To mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of University Sport (IDUS) proclaimed in 2016 and to demonstrate its engagement in preserving and promoting the heritage of university sport, FISU is launching the World University Sports Museum online.
Now with a few clicks, from the comfort of your own home or university library, you can dive into the realm of world university sports. Welcome to its virtual museum.
Since its foundation, the International University Sports Federation has always taken the responsibility to collect materials to showcase both the material and also intangible and emotional heritage of University Sport.
Over the past few years, FISU has been digitising its growing collection to valorise it, to make sure it is never forgotten and of course to make it available for the whole world university sports community to enjoy.
The first step in spreading the results of this work was the 75th anniversary book Family Album, written to be a reflection of the stories of those who made FISU. It was based on the interviews with athletes from several generations and on the archival materials
It is far more than a collection of objects. The World University Sports Museum showcases richness and diversity, helps people discover the symbols around the games and get to know the fantastic stories of the people.
What you can find
Material heritage collection representing the visual symbolism and aesthetics of the Games : medals, posters, mascots ; mostly form FISU archives and also from private donations.
Events Map showcasing all sports but also educational events, underlining the global reach of university sport.
Virtual exhibitions are thematic dossiers created to highlight particular aspects to celebrate some milestones of the university sport history, for example the origins of the FISU World Forum.
Timeline showing the century-long evolution of the University Sports Movement from the creation of World University Games in 1923 to the foundation of FISU in 1949 all the way until today.
The Hall of Fame aims to gather stories from student-athletes since the first Universiade in Turin in 1959, whether they became famous champions or just enjoyed their participation in the Games. Here you can find success stories as important as human emotions and warm moments, connecting several generations of FISU athletes from all continents.
The World University Sports Virtual Museum is just being launched. It has many goals, amongst others to encourage stakeholders who would like to create their own exhibition to celebrate a special date or event, but also to try to collect even more items. For example, the famous French alpine skier Cécile Prince donated her medal set from the Villars 1962 Winter Universiade to the Museum this year.
So don’t be shy, push the virtual door open and you might just feel the cold air on your face, hear a runner sprinting by or imagine it is your neck that will be decorated with a gold medal…