NAPOLI — With Universiade Flame torchbearers circling around the surrounding cities of Summer Universiade 2019, FISU President Oleg Matytsin opened day one of the FISU biannual Executive Committee meeting by noting the efforts of FISU Director Marc Vandenplas and the rest of the Summer Universiade team assisting the local organisers’ delivery of the event’s 30th edition.
The FISU President then warmly welcomed FISU’s newest executive committee member, the recently elected FASU President, Nomsa Mahlangu, saying, “We would like to welcome today, representing Africa as president of the continent’s federation, Ms. Nomsa Mahlangu.”
After FISU’s internal debriefing about the upcoming mega-event, the floor turned to the Napoli 2019 local organising committee.
By the time Napoli 2019 Summer Universiade Special Commissioner Gianluca Basile joined the head table with CUSI president Lorenzo Lentini, the two leaders were coming directly from a widely-attended opening press conference for the Summer Universiade. The wider messages of unity and the event excitement from the morning conference were followed by a more operationally-focused report to the twenty-three FISU Executive Committee sports leaders.
Basile discussed details the functional games areas with updates on the sports facilities, athletes’ village, media efforts and Summer Universiade promotion campaigns. This information included how Italian national broadcaster Rai planned to televise the event nationally. Basile also noted that while the opening ceremony in San Paulo Stadium was sold out some other events were currently only sparsely sold.
Napoli 2019 Commissioner Basile expressed his confidence that the recent event buzz would bring a surge of new spectators to the competition arenas.
“Tomorrow the torch enters the San Paulo Stadium to truly begin the Universaide,” Basile said. “We are confident that starting with the third of July, there will be spectators in the venues. Thank you for your attention, thank you to FISU.”
Following the presentation, the FISU President took to the microphone. “Thank you for your efforts. It’s never easy to organise a big, great event like this. We appreciate you presenting a very detailed and comprehensive report.”
REPORT FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL
In rapid succession, FISU Secretary General – CEO Eric Saintrond ran through the points and efforts of the federation’s activities in the fifteen weeks since the closing of the Winter Universiade to now, on the footsteps to the summer event.
The report’s focus focused primarily on the 2020 sports programme before moving onto other areas of the federation’s business. This included efforts into the promotion of university sport around the globe.
“We have had a very great success in media,” Saintrond noted. “With our partnership with the Olympic Channel along with live streaming our events on our own platform, we’ve really been able to draw a new, vibrant audience.
“These are new tools for the new generation, Saintrond elaborated. “A big part of the participants and the fans, particularly for events like ours in university sports, want to view our sports games this way and we are addressing this need in a successful way.”
Saintrond also reported on the three-year agreement FISU with the Asian Broadcasting Union last month in Almaty.
On the marketing front, Saintrond announced that FISU signed a contract extension with Qiaodan Sports. The longtime sport casual apparel manufacturer is now signed on to equip the FISU Family through 2023.
During the 30th Summer Universiade, 29 countries are receiving financial support to take part in this event’s edition
FISU GLOBAL STRATEGY AND ACTION PLANS
FISU Director General Paulo Ferreira and FISU Education Director Lilia Barieva discussed the work of the FISU Global Strategy 2027. Through meetings with continental and national member associations, FISU leaders say they see the global strategy as a living document,
Ferreira presented a plan for a digital platform for the federation. Ferreira said the platform provider chosen specialised in integration, a requirement for multi-sports events. The director general said that the new system would provide, “everything from membership to sponsorship loyalty programmes to media services” and would allow for a very flexible event management platform for sports federations
“We would like to extend this to our member associations, eventually,” Ferreira said.
“This is a work tool,” Ferreira added. “You go to you desk, log into your computer, and you have all the tools you need; the whole universe of international university sports will be right there, at your fingertips.”
SPORTS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
World University Championship Manager Julien Carrel presented on the regulations of FISU and International Federations across the whole range of FISU sports events: Summer and Winter Universiades, World University Championships and University World Cups.
Topics of the reporting included harmonising questions of athlete nationalities, entries submission, extra-officials policy, international technical official uniforming policy and publication language-use. Carrel mentioned that the attribution of the 2022-2024 would take place at a later date and that the appointment of sport-specific international technical chairs would take place between election years.
