Raleigh, North Carolina: Roy Cooper, the Governor of North Carolina, has issued a proclamation declaring Thursday, July 11, 2024, to be World University Games Day and has called upon all North Carolina citizens to observe the day.
July 11, 2024 marks exactly 5 years to the start of the 2029 World University Games which are slated to be held July 11 through July 22 of 2029.
The World University Games are considered to be the “Olympics” for top college and university athletes from around the world. It is the second-largest global Olympic multisport event behind only the Summer Olympic Games. The North Carolina Bid Committee (NCBC) spent 5 years in a national and international bid process to secure the Games. The Bid Committee successfully landed the Games thanks to an impressive successful and unanimous vote of the Executive Committee of the international governing body for the Games, the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
The Governor’s Proclamation will be presented and read later today by North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall at the Official Five Years To Go VIP Luncheon Celebration at the Nature Research Center of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Downtown Raleigh. Other speakers at the luncheon include North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Machelle Baker Sanders; Former United States Ambassador to Denmark, Former President of the Carolina Hurricanes, and current Board Member of the World University Games Organizing Committee, Jim Cain; and Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of the 2029 FISU World University Games. The featured athlete speaker will be Dr. Chip Peterson, a World Champion long-distance and open water swimmer, a UNC Chapel Hill grad who is physician at UNC Health.
“This is a very exciting day,” said Hill Carrow, “5 years to go may seem like a long ways away to some, but it is actually a short period on the world of hosting mega-events. Our small team is already very busy on plans and preparations for the Games, and as our staff and volunteer support grow as we get closer to the big event, so does the length of everyone’s To Do lists! Because of all that goes into successfully producing one of the world’s largest events, we are grateful that Governor Cooper chose to recognize that and designate today a special day for North Carolina and its citizens. We anticipate that this is just the start of an annual celebratory tradition that will at least carry forward to and through the 2029 World University Games.”
The full text of Governor Cooper’s Proclamation appears below:
State of North Carolina
Roy Cooper: Governor
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES DAY 2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, on January 10, 2023, after a five-year international bid competition, the State of North Carolina was awarded the 2029 Summer World University Games; and
WHEREAS, the World University Games are considered the Olympics for college and university athletes from around the world, and are the second-largest global Olympic rnultisport event behind only the Summer Olympics; and
WHEREAS, from July 11 – 22, 2029, the 2029 World University Games will be held in our state’s University Hub Region, an area stretching from Downtown Raleigh to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex; and
WHEREAS, the Games will be hosted by the State of North Carolina; the cities of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Greensboro, and their five counties; together with 13 colleges and universities including five of our University of North Carolina System schools, four HBCUs, plus private universities and community colleges; and
WHEREAS, the World University Games include 10,000 participants from 150 countries representing 600 universities competing in 275 sport competitions in 18 Olympic sports supported by approximately 600,000 spectators and 20,000 volunteers; and
WHEREAS, the Games will bring significant economic and public benefits to North Carolina hotels, restaurants, visitor attractions, and businesses, and will be the subject of national and international media coverage by over 1,500 members of the press and more than 3,000 hours of international broadcast coverage to a global audience of 400 million; and
WHEREAS, economic impact studies have estimated between $150 to $370 million in economic impacts to the host region, building economic strength and bringing diverse jobs, talent, businesses, and visitors to North Carolina during the World University Games; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina is proud to host the 2029 World University Games, which will be one of the largest events ever held in North Carolina and a once-in-a-lifetime event for residents across the state;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim July 11, 2024, as “WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this third day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
About the North Carolina Organizing Committee: Located in Cary, North Carolina, the North Carolina Organizing Committee (NCOC) is the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2029 FISU World University Games. The LOC has the responsibility for planning, developing, and executing the 2029 Games in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary-Greensboro region of North Carolina. The NCOC is affiliated with, and supported by, the Triangle Sports Commission, which primarily serves Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties, but also hosts events in Guilford and Alamance Counties in North Carolina. The primary goals of the NCOC are to host one of the best World University Games ever, with a great participant experience being the primary barometer; and to showcase North Carolina, and the communities and universities that comprise its central University Hub region, to the world. For more information on NCOC, visit www.ncusa2029wug.com.
About the 2029 FISU World University Games:
The 2029 FISU World University Games will include over 10,000 participants from 150 countries representing more than 600 universities competing in 18 Olympic sports over the course of 12 days during July of 2029 (July 11-22, 2029) at more than 40 venues stretching from Downtown Raleigh, NC, at the Raleigh Convention Center to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC. The Games were awarded by FISU to North Carolina USA and will be centered in North Carolina’s University Hub region which includes the host communities of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Greensboro; the host counties of Wake, Durham, Orange, Alamance, and Guilford; and the following host institutions: Duke University, Durham Technical Community College, Elon University, Meredith College, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, Shaw University, St. Augustine’s University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Wake Technical Community College, and William Peace University. The 2029 World University Games will be the largest event ever held in North Carolina and will present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the state to a worldwide broadcast audience of over 400 million. For more information about the 2029 Games, visit www.ncusa2029wug.com.
About the FISU World University Games:
The FISU World University Games are the world’s largest event for student athletes, ages 18-25. The rightsholder for the FISU Games is the International University Sports Federation (FISU), based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The U.S. member of FISU is the United States International University Sports Federation, which is known as UniUSA and is, located in Overland Park, Kansas. The World University Games got their formal start with the 1959 Games in Torino, Italy, where 985 athletes from 45 countries competed in 7 sports during a 12-day period. In more recent times, Taipei 2017 for example, 7,377 athletes from 134 countries competed over 13 days in 275 competitive events in 22 sports at 60 venues where 1,957 medals were awarded. The 15 required sports of the FISU World University Games Summer are Archery, Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics (Track & Field), Badminton, Basketball, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo. For the 2029 FISU Games, NCOC has proposed Baseball, Rugby 7s, and Softball as the “local option” sports. Upcoming editions of the FISU World University Games include Torino 2025 FISU World University Games Winter in Italy (January 13-25, 2025); Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games Summer in Germany (July 16-27, 2025); Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games Summer in South Korea; and the North Carolina 2029 FISU World University Games Summer (July 11-22, 2029) in the USA. For more information about the FISU World University Games, FISU, and World University Championships, visit www.fisu.net.
