU have reopened the bidding process for 2019 Universiade after the previous winners Brasilia dropped out earlier last month.

"We've already re-opened the candidacy for 2019 and if Brasilia want to be a candidate again, they are welcome," FISU president Claude-Louis Gallien, told Xinhua in a pre-games interview on Wednesday in Granda where the 27th Winter Universiade later unveiled.

In early January, the Brazilian capital announced to withdraw as the host of the 2019 Would University Games, which they earned in late 2013 after both their rivals Baku of Azerbaijan and Hungary's Budapest dropped out at the last moment.

According to a press release from the newly-elected governor of the Federal District, Rodrigo Rollemberg, Brasilia is unable to " meet its financial obligation" to host the bi-ennial multi-sport event.

The Minister of Sport of Brazil and the president of the National University Sport Federation of Brazil have both expressed their disappointment in the withdrawal and additionally committed to take "all necessary steps" to move the event to another city in Brazil, according to FISU at that time.

Gallien, however, was not worried about the situation facing the 2019 Universiade.

"We have other candidates and things are going well with all those candidates. We'll choose the best one," said the Frenchman who's elected as the new head of FISU in 2011 in Shenzhen, China.

Asked to name the specific cities interesting in bidding for a university event, Gallien gave a tricky answer: "Who are they? wait a minute. But I'll tell you one thing in secret that I and the general secretary of FISU have been in Rome not so long ago, and Budapast and Minsk also."

"People are interested by the Universiade," he emphasized. "Now we'll make a good choice on the host for 2019."

Brasilia's withdrawal comes as 2015 hosts Gwangju were hit with a huge budget cut of about 10 million U.S. dollars in December, as well as the worldwide rhetoric of these major multi-sport events around the world, from Universiades to Olympics, has shifted to reducing out-of-control budgets and focusing on legacy. Endite