Kazan (RUS), 8th July the 27th summer World University Games opened Friday in Kazan, the capital of the autonomous republic of Tatarstan, part of the Russian Federation, where it will continue until the 17th, with over 9,000 student-athletes and officials from over 170 countries attending, whilst the 26th winter Universiade will be hosted by the region of Trentino, Italy, from 11th to 21st December. And so it’s towards European countries that student-athletes from across the world are now looking.
Organised by the International University Sports Federation, which has 169 national member federations, the World University Games is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city.
The Summer Universiade consists of 10 base sports with 13 disciplines (Athletics – Basketball – Fencing – Football – Artistic Gymnastics – Rhythmic Gymnastics – Judo – Swimming – Diving – Water-Polo – Table Tennis – Tennis – Volleyball) and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 10,622 participants in Shenzhen, China, in 2011 and 174 countries in Daegu, Korea, in 2003.
The Winter Universiade consists of 6 base sports with 10 disciplines (Alpine Skiing – Snowboarding – Ski Jumping – Cross-Country skiing – Nordic combined – Curling – Ice Hockey – Short Track Speed Skating – Figure Skating – Biathlon) and one or two optional sports, also chosen by the host country. It reached a record of 2,511 participants in Torino, Italy, in 2007 and a record number of 52 countries in Erzurum, Turkey, in 2011.