Happy Halloween to all our World University Games fans! From the first couple of days of October with the Site Visit by the staff of the international governing body for the Games (FISU) to the launch of the second edition of the Triangle Sports Business Fellows, an Education Program of the 2029 FISU Games, this has been a frighteningly busy month! So read on faithful followers and get caught up on the latest news of the planning and organizational activities of the 2029 World University Games, to be held July 11-22, 2029, in North Carolina USA.
Braun House Party Shares the Games Athlete Experience
On Wednesday evening, October 22, 2025, Eric and Erika Braun, hosted the first of what we hope will be a number of “House Party” special events to share the scope and excitement of the 2029 World University Games. Erika Braun is a member of the Board of Directors of the Organizing Committee for the Games and a world-record holding Masters (adult) swim competitor, so naturally the evening had an aquatic orientation. The highlight of the evening was an entertaining panel of three guest speakers, each of whom is a highly-decorated Swimming competitor and a veteran of World University Games competition.
A former University of Southern California competitor, Becca Mann is a world-class Open Water swimmer. Among her many accomplishments Becca was a Pan American Games Bronze Medalist, a two-time U.S. Open Water national champion, and a competitor in the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. Becca is also an author of several books including her latest, Outside the Lanes: A Pro Swimmer’s Story of Resilience, Reinvention, and Redefining Success. Joining Becca on the panel was Ashley Twichell, an NC Organizing Committee Board member and Olympic Open Water swimmer (2020 Tokyo Olympic Games). A former Duke University distance swimmer, Ashley was a national champion and two-time world champion in the 5k Open Water swim, a Pan American Games Silver Medalist, and a World University Games Gold Medalist in the 10k swim at the 2013 Games in Kazan, Russia.
A former coach at the University of Pittsburgh and Purdue University, Bill Weaver was an All-American Swimmer at Ohio State University where he was a three-time Big 10 Conference Champion. Bill was a silver medalist in the U.S. National Championships, the U.S. Open Championships, and in the 1995 World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan, in the 100m Butterfly. All three swimmers, Becca, Ashley, and Bill, along with Erika Braun, who served as MC for the evening, train together at Triangle Aquatic Center (the Water Polo venue for the 2029 Games) and continue to compete at the national and international levels in both adult and open swimming competitions.
While the many guests at the event were provided an overview of, and encouraged to contribute to or otherwise support, the 2029 World University Games by Games CEO, Hill Carrow, the panelists focused on sharing their athlete experiences at the Games as well as the very significant and positive impacts they see the Games bringing to central North Carolina in 2029. Among the VIP attendees were former Raleigh Mayor and current GoTriangle Chair, Mary-Ann Baldwin; former Carolina Hurricanes President and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Jim Cain (also an NCOC Board member); current Wake County Commissioners Vice Chair, Don Mial; former Wake Commissioner and NCOC Board member, Sig Hutchinson; Executive Director of the Triangle Aquatic Center, Derek Wall; and CEO of TriProperties, Greg Sanchez (a National Champion Masters swimmer himself). A big shout-out goes to Melissa Hartzell, Development Director for the World University Games, who worked closely with the Brauns to ensure the success of the event.
Triangle Sports Biz Fellows Year 2 Program Underway in October 2025
A Lunch & Learn event hosted at the Cary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, October 23, brought together some of the region’s major sports industry players to discuss the continuation of the Triangle Sports Business Fellows, during the summer of 2026. The Fellows program in the Triangle launched this summer with 4 Fellows, all of whom attended the luncheon and who spoke in glowing terms about their fellowship experience. The 2025 Fellows and their host organizations included UNC Chapel Hill’s Sydnie Rice (Wasserman), NC A&T State University’s Antonio Mattox (North Carolina Football Club), NC State’s Alexis Dunphy (Durham Sports Commission, sponsored by Van Wagner), and UNC Charlotte graduate Andrew Perna (2029 World University Games).
The attendees heard from Patrick Stack, co-founder of Sports Biz Careers in Charlotte, which created the original Sports Business Fellows program in the Queen City and which now manages the program in the Triangle, and from Rodney Scott, Executive Director of Sports Biz Careers. Harrison Hartong and Mary Spencer of Wasserman spoke from the perspective of a Host Organization for the 2025 Fellows and extolled the program as a winner for both Wasserman and their summer fellow, Sydnie Rice. The Wasserman team encouraged the other sports industry attendees who did not participate in 2025 to serve as a host organization in 2026.
Head of WUG2029 Broadcast Committee Heads to LA
In a great validation of the North Carolina talent involved in the 2029 World University Games, Shannon Mizell, head of the WUG2029 Broadcast Committee, has been selected to serve as the lead onsite executive for Olympic Broadcast Services (OBS) in Los Angeles for the LA28 Olympic Games! OBS, which is owned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), produces the live television, radio and digital coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Shannon moved to LA last week where he will have offices in the headquarters of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Games. For the Paris Olympic Games, Shannon headed NBC’s operations at Bercy Arena, which hosted Gymnastics and Basketball competition. Congratulations, Shannon, and we wish you well in this exciting new position!
October 2025 Sports Briefs
At the recent World Baseball Softball Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 16-18, Paul Seiler, CEO of USA Baseball, headquartered here in the Triangle, was ratified as one of the 10 global Continental Representatives, with Paul representing Americas Baseball.
Michael Conte represented the Triangle Sports Commission and WUG2029 at the North Carolina Sports Association Fall Meeting in Greenville, NC, on Friday, October 24.
The annual TEAMS Conference was held in Columbus, OH, October 13-16, and Hill Carrow attended the Olympic SportsLink sessions with the Olympic sport national governing bodies, 19 of which are involved in the 2029 World University Games.
In the latest NCAA United Soccer Coaches rankings for Men’s Teams, NC State is #4, High Point University is #8, and UNC Greensboro is #23. In the Women’s rankings, Duke is #10.
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.
