January 21, 2021
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the newsletter of the North Carolina Bid Committee (NCBC) for the 2027 World University Games (WUG). We hope this will be the first of many news updates as we continue our quest this year to be named the host of the 2027 Summer Games. This initial newsletter is a bit of an “inside edition” as it is only being distributed at this point to those directly involved in, or who have received communications about, the WUG bid process. We are excited to have more than 40 significant organizations or institutions (see the list by clicking here) – locally, statewide, and nationally – already supporting the NCBC bid efforts. As we continue to grow our team, we expect this newsletter to become more widely distributed and publicly accessible later this year.
THE GAMES – A Brief Intro
Dating back to the earliest editions of the event in the 1950’s, the World University Games have been held around the world for more than 60 years. The Games are the largest event on the planet for student athletes and are second only in size to the Olympic Games. The Federation of International University Sport (FISU), the international governing body for the World University Games, conducts a Winter and Summer Games every other year in the odd year. The U.S. member of FISU is the U.S. International University Sport Federation (USIUSF). To become a World University Games host, a country’s FISU member organization, such as the USIUSF, must proactively pursue the Games, together with its potential host city. To be awarded the Summer Games, the bidding country and host city designee must meet FISU bid requirements and become FISU’s preferred site for the Games.
TEAM TRIANGLE
The old adage “you can’t see the forest for the trees” often applies to our populace and communities in the Raleigh- Durham Market as provincial perspectives that focus on portions of our region do not often account for the major strengths that are evident when we view the Triangle as a whole. After all, we have 10 prestigious colleges and universities with an annual student population of close to 200,000; an airport (pre-pandemic) with international connections and over 400 flights per day; a world-renowned research park, and more than 26,500 hotel rooms, among our many shared assets. The NCBC intends the World University Games bid and the plan for hosting the Games in the area to be a fullfledged team effort that promotes and supports the entirety of our region and shows that the sum is greater than the Triangle’s individual parts. In short, our approach throughout will be as TEAM TRIANGLE, and we are excited to have you on our team.
BID PROCESS
The NCBC is anticipating that the bid process during 2021 will include a number of key milestones or requirements, including 1) becoming the proposed host city for the USIUSF’s formal expression of interest to FISU to bring the 2027 Summer World University Games to the United States, 2) submission of a formal bid, 3) meetings with FISU at the 2021 Summer Games in August in China, 4) an official Site Visit, and 5) meetings with international decisionmakers at the Winter World University Games in December in Lucerne, Switzerland. FISU’s selection and announcement of the 2027 Summer World University Games Host City is expected to take place a little more than a year from now, in Spring of 2022.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED AND REQUESTED
The NCBC could use your help. In order to do the extensive work needed this year to position the Triangle to be the 2027 WUG Host, the Bid Committee has recently started a campaign to raise funds to help cover some of the costs. Your company could play a role as a Bid Sponsor, joining Atlantic Tire, Sports & Properties, Stewart, and the Triangle Sports Commission as early corporate supporters, or you could support the effort individually through a tax deductible donation. To find out more about how you or your company can support North Carolina’s bid to host the World University Games, or to make a contribution, click here or go to https://ncwugbidcommittee.com/donate
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE BID & GAMES
For more information on North Carolina’s bid or the W,orld University Games in general, please visit our bid website at www.ncwugbidcommittee.com. There is additional information as well as helpful links to FISU’s website and those of upcoming Games on the Member page of the website. There are also a number of helpful documents and presentations posted there. To access this additional information, on the Home page, scroll down to the very bottom where you will find the word “Member” in the center of the page. Click on that, set up your access by providing your email and creating your own password. You can return to this Member section of the site any time in the future by simply entering your email and password.
SPONSORS
