FISU

International University Sports Federation

The Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, English: International University Sports Federation) is one of the largest international sports organizations, superior body of university sports movement in the world.

FISU General Assembly

The Federation with its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium coordinates the activities of over 100 national university sport federations and organises the Winter and the Summer Universiades.

History

FISU was officially formed in 1949, but its origin goes back to the 1920s when the Frenchman, Jean Petitjean, organized the first «World Student Games» in Paris, France in May 1923. The following year saw the birth of the International Confederation of Students (I.C.S.), which held a congress in Warsaw, Poland. From 1925 to 1939, many great sporting events were organized by the students and the I.C.S.: in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1925, Rome, Italy in 1927, then again in Paris, Darmstadt, Germany (1930), Turin, Italy (1933), Budapest, Hungary (1935), Paris (1937) and Monaco (1939).

US delegation at 1933 Summer Universiade in Turin, Italy

The Second World War interrupted these meetings, but when peace was restored, France re-launched the World University Games. In 1949, although the International Students Union (ISU) organised the Games at which very few western countries participated, the International University Sports Federation (FISU), born the previous year in Luxembourg, under the impetus of Dr. Paul Schleimer, was officially founded and organised its first International University Sports Weeks.

In a new start in 1957, the French Federation organised a World University Sports Championship which brought together students from the Eastern and Western blocks. From this meeting came the desire to organise a universal event in which students from all over the world could participate.

In 1959, FISU and the ISU agreed to participate in the games that attracted a total of 1407 participants from 43 countries. The Italian organisers baptised these 1959 games with the name “Universiade”. The word «Universiade» comes from «university» and «Olympiad», and means Olympic games for students. They created the flag with a ‘U’ surrounded by stars, which was going to begin its journey around the world, and replaced the national anthems at the medal-awarding ceremonies by the Gaudeamus Igitur.

The Winter Universiade was first held in 1960 in Chamonix, France. From 1960 till 1979 the Winter and Summer Universiades were organised in uneven years and World University Championships in even years. Since 1981 Winter and Summer Universiades are held in the same year. In 1963 the University Games were held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and it was the first Universiade to be organised outside Europe. The 1981 Winter Universiade featured a mascot for the first time. Since then each Universiade has its own mascot.

FISU’s first president was Dr. Paul Schleimer, physicist and mathematician from Luxembourg. He was replaced by Dr. Primo Nebiolo, who changed the future of the university sports movement. Since 1999 FISU is headed by George E. Killian.

Current structure

FISU’s governing body is the General Assembly which is made up of members of 153 National University Sports Federations. The Russian Federation is represented by the Russian Student Sports Union (RSSU).

FISU President George Killian

The General Assembly elects the Executive Committee for a period of four years, which takes all the necessary decisions for the smooth running of FISU. RSUU President Oleg Matytsin represents Russia in the FISU Executive Committee.

Ten permanent commissions advise the Executive Committee in their specialised areas and so to simplify its duties. 7 Russian representatives enter the FISU commissions.

FISU activities

FISU’s main responsibility is supervision of both Summer and Winter Universiades as well as of World University Championships.

FISU’s mission is to promote sporting values and encourage sporting practice in harmony with and complementary to university spirit; ensure quality of university sports events; to develop existing National Federations in various countries and to support them in their dealings with governments; to help strengthen links between universities, sports movement and students.

Flame lighting ceremony

The International University Sports Federation, FISU propagates sport values and promotes sports practice in perfect synergy and complementarity with the university spirit.

Apart from Universiades and University Championships FISU holds conferences and a forums. The FISU Conference takes place at the same time as the Universiade, complementing the sporting aspect with sociological study and scientific research, thus illustrating the need to bring together Sport and the University Spirit. This FISU Conference also entitled «Conference for the Study of University Sport» tackles topics relating to the different aspects of sport and physical education.

Since, like the Universiade, the Congress is biennial, FISU wished to give students and university sport officials the opportunity to meet more often to discuss subjects involving education, culture and sport, through Forum seminars. Practically speaking, Forum seminars will take place every two years, alternating with Universiade years, and each time in a different location.

FISU today

Thanks to FISU’s active involvement in university sports, the Universiades continue to attract more and more participants. The highest number of WU participants was registered in 2005 in Innsbruck, Austria in 2005 – 2,831 participants from 53 countries and the highest number of SU participants was in 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand – 9,006. The record number of participating nations belongs to Daegu, Korea (2003) – 174 countries.

2013 Summer Universiade progress report

Soviet (Russian) students participate in the Universiades since 1957. The USSR hosted the World University Games only once in Moscow in 1973 and in 2008 Kazan was awarded the right to stage the 2013 World University Summer Games.

The other important sport events of FISU are the World University Championships. In 2008, FISU organised 29 World University Championships that attracted 6,652 participants from a total of 229 countries. In 2010, FISU staged 29 WUCs. 25 Summer and 24 Winter Universiades were staged under FISU’s auspices over the entire history of its existence. All the sporting events were mostly held in Europe, France was attributed the right to host the University Games three times, more than any other nation.