体坛英语新闻：Slovenia make compensation for cancelling 2013 Universiade

LJUBLJANA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Municipality of Maribor has paid the compensation for cancelling the 2013 Winter Universiade to the International University Sports Federation (FISU), a senior official said on Friday.

City administration director Marko Zula confirmed that the compensation was done after out-of-court settlement, but declined to disclose any details.

FISU reportedly demanded 4.85 million euros for the cancellation two years before the event, but the Maribor Municipality indicated the actual compensation was much lower.

The FISU announced in May 31, 2008 that Maribor, the 2nd largest city in Slovenia, would host the 2013 Winter Universiade.

Originally, the budget for the 26th Winter Universiade was set at 33 million euros (about 43 million U.S. dollars), 30 percent of which was to come from the central government.

However, due to their poor management of the games, organizers of Maribor failed to get extra money from Ljubljana.

By early 2012, the previous central government had earmarked 6. 5 million euros for the 2013 Winter Universiade, according to the then sport minister Ziga Turk.

The government was not willing to "fund ill-managed projects," Turk said.

Following Slovenia's cancellation of hosting the 2013 Winter Universiade, the international games is taking place in Trentino, Italy.