"We can look forward to visionary approaches"

The first "winspire" will take place in Winterthur on September 19. The focus will be on innovation, sport and health. In addition to a wide range of workshops and discussion rounds, participants can also look forward to exclusive insights into WIN4 's innovation ecosystem. In the run-up to the event, we met with WIN4 Board of Directors and initiator Jürg Hofmann for a big interview.

Where did the idea behind WIN4 come from?
Simply put: necessity became a virtue. Pfadi Winterthur Handball had the problem that they didn't have their own home ground. They had always played in an acceptable but not perfect infrastructure. Nevertheless, they always had to make room for other events or trade fairs for the important games and the games had to be played away from home. An attempt was made to find a solution to this structural problem in the form of a ball sports arena like the current AXA Arena. In order to make the whole project financially viable for a club, it needed a shell use. This gave rise to the idea of incorporating all usage units into this shell use. In this way, sport and economic efficiency are combined, made economically viable and enable grassroots, junior and active sport to find a home under one roof.

What does WIN4 do in the sports sector?
In addition to the specialist area that covers sport and training options, WIN4 offers all components that are just as important in the sports sector, such as athletic and strength training, recovery, rehabilitation, nutrition, mental coaching and hypnosis. All these aspects are covered in WIN4.

Jürg Hofmann is the initiator and board member of WIN4 AG.

What makes WIN4 unique in Switzerland?
We have built an ecosystem that includes all of these topics - both in grassroots and elite sport. WIN4 is public. It is private and not state-supported or financed. We have brought together our "own" individual companies and mapped the construct on a campus under one roof.

How important are the topics of health and sport at WIN4?
Specifically, these are two central areas that we integrate on our site. These two elements are becoming ever more closely linked. With increasing performance density and rising demands, the importance of health in sport is becoming ever greater. A true symbiosis is emerging in which one cannot exist without the other. Considerable investment in health is required before sporting performance can even be achieved. This interaction is therefore of crucial importance, and this is exactly what we at WIN4 try to cover and promote.

Why do you think these two topics are so important?
The higher the performance density, the more these two factors interact. Even at a young age, when performance targets are set, it is essential to deal intensively with these aspects. If this is neglected, it is hardly possible to make up for what has been missed later, when the need arises. It is therefore extremely important in the field of education, which WIN4 also covers, to impart this important knowledge to young people at an early stage.

What is the long-term vision for WIN4?
We haven't finished developing and building yet, because we still have a plot of land and want to make use of this resource. We would like to realize another stage in which the focus is on training opportunities and also go one step further in the health sector. We would also like to offer rooms for athletes, which will round off the offer of living, sport, training and all associated areas such as health and nutrition under one roof. That is our vision. The next strategic steps mean that the next construction phase is not only in the planning stage, but is already underway and construction can begin, and we are moving forward in this direction step by step.