On the FISU endorsed sports events front, Ju-Jitsu joins this movement with the Ju-Jitsu Would Cup 2019 for University and Students in Thailand. With the FISU recognised sports, three new sports are in progress. Three sports federations also have shown strong endorsement interest: International Functional Fitness Federation, World Lacrosse and the World Dodgeball Federation.
KEEPING THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECT AT THE CORE OF FISU SPORTS EVENTS
With no FISU Conference concurrent to the sports programme in Napoli as is customary during the Summer Universiade, FISU will put on four days of special education sessions tailored to student-athletes.
With FISU celebrating seven decades of existence FISU’s commitment to enhancing the synergies of school and sport continues to go beyond the schoolhouse gate. But with no FISU Conference planned by local organisers in Napoli as is customary during the Summer Universiade games-time, FISU will put on four days of special education sessions tailored to student-athletes.
Led by Dr. Verena Burk, FISU Senior Executive Committee Member and Education Chair, a FISU Eduational Committee highlight came during the FISU World Conference Krasnoyarsk 2019, which the 29th Winter Unviersiade. The event garnered more than 400 participants and 115 academic papers and incorporated an innovation expo for the first time that garnered intense audience interest.
Next year FISU will be making a reunion with the Summer Universiade 1965 host city as Budapest will hold FISU’s next major educational event: FISU Forum 2020. Count on the Hungarian organisers to play on their deep intercollegiate roots as the event’s theme is “Seventy years onward and still going strong: How can FISU continue sustaining the University Sport Movement’s legacy?”
Another notable education event on the horizon is the third edition of the FISU Volunteer Leaders’ Academy to Kazan, Russia. This year’s event runs from 5-11 September in the Summer University 2013 host city. With last year’s emerging sports leaders getting the opportunity to both watch and work at a the FIFA World Cup match during the 2018 tournament, this annual event has raised the bar to an extremely high level. In true Kazan city style, though, look for organisers to only raise the profile and professionalism of the event.
SPORTS EQUALITY
With the expressed mission to make FISU a leading sporting federation in gender equality, FISU Gender Equality chair Rosaura Méndez and vice-chair Penny Kabenge presented initiatives underway to turn expressed goals into reality.
One way the committee looks to increase the pipeline of female sports leaders is by honouring an equality pioneer with the 6th Gender Equality Award during the FISU General Assembly in Torino this November.
Two other annual objectives of the committee are to celebrate the International Women’s Day and analyse the future of gender equality in university sports.
“We want to be a role model to all in gender equality and inclusivity,” Kabenge.
MAKING UNIVERSITY SPORT ACCESSIBLE TO THE WORLD’S STUDENT-ATHLETES
Of the 29 nations that are in Napoli thanks to the FISU Help Programme, 21 are from Africa, 4 from Asia, 2 from Europe and 2 from the Americas. Eights sports competition fields of the 30th Summer Universiade will be enhanced through FISU’s Help Programme efforts. Countries relying on this programme’s assistance are provided with travel and accommodation for one male and one female athlete and one coach.
DEVELOPING UNIVERSITY SPORT
With just over 100 days from the Krasonayrsk 2019 Winter Universiade to Napoli today, FISU Development and staff have been on a bit of a whirlwind tour. This worldwide visit began with the FISU-FASU Strategic Dialogues. The event in Entebbe, Uganda worked under the theme, “Sharing the Future by Sharing the Vision.”
Keeping close to sport, FISU’s continental visit with the European University Sports Association (EUSA) took place in the storied alpine resort town of Kranjska Gora, Slovenia before participants visited EUSA’s new offices in Ljubljana. In May, strategic dialogues continued with 16 national university sports federations from the Americas. To contribute to the spirit of collaboration, EUSA and AUSF members were in Bogota, Colombia for the FISU Americas event.
After Napoli, upcoming Continental University Sports Events include the FISU-AUSF Oceania Seminar in Taipei City and the EUSA Conference-General Assembly-Gala in Aveiro, Portugal.
“We are committed to building a strong structure to university sports. As each country is different, we cannot provide only one model for every nation. The best university sports structure is one that plays on the strength inherent in the nation itself. We are here to support, to develop, to contribute to this development in every way we can.”
