Here in North Carolina our university students are in the midst of final exams during this time of year, and college seniors are looking forward to graduations upcoming on Mother’s Day Weekend (May 8-10). In the meantime, we are looking forward to the visit of 22 international sport officials from all over the world, also starting on Mother’s Day Weekend, and extending through the middle two weeks of May. The officials will be in town to review the proposed venues for the 2029 World University Games here in North Carolina USA, and we will look forward to reporting to you all about it in our May eNews Update. In the meantime, we are excited to share the latest news on our World University Games prep from the month of April.
Two Hall of Famers Make for a Special Evening
Over 50 guests at the lovely home of Patty & Britt Carter in northwest Raleigh enjoyed a special evening featuring two North Carolina Hall of Famers, AJ Carr (NC Sports Hall of Fame) and Sylvia Hatchell (Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame), on Thursday, April 16th. AJ was a long-time sportswriter for the Raleigh News & Observer and Sylvia Hatchell, was Head Coach of the UNC Tar Heels Women’s Basketball Team from 1986 to 2019, where she finished her overall career with more than 800 wins placing her among the top-5 winningest women’s basketball coaches in the country.
Sylvia was an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Team in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where the U.S. won gold. In addition, she is a veteran of three World University Games, beginning with the 1983 Games in Edmonton, Canada, where she served as an Assistant Coach for the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team that won Gold; followed by Assistant Coach for the Women’s Team in 1985 in Kobe, Japan, that took home Silver; and then Head Coach of the U.S. Team in 1995 in Fukuoka, Japan, which also won Silver.
AJ Carr made for the ideal interviewer who helped bring out the highlights from Coach Hatchell’s storied career, but also ably featured her extensive World University Games history. Coach Hatchell had the audience spellbound with her exciting stories from her World University Games experience, and she emphasized what an amazing and great thing it is – a privilege and honor for the State of North Carolina and our host communities and universities – to have this premier global sports event coming to our state in July 2029.
The evening was, of course, not just about reliving great moments of past World University Games, but about spreading the gospel and encouraging investment in, and support of, North Carolina’s soon to be once-in-a-lifetime experience hosting what many consider to be the “Olympics” for college and university athletes from around the world. One of the guests at the event was heard to remark, “What an unprecedented and thrilling time to be in North Carolina, to truly help welcome the world in 2029!”
World Archery Visits the ’29 Games LOC
From Tuesday, March 31 to Thursday, April 2, the Executive Director of World Archery, Juan Carlos Holgado, paid a visit to the Local Organizing Committee for the 2029 World University Games. It is thrilling to see the visitation and visibility the World University Games, even though more than three years away, are having on our state. We have previously hosted two CEOs of the world governing body for the Games, and now the first of what we hope will be a number of the CEO’s of those international federations that have sports in the Games.
Prior to his role at World Archery’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, Juan Carlos held a leadership position at FISU, the international governing body for the World University Games, so he is very familiar with the Games. Juan Carlos is also an Olympic Gold Medalist in the sport of Archery and has served as coach, administrator, and technical expert at the Olympic level in the sport for many years. While at our Games headquarters, Juan Carlos spent time helping our staff refine the plans for the Archery Competition to be held in the 2029 FISU Games.
In addition, Juan Carlos heard from local supporters about plans for a potential major Archery training center in central North Carolina. Towards that end, Juan Carlos visited with USA Baseball CEO, Paul Seiler; toured the USA Baseball Headquarters and National Training Complex, and learned about the very positive relationship USA Baseball shares with the Town of Cary, which owns and operates the USA Baseball NTC. World Archery and USA Archery are very supportive of such plans, but have acknowledged that the concept is in the earliest of stages and requires more detailed planning to advance to the next level. The good news is that World Archery promised to assist this process by connecting local organizers with experts and resources that could move the plans closer to reality.
As Juan Carlos departed on April 2, he let us know he was headed to Los Angeles to assist with planning for the Archery competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. He indicated he looks forward to returning to the area when training center plans are further along. We also look forward to that and wish him the best on his world travels.
