Nations participating 171 (estimated) Events 14 sports Closing ceremony August 22 | Athletes participating 9,500 (estimated) Opening ceremony August 11 | |
The 2005 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIII Summer Universiade, took place in İzmir, Turkey.
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Emblem
The emblem is the letter “U”, inspired by the bird’s-eye view of the Gulf of İzmir. This shape has perfectly fit the letter “U” of Universiade, symbolizing its multi-cultural feature, while the smooth outline emphasizes the harmony and uniformity of the Universiade spirit.
Mascot
Name: EFE
Efes are the leaders and heroes of societies that lived in Western Anatolia during the early nineties. The village dandy Efe, guards and defends all the members of his society and also deals with all kinds of their social work and events as if he is the father of all. For this reason, all the members of the society behave respectfully towards him with strong, emotional, family ties. The Efes were legends in these areas with their smart, fearless, alert dashing behaviors as brave and manly young fellows. They became the symbol of braveness, power and justice throughout the Aegean history.
Nowadays, the word “Efe” is the explanation of a virtuous, brave man who is the symbol of justice in every case. Therefore, we call successful athletes “Efe” stating their various qualifications in one brief word.