Though the summer of exciting World University Games action is winding to a close, there is still much news to report in the world of international university sports. Please read on to catch up on the latest exciting developments.
GroupHousing to Take Lead on WUG2029 Accommodations
The North Carolina Organizing Committee (NCOC) for the 2029 FISU World University Games has selected GroupHousing of Decatur, Georgia, to serve as the Official Housing Bureau for the 2029 Summer World University Games to be held from Wednesday, July 11, to Sunday, July 22, 2029, in central North Carolina. While providing a housing bureau for hotel accommodations is fairly unique among the World University Games, it is a valuable tried and tested system here in the United States.
“Impressive facts and figures from the Games: More than 9,000 participants from 102 countries, representing over 1,900 different universities! The Games were covered by close to 1,000 accredited members of the media while hundreds of hours of broadcast coverage showcased the Games to a global audience. The 2025 World University Games also included a World Conference focused on sustainability and mental health, and a major cultural program, the Ruhr Games Festival, which featured arts and cultural displays, events, and concerts.”After a months-long selection process, we are delighted to name GroupHousing as our Official Housing Bureau for the 2029 World University Games,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of NCOC. “GroupHousing will provide an important single point of contact for accommodations for the Games that will facilitate ease of bookings and best prices for everyone from the passionate fan to corporate VIPs.”
GroupHousing was founded in 2008. The company specializes in group travel arrangements, particularly for sports tournaments, corporate events, and conventions. GroupHousing focuses on securing the lowest hotel rates for event attendees while maximizing the benefits of large group bookings. Key services provided by GroupHousing include a dedicated website for accommodations selections and bookings, expert knowledge of all host hotels, automated and organized hotel bookings processes, and 24/7 hotel and event attendee support.
“It’s an honor for GroupHousing to be selected to serve as the Official Housing Bureau for an event as large and prestigious as the World University Games,” said Mike Bower, GroupHousing’s CEO. “We are excited to be able to bring our technology, our major sports event experience, and our in-depth knowledge of the hotel industry to the table to deliver a first-rate bookings and accommodations experience to visitors and guests at the 2029 FISU Games.”
Rehashing the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer World University Games
For more than three hours combined over two sessions earlier this month, members of the North Carolina Delegation to the 2025 World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, which took place from July 16-27, 2025, came together to provide their input and feedback on their experiences at the 2025 FISU Summer Games. It was an invaluable information download based on personal insights and learnings from this year’s World University Games. The feedback sessions included NC USA Delegation members from four different programs in Rhine-Ruhr including the Sports Managers Program, Embedded Workers Program, Observer Program, and Fam Tour.
Overall comments on the 2025 World University Games were quite positive, with North Carolina delegates very impressed with the magnitude of the event, the professional manner in which the sports were conducted, and the high level of competition. The number and warm, friendly attitudes of the staff and volunteers were noted. The exciting Opening Ceremonies with its enthusiastic capacity crowd, emotional parade of athletes, and memorable entertainment and fireworks was cited as an ideal way to kick-off a global event like the World University Games, providing great momentum to major fan support for the remaining 11 days of the big event. As a whole, the North Carolina Delegation felt that the Local Organizing Committee for the 2025 FISU Games in Rhine-Ruhr set a high bar for the event. In order for North Carolina USA, the host of the 2029 World University Games, to try to match or exceed the Rhine-Ruhr Games is going to require a huge team effort including a tremendous amount of good planning, hard work, excellent communication, first-class venues, seamless logistics, significant resources, amazing fan support, well-trained staff and volunteers, and much more!
North Carolina Organizing Committee Staff News
Andrew Blattner, a Business Administration graduate of Appalachian State University has joined the 2029 World University Games staff as Operations Manager. Andrew previously worked for the 2029 Games as a Summer Intern during the summer of 2023 where he helped deliver the first test event of the Games, the 2023 USA Track & Field Masters National Championships at NC A&T State University’s Truist Stadium, host venue for the 2029 World University Games Athletics (Track & Field) competition.
Andrew Perna, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina Charlotte with a Business Administration degree, successfully completed a Summer Fellowship as part of the inaugural class of Triangle Sports Business Fellows. Andrew’s Fellowship was at the 2029 World University Games, and since the conclusion of the Fellowship Program, has joined the staff of the 2029 Games on a part-time basis, supporting the Games marketing and social media initiatives.
Mitchell Benton, a senior sports management major at NC State University and a Fall Intern at the 2029 World University Games, has been selected as a FISU Student Ambassador. Student Ambassadors are tasked with creating individual action plans to support, in conjunction with UniUSA – the U.S. federation for international university sport—the development of university sport in the United States.
Joel Davis, a May 2025 graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a Business Administration degree, has joined the staff of the 2029 FISU Games as a Fall Intern. At UNCW, Joel had a concentration in Marketing Strategy and intends to use this experience to help build excitement for, and awareness of, the 2029 World University Games.
Summer 2025 Sports Briefs
Local collegiate Baseball pitching stars Jason DeCaro and Ryan Lynch of UNC Chapel Hill and Jacob Dudan and Ryan Marohn of NC State were named by USA Baseball to the 2025 USA Baseball National Collegiate Team.
Hubert Davis, Head Coach of the UNC Chapel Hill Men’s Basketball Team and a 1991 World University Games Gold Medalist in Basketball, was named a Court Coach by USA Basketball for the U.S. Men’s U19 National Team training camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs prior to the team’s competition in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Kara Lawson, Head Coach of the Duke Women’s Basketball Team and a 2001 Gold Medalist in the World University Games in Beijing, China, where she was USA Team Captain, served as Head Coach of Team USA at the 2025 Women’s AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile. At the competition, which took place last month, Team USA took home the Gold with a win in the finals over Brazil, 92-84. Team USA had an undefeated record during its tournament run, and winning the championship secured a spot for the USA in next year’s 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Rest in Peace: Jim Melvin
Our World University Games Organizing Committee bids farewell to one of North Carolina’s finest sports and community champions, Jim Melvin, of Greensboro who passed away recently. Jim served as the Mayor of Greensboro for many years, including when North Carolina hosted the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival. The Festival’s success and how it promoted and positively impacted Greensboro and the Triangle made Jim a big fan of those of us involved in that event, and sports in general as a major tourism and economic impacts generator. Later as leader of the Bryan Foundation, Jim strategically led that foundation to develop the new baseball stadium in downtown Greensboro that has in turn led to major redevelopment in the downtown area. After that, he and the Bryan Foundation led the huge effort to secure the land and provide the utilities to the megasite near Liberty, NC, that has become the home to Toyota’s $15 billion, 5,000-employee battery manufacturing plant, the current largest business development project in state history. Jim Melvin was an amazing champion for sports, business, economic development, and community in our state, and he will be sorely missed!
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.
