To mark its 75th anniversary in 2024, FISU released FISU – A Family Album, a book that narrates the vibrant history of university sport. Rather than serving as a formal institutional record, the book brings to life the personal stories of those who shaped FISU over the decades.

During a small celebratory event in November 2024, FISU’s archivist, Lidia Lesnykh, shared the inspiration behind the book’s creation.

“In April 2020, we received an email from a Finnish skier searching for his results from the 1972 Winter Universiade in Lake Placid. He recalled finishing near the bottom of the rankings and even missing a race after getting lost in the forest. Yet, despite these challenges, he described it as one of the best experiences of his student years. That moment made me realize something: while medals, champions, and records are well documented, what about the emotions? What lies behind stories of triumph and defeat? How do we preserve memories that cannot be measured in seconds or replayed on television?”

The COVID-19 lockdowns gave people time to revisit old photographs and share their past experiences with loved ones. FISU began receiving more inquiries similar to that of the Finnish skier.

No matter where they came from—Australia, Italy, Canada—these former student-athletes all shared a common thread: the Universiade and university sport had played a pivotal role in their lives and careers. FISU – A Family Album is a collective memory of those who helped shape FISU, especially the student-athletes who have been at the heart of its mission for 75 years.

200 Pages of University Sport History

Structured into six distinct chapters, FISU – A Family Album chronicles the evolution of the International University Sports Federation over its first 75 years:

• A Century of World University Games (sport in universities before FISU)
• FISU Celebrates 75 Years of University Sports (its birth and its first events)
• Seven Decades of Stories behind the FISU World University Games (testimonies of those who made the Games)
• Sports – Development outside the Universiade
• Education – A Key Pillar of FISU’s Foundation
• Development – Building a Broader FISU Community

This book is not just a historical record but a tribute to the human experiences that define university sport.

To take a look at the entire book, please see https://www.fisu.net/app/uploads/2025/01/TOTAL_75YEARS.pdf

*information and photos courtesy of FISU