Under the ‘Adopt a Delegation’ programme, individual schools will ‘adopt’ - and become fans of - a specific delegation (national university team) competing at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games. Schools will engage in pre-FISU Games activities and become as excited as we are about the amazing sports, education and science festival on the horizon!
The programme aims to engage the local community through cultural education. Students will become attuned to the culture, history, sports, languages, and other national characteristics of the participating delegations. For their part, the delegations are invited to reach out to their schools, learn about their projects, and provide some exclusive insights on their preparation for the FISU Games.
Official registration ends on 15 January 2025.
There are three levels of possible participation: small, medium, and large. The extent of project design and the effort invested by teachers will determine the level of engagement. The more comprehensive the effort, the greater the number of connection points with delegations (Delegation Contact Points) and the broader the range of opportunities and support provided by the Organising Committee (OC).
Integration into the curriculum
Selection of a Delegation Contact Point
Minimum class size (>20 students)
Personal contact with delegations
The primary mode of contact is digital. Project participants introduce themselves to their delegation through a video greeting and receive a video message in response. Additionally, students can send personal messages directly to the delegations. When schedules allow, a Zoom call is organised for a Q&A session or a collaborative sports activity.
Head of Delegation Spring Meeting
The Head of Delegation Spring Meeting (HoD Spring Meeting) will take place from 7-11 April 2025 in Düsseldorf. This is where the heads of delegation meet and receive all important information about the event. As part of this meeting, an official Welcome Dinner for delegations will be staged in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Participating schools will be invited with one teacher and 1-2 students to this Meet & Greet with the delegates. Participation will be coordinated after registration for the project.
Flame Relay
The Flame Relay begins with the lighting of the torch at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Winter Games. In May, the torch will make stops in the host cities and visit the NRW sports schools, among others. All participating schools are invited to cheer on the torchbearers and accompany the flame on its journey. Detailed information will follow at the kick-off event in February.
Delegation Welcome Ceremonies
In addition to working on the project before the event, students have an exclusive opportunity to participate in the official Welcome Ceremonies for the delegations. These ceremonies will take place from 13-16 July at Messe Essen, where the delegations will be greeted upon their arrival for the FISU Games. Each ceremony lasts about one hour and involves the arrival of four to six delegations. Since this falls during the summer holidays, students can participate even if they are not actively involved in the project. However, students under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Detailed information about registration for students and their guardians will be shared after signing up for the Adopt a Delegation project.
The 'Adopt a Delegation' school project is part of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, which will take place from 16 to 27 July 2025. The project, organised by Rhine-Ruhr 2025 gGmbH, offers schools the unique opportunity to accompany international delegations and become part of this special event. Join us and experience unforgettable moments of exchange, sport and community!
ELIGIBILITY
All national schools, regardless of their type of school, represented by at least one contact person, are eligible to participate.
APPLICATION
Applications must be submitted using the online application form. All required information must be provided or uploaded in full. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to education@rhineruhr2025.com
DEADLINES
The application deadline is 15 January 2025. Late submissions can only be accepted in exceptional cases and by arrangement.
Timeline
After the application deadline, the delegations will be assessed and allocated. Acceptance can be expected in January, at the latest by 24 January 2025.
The project period begins on 01.04.2025 and ends with the start of the summer holidays on 11.07.2025. The project can be presented at the event from 16-27.07.2025; applications are submitted separately via the ‘Call for Participation’.
After the event, an evaluation will take place by 31 August 2025 at the latest.
Detailed information on the project design and other content-related questions can be found here.
Selection
Projects will be selected according to the criteria of creativity, sustainability, feasibility during the project period, identification with the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games and the participating nations. The basis is the project outline submitted with the application, if available. Furthermore, all information provided in the application will be used for the decision. The decision on participation lies with our jury and is final. There is no entitlement to participation.
Costs
Participation in the ‘Adopt a Delegation’ project is free of charge. Costs incurred by participants in the preparation or realisation of their contributions will not be covered.
