İzmir hosts the 23th World University Summer Games (UNIVERSIADE 2005) and 7.500 sportspeople and people in charge from 11-21 August. In 1999 İzmir had applied to the International Federation for University Sports (FISU) to host the UNIVERSIADE 2005, for which Canada, Korea and Mexico were also candidates, and was chosen host in 2000. The Athletes’ Village where competitors are accommodated, and outdoor and indoor facilities, 35 for training and 32 for competitions, were prepared for the largest organisation held in Turkey. İzmir has become an olympic town due to the promotion of Universiade 2005.
Competitions will be held in 10 required and 4 optional games that are determined by the city of İzmir. Required games are athletics, basketball, volleyball, football, water polo, fencing, jumping, swimming, tennis, gymnastics; and the optional ones are sailing, wrestling, taekwondo, and archery.
Alarko Carrier units provide the air conditioning of 13 indoor sports halls that have been reorganised for the games. 68 Carrier 50UZ rooftop units were installed in the air conditioning systems of sports halls at EVKA4, Ege University, Gürsel Aksel, Gaziemir, Buca, Manisa 1, Manisa 2, and Celal Atik. Alarko units, boilers and pressure tanks were installed at Karşıyaka Sports Hall, one of the largest halls of Izmir, and 20 Carrier air handling units at Halkapınar Hall. Heating and cooling for Atatürk Sports Hall, the most important hall in Izmir, were exclusively provided by Alarko Carrier units.
Message of the Chairman
Welcome to the hosting city of the 23th Universiade 2005, Izmir, known as the pearl of the Aegean Sea at the western end of Anatolia. Our city is happy to welcome you and to embrace the world youth. We have started the Universiade journey that gave a new lift to Turkey with the motto “World Meets at the Aegean Blue”. We are happy to bring young people, who are going to determine the future of the world, together at the Aegean Blue and to contribute to their dreams, hopes and expectations and host them in the best possible conditions. While we enjoy the pride and happiness of entertaining university students from five continents of the world, we hope that they would carry their unforgettable memories of friendship, love, and peace to the world.
With best regards
AZİZ KOCAOĞLU
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality
Chairman of the 23th Universiade 2005 Izmir Organisational Committee
“THE WORLD MEETS AT THE AEGEAN BLUE”
The motto of the Universiade 2005 Izmir, inspired by the beautiful blue of the Aegean Sea, was determined as “The World Meets at the Aegean Blue”. The history of sports dates back to the antiquity in the Aegean Region with gymnasiums and stadiums in the largest cities such as Aphrodisias, Nyssa, Hierapolis, Pergamon, and Ephesus. The oldest known sports organisation held in the region, Panionian Games, is dated to the ninth century BC. They were later known to be carried to Ephesus and were maintained for a century. Considering its long history of three thousand years and the oracle of Kloros who claimed in the presence of Alexander the Great that it was “the city who rendered its inhabitants happy”, İzmir has been the perfect place to held olympic games that are manifestations of peace and friendship.
İZMIR: AN OLYMPIC CITY
The busy areas of the city were decorated with giant sports equipments for the promotion of the games. People who come out of the Alsancak Wharf pass underneath a volleyball fillet of 20-metre length and 2-metre height. There is a 2.5-metre tennis ball and a basketball basket of 8 x 18 metres at Konak Square. Other installations in different places are the 2.5-meter high steeples for athletics and corner flags, a swimming platform of 2-metre height, and 6-metre jumping towers.
KINGFISHER THE MASCOT
The kingfisher, one of the inhabitants of the Birds Paradise in İzmir, was adopted as the mascot of the games. Selected among 25.000 other candidates of mascot, its image is everywhere in the city.
WHAT IS UNIVERSIADE?
Universiade is a term coined by combining the words “university” and “Olympiad” and it means the Olympic games of university students. One of the most important sports activities of the world, Universiades are cultural and sportive festivals held biannially in a different city in the two categories of Summer and Winter Universiades during which athletes compete in assorted sports. Summer universiades are held in 10 required branches and 4 optional branches that are to be determined by the hosting city, while the winter universiades are held in six branches. The first summer universiade was held in 1959 in Turin.
ATHLETES’ VILLAGE
Athletes and people in charge are accommodated in the 934 houses at the Athletes’ Village in Uzundere, 12 km to Izmir. There are facilities such as the advisory centre, information centre, management offices, support centre, banks, post office, photographer, hair dresser, and shopping centre. The common area contains a dining hall, five separate religious centres, laundries, sports and recreation areas,and saunas. In short, the Athletes’ Village is a tiny city where all the needs of dwellers can be met.
