September 29, 2022
The big news in September on the North Carolina USA Bid for the 2027 World University Games was the second and final site visit of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to North Carolina to review our assets, plans, leadership, and passion for the Games. The good news is that the FISU Evaluation Committee members got to experience those aspects and much more. Read on to learn more details about the very successful visit.
FISU Evaluation Site Visit in North Carolina
From Friday, September 16 through Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the North Carolina Bid Committee (NCBC) for the 2027 World University Games hosted the Evaluation Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in conjunction with NCBC’s bid for the 2027 FISU World University Games. Members of the FISU Evaluation Committee included Leonz Eder, President; Marian Dymalski, Vice President; Eric Saintrond, Secretary General/CEO, and Jing Zhao, Director of FISU Games.
“We were thrilled to host the top leadership at FISU last week on their FISU Evaluation Site Visit as an important part of the bid process for the 2027 FISU World University Games,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman & CEO of NCBC. “The site visit provided us with the opportunity to showcase North Carolina’s capacity and capabilities for delivering an incredible FISU Games in 2027, and the FISU executives were extremely impressed with what North Carolina USA has to offer the Games.”
The FISU Evaluation Site Visit also included key United States organizations that are critical partners in the United States bid, the U.S. International University Sports Federation (USIUSF), the U.S. member of FISU; and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Participating from the USIUSF were Dan Guerrero, President: Delise O’Meally, Secretary General; and Lori Thomas, Board Member. USOPC representatives were Delise O’Meally in her role as Vice President of International Relations for the USOPC and Dragomir Cioroslan, USOPC Director of International Strategies and Development.
Dan Guerrero, President of the USIUSF and a former Baseball competitor in the World University Games, had this to say: “I believe we knocked it out of the park with this Site Visit. There is no better place in the world to host the World University Games than in North Carolina’s University Hub – an undisputed hotbed of college and university sports, featuring some of the world’s most well-known universities and the finest array of top-tier sports venues that you will find anywhere. We were clearly able to demonstrate that to the FISU Team, and I believe they were quite frankly amazed at the breadth and depth of the facilities, as well as our enthusiasm and passion for college and university sports.”
FISU Delegation Meets with Governor Roy Cooper at Governor’s Mansion
The FISU Delegation also met with a number of top political leaders in the state, including Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina, Machelle Baker Sanders, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, and Chris Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. In addition, FISU leadership visited with each of the five Host City mayors, including Mary-Ann Baldwin, Mayor of Raleigh; Elaine O’Neal, Mayor of Durham; Pam Hemminger, Mayor of Chapel Hill; Harold Weinbrecht, Mayor of Cary; and Nancy Vaughan, Mayor of Greensboro. Other significant political figures included on the Evaluation Site Visit were Gale Adcock, North Carolina House of Representatives; Sig Hutchinson, Chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners; and Brenda Howerton, Chairman of the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
Governor Roy Cooper did an official hand-off of North Carolina’s Bid Book for the Games to Leonz Eder, President of FISU. Governor Cooper remarked, “Obviously we want the World University Games right here in North Carolina. The love of sports in our state is a real passion and the Games will emphasize not only how sports can bring us all together across the world, but the importance of our colleges and universities. There are 130 colleges and universities in North Carolina, with 19 of those in the Games Host Region, and we know that this would be a fantastic place to host the Games.”
Leonz Eder, leader of the FISU delegation, expressed the great appreciation of the Evaluation Committee for the excellent and highly productive site visit, and echoed the Governor’s remarks when he said that “The North Carolina Bid Committee showed us their outstanding sports competition and training venues and their excellent Games Village sites. We met numerous Bid Committee members as well as state leaders in business, politics, community, and university education. University sports belong to the universities and to go back on these North Carolina university campuses with this event, indeed, makes North Carolina the perfect spot to host the FISU World University Games.”
News Briefs
North Carolina Universities Well-Represented on Site Visit
The FISU Evaluation Site Visit also included important visits with key North Carolina university leaders. University chief executives included Kevin Guskiewicz, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; Frank Gilliam, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina Greensboro; Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw University; Jo Allen, President of Meredith College; Brian Ralph, President of William Peace University; JB Buxton, President of Durham Technical Community College; and Scott Ralls, President of Wake Technical Community College.
Athletic department officials at the universities who participated in the Site Visit included Duke University’s Nina King, Athletic Director, and Mitch Moser, Deputy Director of Athletics/Resource Development & Management/CFO; North Carolina A&T State University’s Billy Edringston, Associate Athletics Director; UNC Greensboro’s Brian Mackin, Athletic Director; and UNC Chapel Hill’s Bubba Cunningham, Athletic Director; Rich Steinbacher, Senior Associate Athletic Director; and Jaci Field, Athletic Facilities Planning & Management/Event Operations.
Jo Allen, President of Meredith College, emphasized to the FISU Delegation how well the colleges and universities across the region work together. “Our local colleges and universities have been working together on significant initiatives for years,” said Allen, “That presents a major advantage for the teamwork among our institutions that will be required to host the 2027 FISU World University Games. The good news is that the bid process has focused us on the amazing FISU Games opportunity, and we have especially enjoyed spending time with FISU leadership where we were able to discuss the various ways that we can deliver the best possible experience for the Games’ athletes.”
NC USA WUG Bid Sponsorship Goal Surpassed
Thanks to the addition of Truist Bank, CBRE, the Guilford Merchants Association (GMA), and Laser Image Printing Marketing, the NC Bid Committee has reached one of its two primary goals for corporate and community support for the bid, by surpassing the goal of 50 sponsoring companies or organizations with a total of 52. And additional sponsors are in the works.
Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Truist Bank, the sixth largest bank in the United States, is a purpose-driven financial services company, serving clients in high-growth markets and offering a wide variety of financial services. With offices in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm has as its mission to realize the potential of its clients, professionals, and partners by building the real estate solutions of the future. Located in Downtown Greensboro, the Guilford Merchants Association (GMA) is a business membership organization focused on supporting member companies with educational programming, lead generation activities, marketing opportunities, and overall enrichment while serving as a catalyst for community growth and prosperity in Greensboro, Guilford County, and across the Triad region. Located in Durham, Laser Image Printing Marketing, which specializes in complex, urgent printing and marketing projects, printed the special commemorative copy of the North Carolina USA 2027 World University Games Bid Book that Governor Cooper presented to Leonz Eder and the FISU Evaluation Committee members.
As for our second primary sponsorship and fundraising goal of reaching $500,000 in cash sponsorships or contributions, with the help of current sponsors Koury Corporation, McDonald York Building Company, and York Properties, all of whom have made commitments to additional investments in the bid effort, NCBC is on the cusp of achieving its cash goal as well. Currently, the bid committee has over $200,000 in in-kind sponsorship donations in addition to its significant cash contributions.
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.