It’s that time again – for the University Winter Games! Every two years, the ‘Winter Universiade’ takes place, bringing together thousands of university athletes, making it the largest university winter multi-sport competition in the world.

This year, the games are set in Krasnoyarsk – the heart of the Siberian region in Russia. The event kicked off on the 2nd of March, and will close on the 12th of March. All participants are officially registered students, aged between 17 and 25, or are former students who have obtained a degree or diploma in the previous year.

Some 3,000 athletes will be competing at the 11-day event in 11 sports. Including, Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon, Bandy, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Short Track Speed Skating, Ski Orienteering and Snowboard.

The games are sure to host to some future Olympic champions amongst the competitors, making it an exciting event to look out for future stars in Winter Sports. There are 58 countries participating, with the Russian delegation having the most athletes competing – 295 athletes to be exact – the country will be looking to secure as many medals as they can to be on top, as they were at the last University Games two years ago in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Games have embraced the International University Sports Federation (FISU) motto of ‘Excellence in Mind and Body’ by incorporating education and cultural aspects into the sport competitions, allowing student-athletes from around the world to celebrate high sports performance with the host city.

The event hashtag also welcomes us to #RealWinter, as the location has some deep sporting roots. Nineteen athletes from the region have won gold medals at the Olympic Games, and three others have become Paralympic Games champions!

The events will be broadcasted live on the Russian network Match TV and internationally on major networks such as Eurosport and the Asian Broadcasting Union.

It’s going to be an exciting week ahead at the University Winter Games! Which sports are you most excited to see?

For full results of the events head to the FISU website, and stay tuned to the Sprongo Blog for more updates in the skiing world!