Congratulatory Message

Dear officials, athletes and students,

I am delighted that the DGIST World-class University Rowing Festival will take place for the fourth time from 21st to 25th August in the province of Daegu. This event is a wonderful opportunity for students from all over the world to meet and compete under united teams, building trust and sharing crucial values, such as commitment and fair play.

Being a country of lakes (holding around 6 percent of Europe’s fresh water reserves), Switzerland counts rowing among one of its most popular sport activities. The Canton and City of Luzern as well as the lakeside town of Ebikon in Switzerland have been hosting the World Rowing Cup III since 2014. This event is also a great example showing the importance of making sport events sustainable and respecting the environment in and through sports: It was, in fact, preceded in 2010 by a sustainability study aiming to renew the lake’s rowing facility and preserve the natural surroundings. In Swiss society, sport, as a means to maintain a healthy life, is always considered in connection with the respect of the environment.

The DGIST World-class University Rowing Festival, hosted within the scenic setting of the Nakdong River, not only brings the importance of this relation to the attention of the community, but also emphasizes the role of higher education institutions in promoting team sport and related values through the young generation of students. This rowing festival also gives us an opportunity to mention the meaningful collaboration between DGIST and ETH Zürich. The Joint Microrobotics Research Center established in 2017 between DGIST, ETH Zürich and the Chinese University of Hong-Kong represents one of the many manifestations of the ever growing cooperation and friendship between Switzerland and Korea.

I wish the best of luck and a fascinating competition to all organizers and participants, including the Swiss students from the ETH Zürich Rowing Team.