The newly-elected FISU Executive Committee, voted in at the FISU General Assembly in November last year, gathered for their first meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on February 21-22, as plans for 2020 and beyond were discussed.

EUSA was represented at the meeting by President Mr Adam Roczek. FISU President Mr Oleg Matytsin, recently appointed as Russian Minister of Sport, opened the meeting, following which FISU Secretary General-CEO Mr Eric Saintrond presented his report, starting with the new FISU visual identity before going on to reveal the major contracts that FISU has signed with the International Testing Agency, Sport ID and Eurosport, to cover the forthcoming Summer and Winter Games.

Ju-Jitsu, Armwrestling and Bodybuilding and Fitness were then presented to the Executive Committee for approval as FISU Recognised Sports and all three sports passed unanimously.

World University Championships International Technical Committee Chair Mr Marian Dymalski led the progress report on the 29 Championships lined up for the 2020 season. Three new countries – Morocco, Argentina and EUSA member Ukraine – have joined the FISU hosting family this year.

To avoid a clash with the global football season, the next edition of the University World Cup Football will be held from June 2-13, 2021, in Jinjiang, People’s Republic of China while Rugby Sevens will also be organised as a University World Cup with the same format as football, from 2022.

Discussions over the FISU World Conference were then had, before Cartago, Costa Rica was confirmed as hosts of the 2022 FISU World Forum.

Mr Urs Henkeler, Managing Director of the 30th Winter Universiade, opened the second day of the Executive Committee meeting with the penultimate progress report of Lucerne 2021, to be held in Central Switzerland from January, 21-31 2021.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the progress report of Chengdu 2021 World University Games was presented on behalf of the Organising Committee by Mr Marc Vandenplas, Director of the Summer World University Games department and his team, with the general overview of the preparations very positive, before FISU EC Member Ms Delise O'Meally and Ms Ashley Walden of the Lake Placid 2023 OC presented their first official progress report to the FISU Executive.

The request to add Long Track Speed Skating, Nordic Combine and Ski Jumping as the three optional events to the Winter WUG 2023 programme was unanimously approved.



Mr Alexander Chernov, CEO of Ekaterinburg 2023, updated the FISU Executive Committee on the progress of the masterplan, budgetary planning and workforce planning for the Summer World University Games 2023, before a summary of the venues was also presented, with 24 out of 33 venues being existing ones for which renovation plans are ready.

For the first time at an Executive Committee meeting, FISU held three round table events centred around three pressing issues in the world of sport: sustainable development, ethics and government, and university relations. The groups will now go from the drawing board into the first steps of action that the university sports movement should take to enhance its activity in all three areas.

“As a committee we’ve taken a small but significant step today,” said FISU President Mr Oleg Matytsin in his concluding address. “We are a strategic entity, not just an advisory body. We have to look to the future, and must do so, with a strategic view.”