The Universiade is an international
multi-sport event, organized for
university athletes by the
International University Sports Federation
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, en, International University Sports Federation) is responsible for the organization and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25. ...
(FISU). The name is a
portmanteau of the words "University" and "
Olympiad".
The Universiade is referred to in English as the World University Games or World Student Games; however, this latter term can also refer to competitions for sub-University grades students. In July 2020 as part of a new branding system by the FISU, it was stated that the Universiade will be officially branded as the FISU World University Games.
The most recent games were held in 2019: the
Winter Universiade was held in
Krasnoyarsk, Russia while the
Summer Universiade was held in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Italy. The next Winter World University Games are scheduled to be held in
Lake Placid, United States between 11–21 January 2023, after the 2021 edition scheduled to be held in
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
, Switzerland was cancelled due the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The
2021 Summer World University Games
The 2021 Summer Universiade ( zh, 2021年夏季世界大学生运动会), the XXXI Summer World University Games, commonly known as the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games, is a multi-sport event sanctioned by the International University Spor ...
were scheduled to be held in
Chengdu, China, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
has been postponed three times and will now be held in 2023, after the
2023 Summer World University Games
The 2023 FISU Summer World University Games (Universiade), the 32nd edition of the event, were to be held in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Cancellation
The games were suspended in 2022 as result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine with FISU ruling t ...
, set to be held in
Yekaterinburg, Russia, were cancelled after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Precursors
The idea of a global international sports competition between
student-athletes pre-dates the 1949 formation of the
International University Sports Federation
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, en, International University Sports Federation) is responsible for the organization and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25. ...
(FISU), which now hosts the Universiade, and even the very first World University Games held in 1923. English peace campaigner
Hodgson Pratt was an early advocate of such an event, proposing (and passing) a motion at the 1891
Universal Peace Congress in Rome to create a series of international student conferences in rotating host capital cities, with activities including art and sport. This did not come to pass, but a similar event was created in Germany in 1909 in the form of the
Academic Olympia. Five editions were held from 1909 to 1913, all of which were hosted in Germany following the cancellation of an Italy-based event.
[Bell, Daniel (2003). ''Encyclopedia of International Games''. McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. .]
At the start of the 20th century,
Jean Petitjean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jean ...
of France began attempting to organise a "University Olympic Games". After discussion with
, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Petitjean was convinced not to use the word "Olympic" in the tournament's name.
Petitjean, and later the
Confederation Internationale des Etudiants
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical iss ...
(CIE), was the first to build a series of international events, beginning with the
1923 International Universities Championships
The 1923 International Universities Championships was organised by the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (UNEF) and held in Paris, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western ...
. This was followed by the renamed
1924 Summer Student World Championships The 1924 Summer Student World Championships was the second edition of the global sports competition for student-athletes, organised by the Confederation Internationale des Etudiants (CIE). Held from 17–20 September in Warsaw, Poland, seven nati ...
a year later and two further editions were held in 1927 and 1928. Another name change resulted in the
1930 International University Games
The 1930 International University Games were organised by the Confederation Internationale des Etudiants (CIE) and held in Darmstadt, Germany. Held from 1–10 August, thirty nations competed in a programme of eight sports. Women competed only in ...
. The CIE's International University Games was held four more times in the 1930s before having its final edition in 1947.
[World Student Games (pre-Universiade)](_blank)
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
A separate group organised
an alternative university games in 1939 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, in post-
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the Nazi Germany, German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "Ger ...
Germany.
[ The onset of ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
ceased all major international student sport activities and the aftermath also led to division among the movement, as the CIE was disbanded and rival organisations emerged. The '' Union Internationale des Étudiants'' (UIE) incorporated a university sports games into the World Festival of Youth and Students from 1947 to 1962, including one separate, unofficial games in 1954. This event principally catered for Eastern European countries.World Student Games (UIE)
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-12-09.
After the closure of the CIE and the creation of the first UIE-organised games, FISU came into being in 1949 and held its own first major student sport event the same year in the form of the
1949 Summer International University Sports Week
The 1949 Summer International University Sports Week were organised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and held in Merano, Italy, between 28 August and 4 September.
Sports
* Athletics
* Basketball
* Cycling
* Fencing
...
. The Sports Week was held biennially until 1955. Like the CIE's games before it, the FISU events were initially Western-led sports competitions.
[
Division between the largely Western European FISU and Eastern European UIE eventually began to dissipate among broadened participation at the 1957 World University Games. This event was not directly organised by either group, instead being organised by Jean Petitjean in France (which remained neutral to the split), but all respective nations from the groups took part. The FISU-organised Universiade became the direct successor to this competition, maintaining the biennial format into the inaugural ]1959 Universiade
The 1959 Summer Universiade, also known as the I Summer Universiade, took place in Turin, Italy.
Sports
* Athletics
* Basketball
* Fencing
* Swimming
* Tennis
* Volleyball
* Water polo
Medal table
Italy leads this first edition in the tot ...
. It was not until the 1957 World University Games that the Soviet Union began to compete in FISU events. That same year, what had previously been a European competition became a truly global one, with the inclusion of Brazil, Japan and the United States among the competing nations. The increased participation ultimately led to the establishment of the Universiade as the primary global student sport championship.[
]
Precursor events
Not recognized by FISU as Universide:
Summer World University Games
Location map
Editions
Top 20
Winter World University Games
Location map
Editions
Top 20
See also
* International University Sports Federation
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, en, International University Sports Federation) is responsible for the organization and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25. ...
* FISU World University Championships
* FISU America Games
* ASEAN University Games
ASEAN University Games (AUG) is a biennial sports event that involves athletes from the universities of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN member countries. It is regulated by ASEAN University Sports Council (AUSC) which was est ...
* International Children's Games
References
External links
Official website of the International University Sports Federation (FISU)
Official website of the German University Sports Federation
Official report of the Winter Universiade Innsbruck / Seefeld 2005
{{Authority control
University and college sports
Multi-sport events
Recurring sporting events established in 1959
Biennial sporting events