Turin Mayor Stefano Lo Russo has said that he hopes Russia will return to the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Winter World University Games when the Italian city plays host in two years’ time.

Russia have won more medals than any other nation in the FISU Games but were banned from competing in Lake Placid due to the war in Ukraine.

FISU has barred athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus from participating in line with recommendations made by the International Olympic Committee.

With war still raging in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are also set to be prevented from competing at this year’s delayed Summer World University Games in Chengdu.

Lo Russo said he was hopeful the conflict would be over soon to enable Russia to take part along with Ukraine at the 2025 Winter World University Games.

For us Europeans it is a very difficult moment, and we are not so confident with this kind of situation,

Lo Russo told insidethegames.

We hope that in 2025 everything will be resolved, and we can host a very big delegation coming from Russia and from Ukraine.

The sports will be a very important message of peace, inclusion and integration and that’s how we have to focus on overcoming this kind of situation.

Turin Mayor Stefano Lo Russo hopes war in Ukraine will be over soon and Russia will be permitted to compete at the 2025 Winter World University Games 

Leonz Eder remains Acting President of FISU with Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin continuing to delegate his responsibilities to the Swiss official.

Matytsin stepped aside as head of FISU in March 2021 in accordance with doping sanctions against Russia imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and watered down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following the cover-up of a state-sponsored doping programme.

Lo Russo was among the Turin 2025 delegation that travelled to Lake Placid as part of the FISU observer programme.

Turin 2025 Organising Committee President Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, Lorenzo Lentini, vice-president of Turin 2025 and representative of the Italian Student Sport Association and Piemonte President Alberto
Cirio were also part of the delegation as they received the FISU flag from Lake Placid 2023 in the Handover Ceremony.

Italy is set to stage the Winter World University Games for the sixth time with the last taking place in Trentino in 2013.

For us it is a very important and very big event,

added Lo Russo.

It is coming back home and we are trying to make one of the best organisations for the Winter World University Games following several different actions.

We are taking into account the three main pillars of our organisation which are culture, inclusion and environmental sustainability which are really important to us.