LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has expressed its pride at the appointment of FISU President Oleg Matytsin to the post of Sports Minister of the Russian Federation. First elected as FISU President in 2015, Matytsin was elected to a second term in November 2019.

“It has been a great honour to serve the university sports movement as President of FISU since 2015 and to have been re-elected in November of last year,” said Oleg Matytsin. “In consultation with colleagues and key stakeholders, I am currently determining the best way forward to ensure that FISU continues to go from strength to strength. I remain fully committed to keep doing my best to support the international university sports movement.”

"For FISU, it’s a great honour to have our President appointed to help Russia handle its current challenges, and re-engage with the world’s sport community,” said FISU Secretary General and CEO Eric Saintrond. “Oleg Matytsin’s accomplishments at FISU have been remarkable. With him as President, FISU has delivered exceptional competitions for thousands of elite university athletes. Oleg has brought the university sports movement together to support the vision of positively shaping tomorrow’s leaders through their experiences of international university sport.”

Since Matytsin’s election as President, FISU has successfully delivered Summer and Winter World University Games (formerly known as Universiades) in Taipei and Almaty in 2017, and in Naples and Krasnoyarsk in 2019. FISU’s flagship event also has a bright future, with hosts already having been secured for 2021 and 2023, where preparations are well underway. The FISU Strategic Plan 2027, meanwhile, provides for a clear framework in which elite sports events sit alongside measures to boost wider participation.

“Oleg has repeatedly demonstrated his understanding that for the values of sport to be fully appreciated, and for sport to genuinely affect young people’s lives for the better, it must be practised regularly,” continued Saintrond. “With initiatives like the Healthy Campus project and the International Day of University Sport, Oleg has ensured that FISU is delivering the greatest possible sporting benefits to the greatest number of students.”