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The International University Sports Federation, FISU, arose within university institutions to propagate sport values and promote sports practice in perfect synergy and complementarity with the university spirit.

The Precursors - At the beginning of the 19th century, competitive sport took its first steps, guided by one of its precursors and the father of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. It was in the United States, England and Switzerland that the first inter-university meets were held. They gradually led the emergence of university sports associations, the first of which came into being in the United States in 1905. Unlike the Olympic Movement, which had an international structure from 1894 onwards, the International Confederation of Students wasn't established until 1919. It was this organisation's Sports Committee that would launch the first World University Games of 1923.

The Beginning

FISU was officially formed in 1949, but its origin goes back to the 1920's when Frenchman, Jean Petitjean, organised the first 'World Student Games' in Paris in May 1923. The following year saw the birth of the International Confederation of Students (ICS), which held a congress in Warsaw. Several delegations took part and the movement was launched. From 1925 to 1939, many great sporting events were organised by the students and the ICS: in Prague (1925), Rome (1927), then again in Paris, Darmstadt (1930), Turin (1933), Budapest (1935), Paris (1937), Monaco (1939). The Second World War interrupted these meetings, but when peace was restored, France re-launched the World University Games.

1949: Creation of FISU

This peace was a relative one, because the shadow of the Cold War soon divided university sport. In 1949, although the International Students Union (ISU) organised Games at which very few Western countries participated, the International University Sports Federation (FISU), born the previous year in Luxembourg, under the impetus of Dr. Paul Schleimer, was officially founded and organised its first International University Sports Weeks, bringing together the western delegations. These meetings took place notably in Merano (1949), Luxembourg (1951), Dortmund (1953) and San Sebastian (1955). In a new start in 1957, the French Federation organised a World University Sports Championship which brought together students from the Eastern and Western blocks. From this meeting came the desire to organise a universal event in which students from all over the world could participate.

First Universiade

In 1959, FISU and the ISU agreed to participate in the games organised in Turin, Italy by CUSI, the Italian Student Sport Association. That year was undoubtedly the one that left the biggest impression on our federation. In fact, the Italian organisers baptised these 1959 games with the name Universiade. They created the flag with a 'U' surrounded by stars, which was going to begin its journey around the world, and replaced the national anthems at the medal-awarding ceremonies by the Gaudeamus Igitur. 

The Universiade in Turin was a success for the local Executive Committee and for the man who was going to change the future of the university sports movement: Dr. Primo NEBIOLO. At this Universiade, which brought together 43 different countries and 1,400 participants, many non-member federations asked to become members of FISU. However, even though university sports finally led a peaceful coexistence, the modus vivendi still needed to be established. In addition to the agreement that was made concerning national symbols (neither flags nor anthems) and on the program, FISU determined its philosophy in article 2 of its statutes by stipulating: 'FISU pursues its objects without consideration or discrimination of a political, denominational or racial nature'. From then on, FISU was to organise the Games on a worldwide level.

The Expansion of University Sport

Ever since this important period, the Universiades continue to attract more and more participants. We went from a total of 1,407 participants in Turin, Italy in 1959 to a total of Universiade Turin, 19706,6757 in Beijing, China in 2001 from more than 165 countries and 6,643 from 174 countries in Daegu, Korea in 2003. The highest number of participants was registered at the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, i.e. 9,006. The Winter Universiades experienced the same success. In fact, our statistics show that 98 athletes participated in 1958 at the Universiade in Zell-Am-See,  Austria while a record of 2,831 participants from 44 countries came to the Winter Universiade in Harbin, China in 2009. The expansion of university sport around the world created a new need for meetings and competitions in order to complete the Universiade program. Thus, FISU has also supervises the World University Championships since the early sixties.

For thirty-eight years, 148 of these Championships have been organised, covering a large range of events (almost always different from the Universiade sports) and gathering nearly 25,500 participants from 135 different countries. These championships, which take place on even years and which have had increasing success as the years go on, guarantee continuity in the competitions programme. They also allow a large number of students and university sports leaders to unite on occasions other than at Universiades. As for 2000, 20 World University Championships, with 3,623 participants, were held each in a different place for a different sport. In 2002, 24 World University Championships were held attracting 4,228 participants from 83 countries. In 2004, 25 championships were staged bringing together 4,845 participants. In 2006, FISU staged 27 WUCs attracting 5,852 participants from a total of 209 (of which 90 different) countries and for 2008, 29 WUC were attributed bringing together 6,652 participants from 229 countries(of which 90 different). For 2010, 29 WUC are attributed.

The 2011, 2013 and 2015 editions of the Summer Universiade have been attributed respectively to the cities of Shenzhen (China), Kazan (Russia) and Gwangju (Korea). The 2011 edition of the Winter Universiade has been attributed to Erzurum, Turkey, whereas the 2013 and 2015 events will go to Maribor (Slovenia) and Granada (Spain) respectively.

FISU supports these competitions which give student-athletes the opportunity to come together from all around the world in a spirit of understanding and peace so that they can aim towards obtaining results at a high technical level.

FISU today

Committees

Current Structure

NUSF Member Associations

General Assembly

FISU Executive Committee

Honorary Members

1923 - 1938

1949 - 1959

1961-1970

1971-1983

1985-1997

1999-2009