Introducing the twelve participants to the FISU Young Reporters Programme

From press tribunes to mixed zones, from athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes features - the FISU Young Reporters are ready to take on it all! Twelve journalism students and young professionals from around the globe have been selected to join the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, where they will play an active role in the event’s media coverage. Over the course of the FISU Games, they’ll write articles, conduct interviews with student-athletes… Their mission? To capture the stories that live within and beyond the action and grow as storytellers through this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Participants of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Young Reporters Programme  

Six national participants:

Six international participants:

Sport as their universal connector 

From Hamburg to Seoul, Ontario to Tübingen, these 12 young talents bring with them not only a shared passion for journalism but also a strong desire to explore the unique stories that sport can reveal. 

For Mette Bech, sport is a universal connector: “It inspires me to share the incredible stories that only sports can create.” Her fellow German reporter, Paul Kistner, echoes this idea: “Every athlete has a unique story. Being the one to report those stories is both a huge task and a huge honor.” 

Across the board, their motivations speak to the excitement of stepping into the field — and of growing through it. Jagunna Iretomiwa, from Nigeria, described being selected as “a dream come true,” not just for the opportunity to report, but also to meet other passionate young journalists and experience a new culture for the first time. 

Others, like Soyoung Bang of the Republic of Korea, are eager to uncover the human stories that unfold quietly in the background: “I’m excited for the stories waiting behind every whistle, cheer, and finish line.” 

Sarah Maat, who first fell in love with sports media through her student newspaper in Canada, wants to help athletes’ voices be heard, while Fisher Madsen from the US is fulfilling a dream he’s had since childhood: “I’ve wanted to be a sports reporter since I was quite young.”

Experiencing different cultures

For Sophie Wisely in Australia, the programme is an opportunity to grow her craft and learn from experienced mentors in the sports media landscape. Meanwhile, Coby Moratti is ready to embrace the full experience — from reporting at the Games to tasting his first authentic Laugenbrötchen in Germany! 

Among the German team, there’s also a strong sense of drive and curiosity. Tilde Böttcher is ready to “step out of her comfort zone” and get closer to a media career, while Hanna-Elisabeth Füller looks forward to experiencing “the everyday life of a reporter at a major sports event.” 

Johanna Horn, with a background in media law and economics, sees this as a chance to channel her passion for storytelling into a meaningful step forward in her career. And finally, Benjamin Stiehl is all about emotion — he’s excited to be “surrounded by motivated people and athletes” and to capture the moments that matter most. 

This group of 12 will work from 16 to 27 July on helping shape how the world sees the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games — one interview, one headline, and one powerful story at a time.