Sports ETA Convenes in Vegas
More than 1,200 attendees, a new record for the event, gathered in Las Vegas last week (April 20-23) for the Annual Symposium of the Sports Events & Tourism Association, known as Sports ETA. Sports ETA leadership released the annual State of the Industry report which reflected continued major positive growth and impressive figures for the industry, such as: “Thanks to 339 million sports travelers, Sports Tourism in the U.S. is now a $274.5 billion total economic impact industry, generating $111.2 billion in direct spending, supporting 1.6 million jobs, generating 124.3 million hotel room nights, and producing $20.5 billion in state and local tax revenues.” (2025 figures.)
Michael Conte, WUG2029 Sports Manager, staffed a World University Games/International University Sports booth throughout the Symposium, where he held meetings with more than 60 U.S. destinations interested in potentially hosting an international university World Championships or World Cup event, while also learning more about the 2029 World University Games in North Carolina USA.
Editor’s Note: Sports ETA was founded as the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) circa 1989/1990 by WUG2029 CEO, Hill Carrow. In more recent years, NASC changed its name to Sports ETA, but the organization remains a North Carolina corporation to this day.
Masters Swimming “Test Event”
The U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships got underway today in Greensboro at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The meet will continue tomorrow and conclude on Sunday. With over 2,000 swimmers, the meet is one of the largest swimming competitions in the country. Hill Carrow, WUG2029 CEO, has served as Meet Director for the championships five times, but this time around he is competing and serving as a meet volunteer. The Championships are also serving as something of a test event for our Local Organizing Committee for the 2029 World University Games, where our LOC is helping to recruit volunteers for various meet assignments. In addition, a number of the 2029 World University Games staff members started work today as volunteers at the meet including Peyton Barnes, Andrew Blattner, Michael Conte, Joel Davis, Melissa Hartzell, Andrew Perna, and Melvin Sifford.
WUG 2029 Sports Briefs
Soccer Home Run Derby: USA Baseball, which was successfully recruited to the Triangle by the Triangle Sports Commission (the TSC also led North Carolina’s bid for the 2029 World University Games) has interjected a new element into this year’s TST (The Soccer Tournament), the annual 7v7 global soccer festival held at WakeMed Soccer Park, the 2029 World University Games venue for Soccer and Rugby 7s. USA Baseball and TST organizers are partnering to add the first-ever TST Soccer Home Run Derby to the big event. In this particular case, male and female competitors will see how many soccer balls pitched to them they can kick over an 8-foot barrier in one minute. Paul Seiler, USA Baseball CEO, said, “This is a fun and exciting way to bring elements of both Soccer and Baseball to a wider audience.”
Local Collegiate Teams Excel:
- The Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships were held at Cary Tennis Park, a WUG2029 venue, April 14-19.
- NC State’s Women’s Tennis Team won the Women’s Conference Championship on April 19, defeating Virginia 4-0.
- As a result, NC State Women’s Tennis host Rounds 1 and 2 of the NCAA Tennis Championships tomorrow, May 1 through Sunday, May 3 at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center on NCSU’s campus. NC State will take on Morgan State in Round 1, while it will be UCF versus Navy in the other Round 1 game on campus. The winner of the NC State match will then take on the winner of UCF vs Navy. The winner of that match will be the regional winner and will advance to the next round in the NCAA’s.
- Thanks to Men’s and Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament participation and Top-20 finishes by Men’s & Women’s Fencing and Men’s Swimming and Diving, UNC Chapel Hill leads the Learfield Director’s Cup standings after the Winter Season with 781.5 points to 746.25 for second place Stanford.
- UNC Chapel Hill’s Peter Bruk and Youssef Shamel were named ACC Fencers of the Year.
Support the Games
Be a vital part of championing the world’s premier event for student-athletes! Bringing the 2029 World University Games to our state promises unparalleled economic advantages for our communities. Seize the chance to spotlight North Carolina on the global stage! Click below to explore the myriad of ways you can contribute and support the Games.
Don’t Forget to Shop Local and Support the WUG
Our online store features 2029 FISU World University Games t’s, polos, hoodies, tanks, caps, and more. Items come in a wide variety of colors, and the store has proven to be quite a popular online shopping destination. Don’t miss your opportunity to show your support of the 2029 FISU World University Games by snagging some excellent quality, name-brand clothing and caps!
Sponsor Thank You’s
We cannot thank our sponsors enough for their strong belief in, and generous support of, the 2029 World University Games. We encourage you to patronize their businesses and give them your own personal thanks when you do.
