The United States International University Sports Federation (USIUSF), the United States member organization of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), announced today that the USIUSF has notified FISU of its intent to host the 2027 Summer World University Games in the United States of America in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham market. Notice to FISU by the USIUSF was contained in a formal Letter of Intention submitted to, and acknowledged by, FISU yesterday.
The World University Games are the world’s largest event for student athletes. The Games are held every other year in the odd year, with both a Winter and Summer Games in the same year. The Games have 15 required sports including Olympic staples such as Athletics (Track & Field), Basketball, Diving, Gymnastics, Swimming, and Volleyball. The host city for the Games can propose additional sports for inclusion in the Games. The Summer World University Games take place over an approximately 2-week period, during the summer months.
Dan Guerrero, President of the USIUSF, said, “We are very excited about the possibility of bringing the Summer World University Games back to the U.S., where it has only previously been held one time, in 1993 in Buffalo, New York. The next available year to bid on the Games, 2027, holds a lot of promise for Olympic sports in the United States as it is the year prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. In addition, our country has strong momentum for attracting the Summer World University Games, thanks to excellent work being done by the Local Organizing Committee in Lake Placid, New York, where they are slated to host the Winter World University Games in 2023 and are receiving very positive reviews for their Games preparations.”
The Summer World University Games have been held in such world cities as Bangkok, Beijing, Mexico City, Moscow, and Tokyo. The Games were founded in the 1950’s and 2019 marked their 60th anniversary. The Games have grown through the years and are now considered the second largest global event, behind only the Olympic Games. Upcoming Games include the 2021 Summer World University Games in August in Chengdu, China, and the 2021 Winter World University Games in December in Lucerne, Switzerland. The 2023 Summer World University Games will be held in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Chinese organizers are expecting up to 170 countries to compete in this year’s Summer Games.
Delise O’Meally, Secretary General of the USIUSF and a member of the FISU Executive Committee, said, “We have been delighted with both the interest that the Raleigh-Durham market has shown in hosting the Summer World University Games, and the significant assets and experience the North Carolina Bid Committee brings to the table. The fast-growing Triangle region, with its 10 colleges and universities, deep array of top-quality sports venues, and great track record of major multi-sport Olympic events is a natural for hosting the Summer World University Games. We are excited to partner with the Triangle organizers on this bid opportunity.”
The number of participants in the Official Delegation at a Summer World University Games typically totals over 10,000, comprised of 7,000+ athletes, joined by another 3,000 or so coaches, administrators, and support staff. Approximately 1,500 international officials are involved in the competitions, the FISU VIP contingent often numbers around 600, and up to 1,500 members of the national and international press are present at the event. The Summer World University Games receive over 3,000 hours of broadcast coverage viewed by a worldwide audience of over 300 million in 150 countries. Tens of millions of additional viewers follow the Games via internet and social media channels. Independent third-party studies have documented the economic impacts of the Summer World University Games as ranging between $150 and $350 million.
“This is a major milestone achievement for the Triangle,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of the North Carolina Bid Committee. “No city or region in North Carolina has ever been named the United States of America’s international candidate for a global event of this magnitude. That is a huge accomplishment, and I want to thank the more than 200 individuals involved in the bid thus far, as well as the over 50 organizations and corporate sponsors who are backing our efforts and who have made this achievement possible. We do realize, however, that this is really just the first significant step towards accomplishing our main goal of having the United States be awarded the 2027 Summer World University Games, to be hosted right here in Raleigh-Durham, NC.”
The bid process for the 2027 Summer World University Games is expected to continue throughout 2021 and into Spring 2022, when it is currently projected that FISU will announce the 2027 host city. Bid milestones during the year are expected to include development and submission of a detailed formal bid document, conducting an extensive site visit for USIUSF and FISU officials, a FISU bid workshop, a presentation to the FISU Executive Committee, and meetings with FISU and Local Organizing Committee executives at the 2021 Summer and Winter Games in Chengdu and Lucerne respectively.
About the United States International University Sports Federation:
?The USIUSF is the American organization that holds membership in the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and is the governing body for USA teams participating in the World University Games and World University Championships. USIUSF is comprised of representatives from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA). For more information on the United States International University Sports Federation, visit United States of America (USA) (fisu.net)
About the North Carolina Bid Committee:
?The North Carolina Bid Committee is comprised of individuals who are helping with, supporting, and leading an initiative to recruit and host the 2027 Summer World University Games in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary area of North Carolina, commonly referred to as the Triangle. The NCBC is affiliated with, and supported by, the Triangle Sports Commission, which serves Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties in North Carolina. The primary goals of the NCBC are to host one of the best World University Games ever, with a great participant experience being the primary barometer; and to showcase North Carolina, and the communities and universities that comprise the state’s Triangle region, to the world. North Carolina’s bid is currently sponsored by Atlantic Tire & Service, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Edge Printed Products, Hummingbird Creative, McDonald York Building Company, Sports & Properties, Inc., Stewart, Triangle Sports Commission, and York Properties, Inc. For more information on the North Carolina Bid Committee or to make a donation to support the bid effort, visit www.ncwugbidcommittee.com.
About the Summer World University Games:
?The Summer World University Games are the world’s largest event for student athletes, ages 17-27. The rightsholder for the Games is the International University Sports Federation (FISU), based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The World University Games got their formal start with the 1959 Games in Torino, Italy, where 985 athletes from 45 countries competed in 7 sports during a 12-day period. In more recent times, Taipei 2017 for example, 7,377 athletes from 134 countries competed over 13 days in 275 competitive events in 22 sports at 60 venues where 1,957 medals were awarded. The 15 required sports of the Summer World University Games are Archery, Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics (Track & Field), Badminton, Basketball, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo. For its Bid for the 2027 WUG, the NCBC has proposed Baseball, Rugby 7s, Soccer, and Softball as the “local option” sports. For more information about the World University Games, FISU, and World University Championships, visit www.fisu.net.
There are no comments
Please login to post comments