The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

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 A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsOlympiad". 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 Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...

, 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 identif ...

. 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 Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

, China, but due to the

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 Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, Russia, were cancelled after the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

Precursors

The idea of a global international sports competition between student-athletes pre-dates the 1949 formation of the

(FISU), which now hosts the Universiade, and even the very first World University Games held in 1923. English peace campaigner

Hodgson Pratt Hodgson Pratt (10 January 1824 – 26 February 1907) was an English pacifist who is credited with founding the International Arbitration and Peace Association in 1880. Early life Born at Bath, Somerset on 10 January 1824, he was the eldest of fi ...

was an early advocate of such an event, proposing (and passing) a motion at the 1891

Universal Peace Congress A peace congress, in international relations, has at times been defined in a way that would distinguish it from a peace conference (usually defined as a diplomatic meeting to decide on a peace treaty), as an ambitious forum to carry out dispute re ...

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

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

, 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 issu ...

(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. Held from 3–6 May, ten nations were present in the men's only programme,Bell, Daniel (2003). ''Encyc ...

. 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 nation ...

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)
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-12-10. Fotothek df roe-neg 0006159 005 Blick auf das Spielfeld und die Zuschauertribüne

Fotothek df roe-neg 0006159 005 Blick auf das Spielfeld und die Zuschauertribüne

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 German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 The International Union of Students (IUS) was a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations. The IUS was the umbrella organization for 155 such students' organizations across 112 countries and territories representing ...

'' (UIE) incorporated a university sports games into the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held regularly since 1947 as an eve ...

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 1957 World University Games were held between 31 August and 8 September. They were organised under the direction of Jean Petitjean by the Paris University Club in Paris at their Stadium Charlety. He engaged an American student athlete at the Par ...

. 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 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 ...

as Universide:

Summer World University Games

Location map

Editions

Top 20

Winter World University Games

Location map

Editions

Top 20

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

Precursors

Precursor events

Summer World University Games

Location map

Editions

Top 20

Winter World University Games

Location map

Editions

Top 20

See also

References

External links