Happy Thanksgiving Week to everyone! We at the North Carolina Organizing Committee (NCOC), Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2029 FISU World University Games, have much to be thankful for. We are grateful to the more than 1,000 individuals; over 80 corporate, foundation, and individual donors; 57 regional and national endorsers including the NCAA, US Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and Olympic sport governing bodies; 5 cities (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Greensboro); 5 counties (Wake, Durham, Orange, Alamance, and Guilford); the State of North Carolina including the Governor’s Office and State Legislature; and our United States International University Sports Federation, UniUSA; for helping us land the bid last year for the 2029 SummerWorld University Games. We are also thankful for the developments described below as we continue to build the collaborative team to plan and host the world in the summer of 2029.
NCOC Teams with Wasserman for Partner Recruitment
After a full year of meetings and discussions with, and vettings of, just about every major sponsor sales agency in America, NCOC and Wasserman have agreed to team up for national Partner recruitment for the 2029 World University Games. Given that the 2029 World University Games to be held July 11-22, 2029, are expected to be the largest event in the world in 2029, NCOC has been focused on securing a partner agency with the size, contacts, and global reach to help achieve ambitious sponsor goals for the big event.
From its World Headquarters in Los Angeles, the 2028 Olympic Host City, Wasserman operates on 6 continents, in 28 countries and 68 cities including Amsterdam, Antwerp, Dallas, Doha, Dubai, Dusseldorf, London, Miami, New York City, Portland, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, The Hague, and Toronto. The company has three primary focus areas: brands, properties, and talent. Wasserman has a significant presence in North Carolina with personnel in Charlotte and one of its largest offices located in the Ironworks development in Raleigh.
Number of Host Colleges and Universities Grow
During the bid phase for the World University Games, 13 colleges and universities stepped up to host portions of the Games, ranging from housing and dining to competitions and special programs. Those 13 host institutions include 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. These schools are all located in the central region of North Carolina, an area which has been branded as North Carolina’s University Hub. The University Hub region actually includes a total of 19 colleges and universities with over 260,000 students in a typical semester.
One of those 19 higher ed institutions is High Point University located in High Point, Guilford County, North Carolina. Hill Carrow, NCOC Chair & CEO, and Jim Cain, NCOC Board member, recently visited High Point University where they were given a personal tour by High Point University President, Nido Qubein, and Roger Clodfelter, Senior VP of Communications. The tour featured the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center, and Jana and Ken Kahn Hotel. The 500-seat, $170 million arena is state-of-the-art, and includes the second-largest center-hung videoboard/scoreboard in North Carolina. The arena is connected to a 1,500-capacity conference center and a high-end boutique hotel, positioning the arena for great flexibility in hosting major events. NCOC is working with the university on hosting one of the sports competitions of the 2029 FISU Games. High Point University, which has almost 5,000 undergraduates, was founded in 1924 as High Point College, became High Point University in 1991, and has been transformed under Qubein’s leadership into a premier life skills university.
NCOC Presents to Olympic Sport Governing Bodies at Olympic Assembly
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Assembly, held this year from Wednesday, November 13 through Saturday, November 16, 2024, in Colorado Springs, home of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, serves as the Annual Meeting of the USOPC. The gathering includes meetings among the U.S. Olympic Family including the more than 40 Olympic sport governing bodies, multisport groups, Olympic cities Los Angeles 2028 and Salt Lake 2034, and the USOPC Board of Directors (which includes UNC Chapel Hill’s Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, as a Board Member.)
During meetings of the National Governing Body Council (NGB Council), NCOC was included on the agenda to present on the 2029 World University Games. The primary purpose was to remind the Sport Governing Bodies for the 18 sports of the 2029 WUG of their commitment during the bid to help ensure the highest-level presentation of the Games. NCOC requested NGB support for conducting their respective sports including participation by a full contingent of top athletes, providing sport-specific equipment, aiding in managing the operations of their sport, marketing the Games to their members and fans, and identifying key sport managers, officials, and volunteers. Also attending the NGB Council session was Delise O’Meally, USOPC VP International and member of the FISU (international governing body for the World University Games) Executive Committee member.
Hill Carrow representing the NCOC presenting to the National Governing Body Council (NGB Council) on the 2029 World University Games.
UniUSA Board of Directors Meeting
Hill Carrow, representing NCOC, was invited to participate in the UniUSA Board of Directors Meeting held virtually on Friday, November 22, 2024. UniUSA is led by Dan Guerrero, President; Lori Thomas, Secretary General, and includes 3 North Carolina-based members: Chris Parker, Michelle Meadows, and Judy Rose. (Rose also serves on the NCOC Board.) With 2025 being a World University Games year, the meeting focused a great deal on the upcoming Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy, January 13-23, 2025, and the Summer World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany July 16-27, 2025. NCOC is supplying t-shirts to the 200+ member U.S. delegation at the Winter Games. The more than 150 athletes of that delegation are expected to comprise one of the larger athlete contingents at the Winter Games. Meanwhile good news regarding the U.S. delegation for the Summer Games: originally expected to total around 350, the USA Team is now expected to top 500! Typically, the larger size of a delegation results in better results in the final medal counts from the Games, so this expanded U.S. Team is exciting news indeed!
Sports Brief
The Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Championships, won by Florida State, were held November 7-10 at WakeMed Soccer Park, one of our WUG2029 Host Venues. The ACC had 9 women’s teams qualify for the NCAA Championships which are currently underway. Duke received the Number 1 ranking for NCAAs while UNC Chapel Hill was ranked #2.
The ACC Men’s Soccer Championships followed the next weekend at WakeMed Soccer Park with semi-finals on Thursday, November 14, and finals on Sunday, November 17, 2024. Wake Forest won the tournament and led 9 ACC teams into the NCAA Championship Tournament including local WUG Host Universities Duke, NC State, and UNC Chapel Hill.
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.