Today marks a little over 100 days (106 to be exact) to the announcement by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) of the winner, between North Carolina USA and the ChungCheong region of South Korea, of the 2027 FISU World University Games. While the finish line of the race appears to be close, there is much going on and a great deal to do between now and then. Read on to learn more.
North Carolina Legislature Backs State’s Games Bid with $25 Million
The North Carolina General Assembly which met in its 2022 Short Session during May and June, passed an amended state budget that included $25 million for the World University Games should North Carolina be selected to host the Games. Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of North Carolina’s Bid Committee, emphasized, “This is a very important commitment by our Legislature and State. While other countries of the world often have these events totally or mostly funded by the government sector, United States communities typically host such events utilizing a public-private partnership. The General Assembly’s investment in the Games clearly shows the public sector in North Carolina is heavily involved and strongly supportive of the Games effort.”
The North Carolina Bid Committee wishes to thank the key legislators who made the state funding possible. These legislative leaders include Speaker Tim Moore on the House of Representatives side; senior Appropriations Committee Chairs Representatives Dean Arp, Donny Lambeth, and Jason Saine; and House Appropriations Chairs, William Brisson, Jeffrey Ellmore, John Faircloth, Kyle Hall, and Larry Strickland. On the Senate side, leadership included Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Senate Appropriations Chairs Kathy Harrington, Ralph Hise, and Brent Jackson. Special thanks go to the Kilpatrick Townsend firm, North Carolina Bid Sponsor, and Ches McDowell and Nelson Freeman of KTS Services, for their hard work on the funding initiative, as well as Joyce Kohn who aided in early conversations with NC Legislative leaders.
Delegation at World Games Brings Back Lessons Learned
Three members of the North Carolina Bid Committee Leadership Team, Stan Campbell, Shannon Mizell, and Hill Carrow attended the World Games, which were held in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 7-17, 2022. The World Games included 30 sports and 3,600 athletes from over 100 countries. The World Games are intended to feature sports not yet in the Olympic Games though there is some overlap as Softball was in the World Games as well as certain Gymnastics and Archery disciplines. Some of the sports in the Games included Bowling, Compound Target Archery, Dancesport, Drone Racing, Fin Swimming, Fistball, Flag Football, Floorball, Inline Hockey, Lacrosse, Powerlifting, Racquetball, Speed Skating Track, and many more.
Shannon Mizell actually worked for the Games within the International Broadcast Center and was able to give Stan and Hill an insider’s tour of the MPC/IBC set-up at the Birmingham Convention Center. The North Carolina delegation was also able to take in a number of sports as well as key operations areas such as accreditation, headquarters hotels, athlete villages, and fan festival sites, among others. “Getting to see the inside workings of a global event such as the World Games provides invaluable knowledge and insights for our efforts to land, and hopefully host, the World University Games,” said Mizell. “Transportation, security, event operations, and media services are critical to the success of any major event and there is nothing like seeing those areas in live action to provide our North Carolina Bid Committee with the best learning experience.”
Many thanks go to World Games executives Nick Sellers, CEO; Jay Kasten, COO; Frank Kay, Media Ops; and Gretchen & Allan Judah, Accommodations; for their great help in making our visit to the World Games so productive.
Next Up: FISU Technical Site Visit
Starting this Sunday, July 31, and continuing to Sunday, August 7, 2022, the FISU World University Games staff will be in North Carolina for a Technical Site Visit to perform an in-depth review in meetings and at venue and housing sites of North Carolina’s plan for hosting the 2027 Games. Making the trip to the area will be Jing Zhao, Director FISU Games; Brian Carrer, Manager FISU Games; and Andrea Uccello, Coordinator, FISU Games. They will be joined by Dan Guerrero, President of the U.S. International University Sports Federation (USIUSF, our partner in the bid), and Delise O’Meally, Secretary General of the USIUSF. The North Carolina Bid Committee is excited about, and looking forward to, hosting the FISU delegation and providing a detailed walk-through of our Games proposal.
News Briefs
North Carolina’s bid has added two more sponsors this month, bringing us to a total of 47 towards our overall goal of at least 50 corporate or organizational sponsors. We are pleased to announce that the Bell Koonce Burnette Foundation of Raleigh and the Koury Corporation of Greensboro have joined our Bid Sponsor Team. The Bell Koonce Burnette Foundation is a family-foundation headed by Vic and Mary Grady Bell of Marjan, Ltd., a long-standing real estate development company in Raleigh, that focuses on Raleigh-related charitable causes. Koury Corporation is a leading real estate developer and properties manager in Greensboro with signature properties such as the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel & Koury Convention Center and Grandover Resort.
In our excitement to report on our earlier site visit by executives of the USIUSF in April, we accidentally failed to acknowledge the six companies that signed on as bid sponsors that month. The Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors, with its more than 9,000 members, is the Triangle area’s voice of real estate, promoting professional standards and cooperation among its members, while serving as a leading advocate for property rights and community involvement. Kilpatrick Townsend is an international law firm with major offices in North Carolina providing a wide range of professional legal and business services to clients locally and around the world. Brasfield & Gorrie is currently the largest general contracting firm in the Triangle providing construction, design, and management services. The Special Event Company is a multiple award-winning, woman-owned business, delivering strategic turnkey solutions for corporate meeting and event planning services for live and virtual events. Fitzpatrick Communications is a Raleigh-based public relations agency providing PR, strategic counseling, crisis management, and communications services to corporations, professional firms, universities, and non-profit organizations. The Preiss Company, based in Raleigh, is the largest woman-owned owner and operator of private student housing in the country.
Without the generous support of these outstanding sponsors, North Carolina’s extensive bid efforts to land the 2027 World University Games would not be possible, and we cannot thank each of them and their respective leaders enough.
Support the Bid
You can support the bid in a number of ways: corporate sponsorship, individual contribution, volunteering, or purchasing bid merchandise. (Bid apparel could make an attractive gift. Just click here.) We encourage you to visit our award-winning website at www.ncwug2027bid.com and join our team.
Sponsor Thank You’s
We cannot thank our sponsors enough for their strong belief in, and generous support of, North Carolina’s bid for the World University Games. We encourage you to patronize their businesses and give them your own personal thanks when you do.
