The 2019 Summer Universiade (Italian: 2019 Universiade estiva), officially known as the XXX Summer Universiade (Italian: XXX Universiade estiva) and also known as Napoli 2019, was held in Naples, Italy, between 3 and 14 July 2019.[3]
It was initially scheduled for Brasília, Brazil in July 2019. However, on 23 December 2014, it was confirmed that Brasília had withdrawn from hosting the event, citing financial problems.[4]International University Sports Federation decided to reopen the bidding process after the withdrawal.[5]
Host selection
First process
On 14 June 2012, the then-Brazilian Minister of Sports, Aldo Rebelo, and the president of CBDU (Confederação Brasileira do Desporto Universitário), Luciano Cabral, announced that after the failed bid by Brazil for the 2017 Summer Universiade, they would bid again for the 2019 Summer Universiade.[6] Brazil's capital Brasília was appointed as the bid city again after it lost in 2017 to Taipei.[7]Brazil previously hosted the Summer Universiade once in 1963 in Porto Alegre.
On 11 December 2012, Azad Rahimov, the Youth and Sports Minister of Azerbaijan, announced that after the country won the rights to host the first European Games in 2015, they would bid to host the 2019 Summer Universiade.[8] The attempt was the first time that Azerbaijan placed a bid for the Universiade. Baku would represent the country as the bid city.[9]
On 31 October 2013, Baku officially withdrew from the bidding process for the 2019 Summer Universiade, citing that the city will be busy with other sporting events in the period of 2015–2017 with the 2015 European Games and the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games.[13] On 8 November 2013, Budapest withdrew because the city could not afford the costs of the event, leaving Brasilia as the only bidding city.[14] On 9 November 2013, FISU nominated Brasilia as host city of the 2019 Summer Universiade.[15] On 5 March 2016, FISU reattributed the 2019 Universiade to Naples, Italy.[16]
Venues
The Organising committee plans to involve already existed sports facilities after their renovation.
The logo of the games was an image of Mount Vesuvius, a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples which was remodeled into five chromatic trails of both the Olympics and Universiade that resembles a race track. The lines meeting at the top and ending with a puff of multicoloured smoke symbolise different people’s involvement with a unique objective of sharing and contributing to development, progress, solidarity, and coexistence.[19]
Mascot
The mascot of the games was a Siren named "Partenope", which was designed by Melania Acanfora, young Neapolitan student of the “Accademia delle Belle Arti” (Academy of Fine Arts). The Mascot is described as a gymnast with her fish tail that could be transformed into scaly legs which allow her to run, jump, dance, just as a real athlete. In the opening ceremony, Mariafelicia Carraturo interpreted the mascot.[20][21]
