Motto | "Excellence in Mind and Body" |
---|---|
Formation | 1 January 1949 |
Type | Sports federation |
Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
Membership
|
170 member associations |
Official language
|
French and English |
President
|
Oleg Matytsin (Russia) |
Vice-Presidents
|
Leonz Eder (Switzerland) (1st VP), Liguo Yang (China) Luciano Cabral (Brazil) Marian Dymalski (Poland) Leopold Senghor (Senegal) |
Website | www |
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, English: International University Sports Federation) is responsible for the organisation and governance of worldwide competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28. It was founded in 1949 as the world governing body of national university sports organisations and currently has 170 member associations (national federations) from five continents. Between 1949 and 2011, it was based in Brussels (Belgium); since 2011, it is based in Lausanne (Switzerland).
It is the only international federation with more than 50 sports on its competition program. The FISU stages its events every two years. They currently include two Universiades (summer and winter) and 32 World University Championships.
Meanwhile, FISU permanently links the academic world with sports by hosting a number of educational events – conferences, forums and seminars. These events closely assist in promoting sport as one of the main components of the educational system.
FISU sanctions other competitions open to university students, such as the biennial World University Bridge Championships in contract bridge, "played under the auspices of the FISU".
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 (ICS), which held a congress in Warsaw, Poland. Several delegations took part and the movement was launched. From 1925 to 1939, many great sporting events were organized by the students and the ICS: 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). The Second World War interrupted these meetings, but when peace was restored, France re-launched the World University Games.