“The focus is shifting South”

Before the Stellenbosch 2026 FISU World University Championship Rugby Sevens officially starts, FISU Secretary General and CEO Matthias Remund gave an inspiring keynote speech at the University Sport Summit.

Before the attention shifts to passing the oval ball, local and international sport representatives and experts gathered for a one day University Sport Summit to explore the future of African university sport and its positioning within the global university sport ecosystem.

FISU Secretary General and CEO, Matthias Remund addressed the floor with his keynote speech on the theme “African University Sport in a Global Context”, setting the strategic context for the Summit by examining the global trajectory of university sport and its implications for African universities.

He left the stage with an inspiring quote: “A university is not just a place where knowledge is imparted. It is the place where a society decides what kind of people it wants to produce. And in a time when young people everywhere are lonely and under pressure, the sports field is one of the last places on campus where you learn to lose together without falling apart. Where your background matters less than whether people can count on you.”