The state of NRW opened the World University Games with a lot of show. The message: NRW wants to offer itself for the big events.
The University Games allowed themselves the biggest wow effect at the beginning of the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening. As soon as the official event anthem, played by the WDR radio orchestra, was faded in, as a large pyro show from the stadium roof of the MSV Arena illuminated the Duisburg evening sky in all colors.
A show between Steigerlied and pop music
Apart from that, it was traditionally down -to -earth – this was important to the organizers. “No big bang and musical minimalism,” was the announcement before the show. Musically, this means that on the big stage with Maxi-Led wall, music was played by artists from the region such as Ayliva, Montez and Querbeat, but also the rising song, sung by 500 choir voices, young and old. NRW wanted to beat the bow, on the one hand emphasize the tradition of the Ruhr area and at the same time move young audiences to a sports event.
The Duisburg stadium had a pyro show shone in many colors at the beginning of the opening ceremony of the World University Games.
Big sport that is supposed to connect
The German delegation, the “Team Studi”, picked up the greatest cheering of the evening. Over 300 German athletes compete in NRW and Berlin until July 27th and fight for medals.
For the first time in history, para athletes reinforce the delegations, because parasport was first included in the World University Games program with 3×3 roller blind basketball. A para athlete went straight ahead for Germany: Sören Seebold was allowed to swivel the German flag, together with Anya Kisskalt.
They were “super excited”, but also full of anticipation of leading the German team, both told both in the WDR shortly before their big appearance. For the University Games, it should be more than just a symbol that event wants to combine students of all nations, regardless of any disabilities.
However, the greatest attention should be in terms of sport on other disciplines. In gymnastics, for example, the three -time Olympic champion from Japan, Shinnosuke Oka, competes. The German team can also show the Olympic victory: Elisa Mevius still won gold in Paris almost a year ago and is now fighting for a podium with the 3×3 basketball team of women. The former European gymnastics Europeanists Emma Malewski and Margarita Kolosov, who narrowly missed the podium in the rhythmic sports gymnastics in Paris, are also promising for the German team.
Olympic acquisition? Why not!
In general, there are some parallels to the Olympic Games. Gathered around the former Olympic star Heide Ecker-Rosendahl, greats of current German top-class sport such as Sarah Wellbrock, Nico Schlotterbeck or Matthias Mester were able to light the fire of the World University Games. It has long been clear that the student games should only be the start of a successful Olympic application for the Rhein-Ruhr region.
Nevertheless, the cheerful NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst was careful in the WDR interview after his opening speech: “The others have different advantages, but we can do this and we also make an impression on the sports officials from all over the world”. What was meant was the many large sports facilities that existed in Germany and that was “also the business card we hand over for Olympic acquisition,” said Wüst.
After the smooth opening ceremony, she looks good, the business card – despite many difficulties in planning and unexpected additional costs in the millions. Now it has to be shown whether the spark also jumps and the World University Games will be the hoped -for festival of sport and the nations with which the country can profile itself.
