Per Günther on basketball culture, Ruhr region flair and the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games

He is a former member of the German national basketball team, long-time captain of Ratiopharm Ulm and the voice of German basketball: Per Günther. He now covers German and international basketball as an expert for Magenta TV, including Germany’s triumph at the 2023 Basketball World Cup. When asked about Hagen's Ischelandhalle as a venue for the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, he was immediately enthusiastic: ‘Yes, it just fits. If you're in the Ruhr region, then of course you want the Hagen basketball atmosphere. You have here basketball connoisseurs who grew up with Phoenix Hagen, who have experienced great basketball for 30, 40 years.’

As a participant in the 2009 FISU World University Games in Belgrade, Per Günther knows the fascination of this special multi-sport festival: ‘It was definitely one of the sporting highlights of my career,’ he recalls enthusiastically. ‘First of all, it's something very special. You fight hard for a place on the team. Once you're there, you open your eyes to other sports. And that perhaps it's not necessarily just about your own success, but also about somehow having fun with the sport, as serious as it is.’

Per Günther's impressive career began in Hagen, so he is all the more looking forward to the FISU Games in his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia: ‘It's a fantastic fit: international basketball in the basketball-crazy city of Hagen, in the tradition-rich Ischelandhalle.’ His advice to the 8,500 student-athletes: ‘They should make sure that they are not packed toot tightly in terms of sport. Go to Essen, go to Bochum and experience the special charm of this region! And talk to people from the Ruhr region as much as possible and feel their genuineness and authenticity.’

Per Günther is looking forward to this summer, ‘to this super-positive youthful energy, to great sport beyond basketball and, of course, to the games in the Ischelandhalle!’

On 19 April 2025, the hall in Hagen will be honoured ahead of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, as it will receive the official venue plaque of the world's largest sports festival, which will be presented during the Phoenix Hagen vs Bremerhaven game.

If you want to be there live, don't hesitate: advance ticket sales for the preliminary rounds in Hagen and the other host cities have started. Get your tickets now - and experience the international basketball atmosphere, right in NRW!

© Jörg Laube