The event was recognised by UNESCO in 2015 and is held under the aegis of FISU every year on 20 September.
This international event is aimed at promoting university sports values – a healthy lifestyle, the drive to win, and the will to stay active. On this day, universities worldwide hold sporting, educational, and cultural events for their students and local communities.
In Russia, the International Day of University Sport (IDUS) in 2021 will be special because Ekaterinburg, the host city of the 2023 FISU World University Games, will become its center. The Games Directorate, Ural Federal University, and the Russian Student Sport Union will be organising the events in the city together. The upcoming Games and preparation for them will be the main theme of the celebration.
Special attention will be given to the recently launched volunteer program, for which over 500 people have already applied. Citizens and guests of Ekaterinburg can expect exciting competitions of student teams in 15 sports, for which 20 venues across the city will be allocated. A detailed program will be formed following the epidemiological situation.
More than 50 subjects of the Russian Federation will take part in the International Day of University Sport events. The celebration is planned as a kind of a relay that will pass through ever region in the country.