The Executive Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) met on September 20, 2012 in Kazan, the city that will host the next Summer Universiade in July 2013.

The meeting was chaired by FISU First Vice-President Mr Oleg Matytsin. The Executive Committee first approved the minutes of the previous meeting held in May 2012. The Treasurer then presented his report, emphasizing the good financial health of the federation. Secretary General Mr Eric Saintrond took the floor next to describe the activities of the General Secretariat in Lausanne and gave an overview of the future competitions, also mentioning that the bidding procedure for the 2019 Universiades had been launched. Several cities have already expressed an interest in hosting these events.

The next item on the agenda was the organisation of the extraordinary General Assembly which was to follow the next day. Mr Stefan Bergh, FISU Vice-President and Chair of the Committee for the Development of University Sport, then presented a report highlighting the work done in cooperation with the continental associations (associate members), which are key partners for the implementation of projects aiming to develop a support that specially targets the FISU member federations.

Mrs Alison Odell, FISU first Assessor and Chair of the FISU Education Committee gave an overview of the future education activities: the Rectors’ Forum that will take place in Sweden in 2013; the FISU Conference that will be held in parallel with the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan; the Sports and Scientific Conference that will be staged during the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino; and finally, the 2014 FISU Forum that will take place in Gwangju in 2014. As a conclusion, she reminded that the bidding process for the 2016 Forum had been launched.

Mrs Verena Burk, the Chair of the International Press Committee, then took the floor to give an overview of the latest developments within FISU in the media domain. She first presented the new version of the FISU website and highlighted the fact that the website was now available also in French. Together with FISU Media Director Mr Dejan Susovic, she emphasized the importance of the partnership agreement signed with Eurosport, which will significantly contribute to enhance the visibility of the federation and university sport in general.

The Chair of the Gender Equality Committee, Mrs Rosaura Mendez, reported on the activities of the group, pointing out the need to consolidate the work of the committee, which occupies a key position within FISU. She emphasized the importance of greater international cooperation in this domain, as well as better representation and collaboration among non-sports international organisations. She also announced the launch of the 3rd FISU “Gender Equality and Sport” award.

The following item on the agenda was the situation of the World University Championships. Mr Leonz Eder, the Chair of the CMU International Technical Committee, together with Mr Luciano Cabral, the Vice-President, and Mr Paulo Ferreira, the FISU WUC Director, gave an overview of the 2012 WUC and made recommendations concerning the attribution of the future WUCs. Concerning the first point, the situation is excellent: all the championships that have taken place so far were successful. The WUC CTI reminded that two WUCs had been cancelled for various reasons and proposed to modify the attribution procedure for the championships. The objective would be not only to reduce as far as possible the risks of cancellation, but also to better evaluate in advance the technical level of potential organising committees. 

The Organising Committee of the Kazan Universiade then presented its report on the games that will take place here in Kazan next July. With 28 sports in the programme, the work calendar is getting heavier. The Organising Committee also responded to questions raised following the different visits of the FISU technical delegates and the test events (3 WUCs) that took place in Kazan. It reaffirmed its commitment to offer athletes the best conditions for their stay and sports practice. The Mayor of Kazan emphasized the extent to which the city had developed to host the games. Many sports venues were built while others were renovated; some still need to be refurbished. The fact remains that all the inhabitants of Kazan support the project. FISU President Mr Claude Louis Gallien reaffirmed his support for the OC and congratulated the city for all the changes made in view of the Universiade.

The next Winter Universiade will take place in Trentino in December 2013. The Universiade Supervision Committee went to Italy to inspect the various accommodation options for athletes. It also met the OC to discuss the final allocation of sports venues. Chaired by Mrs Kairis Ulp, the CSU was very satisfied by the solutions proposed by the OC. Budgets have already been allocated and the OC is working in close cooperation with FISU.

The next meeting of the FISU Executive Committee will be held in Brussels from March 3-6, 2013.