Ambassadors Events Project Sports Students Verena Burk October 6, 2025 0 Comments

Urban sports spectacular brings four days of festival fun to a rousing end in Bochum

BOCHUM – The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 World University Games Festival in Bochum came to a rousing conclusion in the grounds of the Jahrhunderthalle on Sunday following four days of fun and games for young and old alike.

From workshops to concerts to demonstrations of urban sports such as BMX Flatland, breaking, skateboarding and calisthenics, the FISU Festival had something for everyone. Star billing went to well-known German artists Ski Aggu and Queerbeat, who opened and closed the event respectively.

French BMX Flatland star Alex Jumelin was delighted at the chance to inspire the next generation of freestyle bike riders.

“There were a lot of families in the audience, thanks to the FISU Games,” Jumelin told the FISU Games News Service. “It is great to see young kids enjoy BMX Flatland like this.

“Some of the kids went and tried some tricks with our bikes and I hope maybe they could be the next riders. I definitely think BMX Flatland could be part of the FISU Games (in the future). We have a lot of artists from different countries, so let’s do it.”

German BMX Flatland champion Dustin Alt shared his colleague’s opinion: “I loved having a different kind of crowd than (we do) during normal competitions.

“This way we can show BMX Flatland to more people. It’s a sport many people are still unaware of.”

Unity in sport

Other urban sports also enjoyed some of the festival limelight. Showcase performances of skateboarding, breaking and calisthenics (a form of strength training), gave the fans an amazing incite, alongside the thrilling 3×3 basketball and wheelchair basketball competitions taking place nearby in the Jahrhunderthalle.

“Everyone was open minded and interested,” Henning Times from international children’s charity Skate-Aid said. “I feel you can really see how sport unites us as a society. It was nice to get in touch with other people and have a chat about sports.”

It wasn’t only sports fans who were entertained. German artists Filow and Ski Aggu opened the festival on Thursday evening with a sold-out open-air show that fans described as “unbelievable” and “energetic”.

The band Queerbeat brought the festival to a close on Sunday, supported by German singer-songwriter Dilla, just four days after her performance at the Opening Ceremony.

Overall, the Rhine-Ruhr Festival shone a light on the culture of the Rhine-Ruhr region and showed how sport can create unity between people. As the FISU Games motto says: ‘No games without U’.

FGNS hf/mb