FISU Executive Committee approves key decisions in shaping its future as President Leonz Eder announces his retirement for 2027

Less than a year before the Changchun 2027 FISU Winter Universiade, the International University Sports Federation held an EC Meeting as well as site visits in the future host city.

FISU’s Executive Committee held its first meeting of the year in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. This location was of course not chosen randomly: in less than a year, this very city and region will be hosting the Changchun FISU 2027 Winter Universiade.

The end of a cycle

2027 is also the year when FISU will introduce its new strategy 2031. The many outcomes and achievements of the previous one – in the fields of sport events, education and culture, development and cooperation with International Organisations as well as sustainability and legacy –  were presented during the meeting.

A more focused strategy

FISU Secretary General and CEO Matthias Remund presented the 2031 FISU Strategy – which will be sent out to the National University Sports Federations (NUSFs) for discussion and then needs to be approved by the General Assembly. The strategy is focused on the vision “excellence in mind and body through university sport”, driven by FISU Team’s core values “excellence, passion, innovation and teamwork”.  It is divided into four key areas:

To support the implementation of this strategy, FISU staff members presented their Brand, Communications, Commercial, and Innovation & strategic plans as well as the future FISU Master Programme to help ignite the world of university sports.

The name “Universiade” is back

On Brand Development, one of the key decisions made was the comeback of the name Universiade. The name Universiade retains the highest recognition and reputation among our key stakeholders allowing FISU to preserve clarity and position itself as the driving force behind world university sports.

Statutes reform

The Executive Committee discussed and validated a draft update of the FISU statutes. This update introduces clearer procedures and greater modern flexibility to enable more effective governance and to adapt to new realities while reducing ambiguities. The draft will also be sent out to the NUSFS for discussion. The new statutes should be adopted in 2027, following approval by the General Assembly.​

A return to FISU’s roots paired with sporting innovation

In terms of sport, the Executive Committee approved two important innovations. On one hand, cross‑country running will make its debut at the 2027 Changchun FISU Winter Universiade. On the other, the Committee expressed strong enthusiasm for organising a HYROX event in 2027—a first in the world of university sport.

Optional sports for future editions have also been confirmed: ski mountaineering and speed skating for 2027 Changchun FISU Winter Universiade; golf, rowing, beach volleyball and para-taekwondo for Chungcheong 2027 FISU Summer Games. Football, baseball/softball, rugby sevens and wheelchair 3×3 basketball will be the optional sports of the North Carolina 2029 FISU World University Summer Games.

The age eligibility limits have been updated, returning to the previous format: student‑athletes must now be between 17 and 28 years old, except in basketball, which maintains an upper limit of 25 years.

As with the 2031 Strategy and the new statutes, these decisions will now be shared with all member federations for consultation.

2027 events progress update

Both organising committees of the Changchun 2027 FISU Winter Universiade and Chungcheon 2027 FISU World University Games presented their respective progress reports. Both Chinese and Koreans were thanked by President Leonz Eder  and congratulated by FISU Secretary General and CEO Matthias Remund, who both highlighted the great cooperation of both organising committees.