But, what sets the 3,000 or so students here in northern Italy apart from others is that they combine learning with a love and talent for sport which is what underpins the whole Universiade Movement from its inception in 1959.

Although World University Games had been taking place since the inaugural event in 1923 - organised by the International Confederation of Students - the Mmovement as we know it today originated in 1959 when the International University Sports Federation (FISU), established ten years earlier, and the International Students Union (ISU) agreed to take part in what is considered to be the first truly global sporting event for students in Turin. Organised by the Italian Student Sports Federation (CISU), these were the first Games to be christened Universiade and their ethos was all inclusive.

It was here that the FISU flag containing the symbolic "U" surrounded by stars was born and that national anthems at medal ceremonies were replaced by the official FISU anthem Gaudeamus Igitur.

Gwangju 2015 mascot Nuribi has been one of the more colourful characters I have met in Trentino so far ©Gary Anderson/ITG
















































In the more than 50 years since Turin, where 1,400 students from 43 countries participated, both Summer and Winter Universiade Games have continued to grow and grow. From 1,400 participants in 1959, there were estimated to be a record 12,000 students at the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade, while the previous record at a Winter Universiade of 2,500 at Erzurum 2011 has been surpassed here in Trentino.

But enough history for now. FISU and the Universiade Movement prides itself on looking forward; a natural inclination considering that the most important members are, of course, the students who are eager to forge ahead and create their own impressions on the international stage be it sporting or otherwise. The impression created here in Trento is that new ideas and ways of approaching the staging of a Universiade have taken a unique trajectory. Innovation is the theme that permeates these Games.

Around 3,000 international students will attend Trentino 2013 making them the biggest Winter Universiade Games yet ©Gary Anderson/ITG




























It is perhaps no surprise that a unique approach has been adopted for Trentino 2013 considering the Organising Committee had only 18 months to deliver the event after original hosts Maribor had the Games taken away by FISU due to a number of problems, chief among them being the withdrawal of Government support.

Trentino stepped into the breach and, under the guidance of its hastily assembled Organising Committee, led by President Sergio Anesi, Trentino 2013 sought to use the delivery of the Universiade as a vehicle for innovation and change.

That change is not on a sporting level but it relates to how a large multi-sport event can be staged and delivered in a way that has never been done before. While the Trento region is no stranger to hosting international winter sports events, the challenge of organising this Winter Universiade in a short space of time and with a limited budget appeared at first sight to be the most daunting of tasks.

As vice-President of the Trentino 2013 Organising Committee, Paolo Bouquet told insidethegames, that challenge was accepted and with some relish. With no time to build a centrally located athletes village, an alternative approach was needed and this required the cooperation of the five regions of Trento, Arco, Rovereto, Pergine Valsuguna and Riva del Garda, that make up the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Paolo Bouquet (left) led the team at the University of Trento who designed the Trentino 2013 Torch which he explained to me is the first ever LED powered Torch for any international multi-sport Games ©Gary Anderson/ITG





























After numerous meetings and consultations, a plan was hatched to house the competing athletes and their team officials in 85 hotels dotted around the region, close to each of the 10 Universiade venues with a free public transport system put in place for the duration of the Games.

In conjunction with local IT consortium, Trento RISE, four unique Universiade apps have been created providing both spectators and athletes with everything from live results, schedules, transport information and weather forecasts to the best places to eat.

Professor of Computer Science at the University of Trento, Bouquet led the innovative approach to Trentino 2013 delivery and perhaps the most auspicious manifestation of this tact is the Trentino 2013 Torch.

The Torch of any mutli-sport Games has always been created under the banner of symbolism and representation of the host city or region, but the one for the 26th Winter Universiade can certainly lay claim to being one of the most appropriately themed of any so far. Designed under the stewardship of Bouquet and with the input of many of his students, the "Gentian of the Alps" is the first ever Torch to have a zero carbon emissions footprint due to its LED design.

The Trentino 2013 Torch lights up the night sky above the Piazza Duomo in Trento as a symbol of innovation as well as sporting excellence ©Daniele Mosna/Trentino 2013 Universiade

























The Cauldron, which sits on top of the Torre Civica in the Piazza Duomo in Trento, lights up the historic central district of the city with a lilac and blue glow that serves as a beacon to innovation and a new way of thinking. What it also represents is how far this region of Italy has come in 50 years which has seen Trento nominated by a recent poll in a national newspaper as the best place in Italy to live for quality of life and the University of Trento ranked as the highest Italian university in the latest Times Higher Education Supplement ranking list.

"Fifty years ago Trentino was a very poor region and the local Government decided to implement a strategy in knowledge, culture, research and innovation so that today we are really one of the richest regions in Italy," said Bouquet.

"I proposed this idea of innovation as one of the features of this Universade to characterise our Games and make them different from others.

"I think the legacy of these Games will obviously be around sport but another important legacy is the idea that if we combine university, sport and industry, it will really create a value for this region.

"Innovation is not just a word here but it is a strategy."

While the "U" in the FISU flag represents Universiade, at Trentino 2013 it could also be said to reflect the uniqueness of this great sporting event.

Gary Anderson is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.