WHAT’S FISU?

FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DU SPORT UNIVERSITAIRE

FISU stands for Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation) and was founded in 1949.

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

FISU is composed of a General Assembly which represents the members (129 National University Sports Federations). It is FISU’s main governing body.

It elects the Executive Committee for a period of four years (it will be the case in 1999), which takes all the necessary decisions for the smooth running of FISU.

Ten permanent commissions advise the Executive Committee in their specialised areas and so to simplify its duties.

FISU is funded through subscription, organising and entry fees, television incomes, and marketing activities.

THE UNIVERSIADES

The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city and which is second in importance only to the Olympic Games.

The Summer Universiade consists of 10 compulsory sports and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 6.009 participants in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1999 and 162 countries in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1995.

The Winter Universiade consists of 6 compulsory sports and one or two optional sports also chosen by the host country, and gathered at its last edition of January in the Poprad-Tatry region, in Slovakia, a record 1.412 participants (929 athletes and 483 officials). 40 countries took part to the Slovak competitions compared to the record 48 countries of the ’97 Muju-Chonju edition in Korea; where they were’ only’ 1.406 participants (877 athletes and 529 officials).

THE WORLD UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIPS

The other important sport events of FISU are the World University Championships. The spreading of the university sport in the world created a new series of meetings and competitions to complete the program of the Universiade. FISU supports the competitions which represent the continuity of university sport and allows the federation to be better known.

In 1998, FISU organised 20 World University Championships that attracted 75 different countries and 3.769 participants
This year, FISU has the same program of 20 events.

THE ELIGIBILITY

The Universiades and Championships are open to all student athletes that have not been out of university or its equivalent for more than a year and that are between 17 and 28 years old.

Any association which belongs to FISU may enter a team or an individual competitor. Entries are accepted from any country which is eligible for the Olympic Games and from any national federation which is affiliated to an appropriate International Federation.

Source: FISU