During the month of February we have seen snowy and icy weather here in North Carolina and across the country, a wave of flu and other winter illnesses, travel disruptions and delays, and major governmental changes, but despite all of that, sports competitions and events continue on, helping to maintain some consistency, excitement, camaraderie, passion, and spirit-lifting moments amidst the challenges.
Torino 2025 Winter World University Games Numbers Are In
The 2025 Winter World University Games took place in Torino, Italy, last month from Monday, January 13 through Thursday, January, 23, 2025. The Games took place in and around the city at many of the beautiful venues that were used for the Winter Olympic Games which were hosted in 2006 in Torino. This month the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the international governing body for the World University Games, together with the Torino Local Organizing Committee, led by its President, Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, released information on the significant numbers that go into making, and tell the tale of, this year’s Winter World University Games.
In addition to Torino, 11 other nearby cities helped host the Games. The Winter WUG saw 2,565 participants, representing 54 countries, competing in 13 sports, including for the first time in a Winter World University Games, two Para-sports: Para Alpine Skiing and Para Cross Country Skiing. The Games’ successful staging was made possible by a staff of 114 in combination with 2,100 volunteers. The volunteers ranged in age from 18 to 87.
The 2025 Winter World University Games required 15,000 credentials and the serving of over 150,000 meals. The event generated the sale of more than 100,000 tickets; 26,500 hotel room nights; and 445,500 Games-related passenger trips via public transportation. The Games received over 1,000 hours of national and international broadcast coverage, including 140 live hours on Eurosport, and 18 primetime hours here in the U.S. on ESPN+. The Opening Ceremony received over 85 million online views, the Games were noted in more than 10,000 online publications, and almost 700,000 users were active on the Torino 2025 social media channels. A third party-conducted media analysis assessed the value of the media coverage to be more than $27 million, on top of the major local economic impacts from the event.
Rhine-Ruhr Region of Germany Hosts the Next World University Games This Summer
Torino was just the start of major World University Games sports action for 2025. From Wednesday, July 16 through Sunday, July 27, Rhine-Ruhr, Germany will serve as the host of the 2025 Summer World University Games. Host cities for the Games include Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mulheim, Hagen, and Berlin. The primary Rhine-Ruhr region cities stretch from Dusseldorf eastward in a cluster of communities not dissimilar to how our North Carolina cities for the 2029 World University Games (including thus far, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Elon, Greensboro, and High Point) are proximately located, often even abutting one another.
Rhine-Ruhr will host 18 sports across 23 venues, with current projections of more then 8,500 participants from more than 150 countries. The sports of the Games are: Archery, Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics (Track & Field), Badminton, 3×3 Basketball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Rowing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo. For the first time at a World University Games, Wheelchair 3×3 Basketball will be held. Essen is the center of the Games, with the city hosting fully half of the Games’ 18 sports. Essen will also be the site for the Main Media Center, and a central location for Games accreditation. Opening Ceremonies will be held at Duisburg’s Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, which is the 40,000-seat main soccer stadium in Duisburg.
The Rhine-Ruhr Organizing Committee, led by Nicklas Borger, CEO, had a significant presence at the Winter WUG in Torino in January. There, where the official torch was lit by FISU President Leonz Eder, a reception was held with German officials including State Secretaries Juliane Seifert and Andrea Milz, student-athletes, and international sports executives to celebrate, and mark the handoff of the next Games to, Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. As of this writing, there are only 138 days to go to the start of the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer World University Games!
FISU Awards World University Championships for 2026
While the Summer World University Games and the Winter World University Games are FISU’s largest events, they are not FISU’s only international university sports events. In fact, FISU also has World Cup and World Championship events, and hosts International Forums on a regular basis.
Earlier this month, Matthias Remund, FISU CEO, together with the FISU Executive Committee, approved the selection of 18 different host cities for FISU World Championships in 2026. Those host cities represent 18 host countries across 5 continents including North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. The 18 World Championships awarded include 23 sports, as the Beach Sports, awarded to Figueira da Foz, Portugal, will include competition in Beach Football (Soccer), Handball, Rugby, Volleyball, and Wrestling, with Beach Ultimate Tennis as an Exhibition Sport. The Beach Championships alone are expected to draw more than 550 athletes from 34 countries.
The other 2026 World University Championships awarded by FISU are as follows: Canoeing – Szekesfehervar, Hungary; Cheerleading – Gothenburg, Sweden; Combat Sports – Brasilia, Brazil; Cross Country – Cassino, Italy; Cycling – Zhangjiakou, China; Futsal – Warsaw, Poland; Golf – Merida, Mexico; Handball – Pessac, France; Mind Sports – Liaocheng, China; Modern Pentathlon – Madrid, Spain; Orienteering – Funchal, Portugal; Pade – Malaga, Spain; Powerlifting – Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Rowing – London, Canada; Rugby 7’s – Stellenbosch, South Africa; Sailing – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Shooting – New Taipei, Chinese Taipei; Speed Skating – Baselga di Pine, Italy; Sports Climbing – Bangkok, Thailand; Squash – Mumbai, India; Swimming – Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt; Triathlon – Nyon, Switzerland; and Weightlifting – Doha, Qatar. This will be the first-ever World University Championship for Padel, as FISU looks to add new championships in fast-growing emerging sports.
Sports Brief
Chapel Hill hosted the Atlantic Coast Conference Fencing Championships over this past weekend (Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23) at the Eddie Smith Fieldhouse (currently slated to be a Volleyball Training Venue for the 2029 World University Games) on the campus of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Local universities placed well with Duke’s Women’s Team capturing second place behind Notre Dame, and UNC Men’s Team finishing in second place, also behind Notre Dame.
Meanwhile at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (2029 World University Games venue for Diving and Swimming) in Greensboro, NC, the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships (Tuesday, February 18 through Saturday, February 22, 2025) featured an amazing number of Olympians and numerous records as Stanford and the University of California competed in the Championships for the first time. The powerhouse University of Virginia Women’s Team, however, led by Olympic sisters Alex and Gretchen Walsh, and Cary, North Carolina’s own Clair Curzan, won the Women’s Championship while Cal was the team winner for the Men. Local universities NC State, UNC, and Duke finished 5th, 6th, and 11th respectively for the Women, while those same schools finished 3rd, 4th, and 12th for the Men. First place finishers for local universities included Aranza Vazquez Montano, Women’s 1-Meter Diving (UNC); Quintin McCarty, Men’s 50-Yard Freestyle (NC State); Kaelyn Gridley, Women’s 100-Yard Breaststroke (Duke); Owen Lloyd, Men’s 1650-Yard Freestyle (NC State); and NC State’s Men’s 200 Freestyle and 400 Medley Relays.
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.
