Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) The 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples will include sailing, shooting and rugby sevens as part of its program, members of the Naples Universiade organizing committee revealed in Taipei on Tuesday.
Gianluca Basile, general manager of the committee who is in Taipei to attend the 2017 Summer Universiade, said at a press conference that the 2019 Universiade will consist of 15 compulsory sports and three optional sports chosen by the host country -- sailing, shooting and rugby sevens.
The 15 compulsory sports are archery, athletics, basketball, fencing, football, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, swimming, diving, water polo, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.
He also said that 60 venues, 37 of which are competition venues, are being renovated to host the biennial games in Naples in 2019.
Lorenzo Lentini, president of the National University Sport Federation of Italy, praised the Taipei Universiade as a success, and said holding the Universiade in Naples in 2019 is significant because it will mark the 60th birthday of the games, which were first held in Turin, Italy in 1959.
Lentini said the Naples games will unite sports and culture because Naples is known for its historical sites such as the Roman ruins of Pompeii, its archaeological, architectural, artistic and musical traditions, and its natural landscapes.
Raimondo Pasquino, president of the organizing committee, said Taiwan has demonstrated good teamwork during the current Universiade, which ends on Wednesday, and he hopes to organize an equally successful event in Naples two years from now.
The 2017 Taipei Universiade has attracted more than 11,400 athletes and officials from 142 countries.
