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Record gold medal haul for Swiss professionals

Switzerland picked up 20 medals, including a record 11 golds, at the World Professional Championships. Some 38 Swiss professionals demonstrated their skills in Abu Dhabi between 15 and 18 October.

The 11 gold medals beat Switzerland’s previous best haul of 10 set in 2003.  Only China did better than the Swiss this year with 15 gold medals.

The head of the Swiss delegation, Christine Davatz, said she is “incredibly proud” of the whole team. All the team members have completed apprenticeships and prepared for the tournament in their spare time.

Some 1,300 craftsmen and women took part in the 44th WorldSkillsExternal link championships in Abu Dhabi, accommodated by a workspace big enough to fit 18 football pitches. 

From Switzerland, 38 young professionals travelled to the world championships for non-academic professions to prove their skills in the field of information technology, design and the other sectors.

In 1953, the first professional world championships were held in Madrid. Professionals from Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Portugal and Morocco took part. 

WorldSkills was founded after the Second World War to promote international understanding. Some 59 countries were represented at this year’s championship.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR