While the country is focused on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball March Madness, we have had our own version of March Madness underway at the North Carolina Organizing Committee for the 2029 FISU World University Games. It has been a very busy month with much news to report, so please read on to get caught up on the latest happenings on the Road to North Carolina USA 2029.
Site Visit with New FISU CEO Deemed a Success
Matthias Remund joined the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in Lausanne, Switzerland, as the organization’s new Secretary General & CEO on December 1, 2024. A little over three months later, Remund, together with FISU President, Leonz Eder, and FISU Director of Summer Games, Jing Zhao, visited North Carolina USA to meet with the North Carolina Organizing Committee (NCOC) for the 2029 FISU World University Games to get introduced to NCOC leadership and to check on progress towards the 2029 Games.
“To be one of the first major international trips by the new FISU CEO is quite an honor and speaks well of North Carolina, the U.S., and our Games Organizing Committee,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of NCOC and the 2029 FISU World University Games.
The FISU delegation began arriving on Monday, March 17. The FISU leaders from Switzerland were joined by Delise O’Meally, a member of the FISU Executive Committee, and Dan Guerrero, who serves as President of UniUSA, the United States member organization of FISU. The Site Visit wrapped up on Friday, March 21, and delegation members departed by Saturday, March 22.
One of the highlights of the trip was a chance for the FISU delegation to visit with North Carolina’s new governor, Josh Stein, at the Executive Mansion. Joining the Governor for the meeting were Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall; Jordan Whichard, Chief Deputy Secretary, and Mark Poole, Director of Commerce Finance, of the North Carolina Department of Commerce; and Christie McNeill, Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer in the Governor’s Office. Representing NCOC were Hill Carrow and Jen Keurulainen, Sports Director for the 2029 World University Games. “North Carolina’s university sports are so strong,” Leonz Eder told the Governor, “that this is the ideal location in America for the World University Games. With the more than 10,000 participants from around the world staying on, and competing and training at, local universities, it will mark a great return for the University Games to university campuses in 2029!” Governor Stein talked about his own love of sports, underscored the importance of the World University Games to North Carolina, and emphasized the strength of the State’s support for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Another major highlight for the FISU Team was getting to experience March Madness at Lenovo Center where the First & Second Rounds of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championships got underway on Friday, March 21. FISU Executives and guests attended the Baylor vs. Mississippi State game, followed by the Duke vs. Mount St. Mary’s game. The international visitors were quite impressed with the enthusiasm and number of fans (19,000+) at Lenovo Center, as well as the quality of the venue, which will serve as one of the Host Venues for the 2029 World University Games.
Rounding out the trip for the FISU Delegation were a number of progress reports and presentations at the LOC Headquarters offices in Cary; reviews of proposed Games venues, housing, and dining facilities; walk-throughs of potential host hotels; and dining at several noteworthy restaurants. A VIP Reception for Team FISU was held at the new NAOS Restaurant in Cary, where famed restauranteur, Giorgio Bakatsias himself, welcomed everyone to the reception and a multi-course dinner that followed.
The Triangle as the Center of the College Basketball Universe
Though the section heading immediately above might seem like an overstatement, in reality, from Thursday, March 20 through Monday, March 24, it could easily be argued that the section heading is 100% accurate. Consider that during that long weekend, the Triangle hosted 21 Men’s and Women’s collegiate teams, all vying to win the National Championships. That means that of the 136 total teams in both the Men’s and Women’s national championship brackets, North Carolina’s Triangle area served as the location for the basketball regionals for over 15% of the teams in the entire event! It’s a history-making achievement as no other city in the United States has hosted a Men’s 1st & 2nd Rounds, while simultaneously hosting 3 Women’s 1st and 2nd round tournament games.
Here’s the breakdown of the tournament: 1) In Raleigh at Lenovo Center (8 Men’s Teams): Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Mississippi State, Mount St. Mary’s, Norfolk State, and Oklahoma; 2) In Raleigh at Reynolds Coliseum (4 Women’s Teams): Harvard, Michigan State, NC State, and Vermont; 3) in Durham at Cameron Indoor Stadium (4 Women’s Teams): Duke, Lehigh, Oregon, and Vanderbilt; and 4) in Chapel Hill at Carmichael Arena (5 Women’s Teams): Columbia, Oregon State, Washington, UNC Chapel Hill, and West Virginia. Fortunately, the 4 Triangle-based teams – Duke’s Men, Duke’s Women, NC State Women, and UNC Chapel Hill Women – all won their way through to the Sweet 16, which gets underway today. (Note: All the venues mentioned above are Host Venues for the 2029 World University Games.)
Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University Added to WUG2029 Lineup
Host universities for the 2029 World University Games are now up to 15, and host cities and counties have grown to include Forsyth County and Winston-Salem as we work to round out our competition and training facilities for the Games. With the great help of Bonny Bernat, Senior Sports Development Manager at Visit Winston-Salem; Brandon Berry, GM at Lawrence Joel Coliseum; and Robert Mulhearn, Venue & Facilities Manager for the City of Winston-Salem; we were able to identify what we believe will be a great lineup of venues – including the Joel Coliseum (Competition), the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena (possibly both Competition and Warm-up), and the Fairgrounds Event Center (Training) – for the sport of Badminton.
Wake Forest University has a long history in North Carolina dating back to its founding in 1834. It is one of the Big Four North Carolina Universities that helped start the Atlantic Coast Conference and has achieved at a high level in sports including its Men’s Tennis Team, currently ranked number one in the nation. Winston-Salem also has a strong Olympic sport history, having been the training site for the Italian Olympic Team for 6 weeks in 1996 prior to the team competing in the Atlanta Olympic Games. Bonny Bernat indicated that Winston-Salem has been wanting to attract more international sports events and the 2029 World University Games could give those efforts a major boost.
Research Triangle Park Reception and Dinner
Thanks to the generosity and support of 2029 World University Games Official Supporter Research Triangle Park, the leadership of RTP organized and hosted a reception and dinner at the park on Tuesday evening, March 25, for senior executives from RTP companies. The gathering was intended to inform local corporate executives of the magnitude and projected impacts of the World University Games as well as the opportunity for companies to get involved and support the Games. Given the global presence of many of the companies in Research Triangle Park, the significant international participation in, and worldwide broadcast exposure of, the Games was emphasized. Speakers included the 2029 FISU Games Chair & CEO, Hill Carrow; Sig Hutchinson, former GoTriangle and Wake County Commissioners Chair; and Wendy Coulter, Owner of Official Supporter, Hummingbird Creative Group, WUG2029’s professional design team.
Attendees included representatives of such noteworthy Park tenants as Cisco, Longfellow Real Estate Partners, Fidelity, NetApp, UBS, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, BD Technologies, Triangle Community Foundation, FUJIFILM Diosynth, McAdams, IBM, Spotlight Solar, and more. Also in attendance were executives of CBRE, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), WUG2029 Official Supporter and Legal Counsel Maynard Nexsen, and Business North Carolina. Guests were treated to a unique presentation of hors d’oevres and foods prepared by HL Caterers of Raleigh who served the guests on swimming pool and volleyball court-themed trays, table tennis paddle-shaped serving dishes, and desserts in the shape of weightlifting barbells!
Heartfelt thanks go to the RTP Team led by Scott Levitan, President & CEO; Andrew Holton, Executive VP & COO; Kelly Probst, Vice President of Marketing & Communications; and Amanda Ronan, Senior Director of Placemaking; for making the evening a truly special one.
Sports Brief
While the Basketball action was underway in the Triangle, the Atlantic Coast Conference Gymnastics Championships were being contested in the Triad at First Horizon Coliseum at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex (Host Venue for WUG2029 Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics) on Saturday, March 22. Stanford came away the winner.
The weekend prior, March14-15 in Virginia Beach, the NCAA Track & Field Indoor National Championships were held, and two UNC athletes captured national titles: Ethan Strand in the 3000m and Makayla Paige in the 800m.
On Tuesday, March 11, the 50 Group, a distinguished and long-standing group of Triangle business, political, and community leaders gathered at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (a WUG2029 venue) where they were treated to a presentation by Hill Carrow, founder of America’s national trade association for sports tourism, chronicling 5 decades of sports tourism growth and history in the Triangle. Of course, Hill was able to reference the 2029 World University Games which will help conclude the decade of the 2020s with a bang!
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.
