The Universiade is an international multi-sport event for university athletes. The name is a combination of the words “University” and “Olympiad.” The International University Sports Federation (FISU) organizes it during summer and winter every odd-numbered year. Two different cities host summer and winter Universiades. 

Undergraduates and graduate students aged 17 to 28 and those who received bachelor’s degrees a year before the opening of the Universiade are eligible to compete. The FISU plays its official song “Gaudeamus Igitur,” not the national anthem of the gold medalist’s country, at the medal awards ceremony. It is the only international meet which does not play national anthems at the awards ceremony.

The FISU was formed in 1949. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. The origin of the Universiade precedes the governing body of games. It dates back to May, 1923, when Frenchman Jean Petitjean launched the International Universities Championships in Paris, France. 

It was followed by international university sport events under various names
The Universiade was launched in Turin, Italy, in 1959, succeeding the 1957 World University Games. The Italian University Sports Association, then the host of the 1959 World University Games, renamed it “Universiade.” The association created the Universiade flag with a “U” surrounded by five stars of different colors symbolizing five continents.

The Universiade has grown from 1,407 participants in 1959 in Turin, Italy to about 20,000 in 2015 in Gwangju, Korea.

The number of participating countries peaked at 174 at the 22nd edition held in Daegu, Korea in August, 2003. Gwangju is the third Korean city to host the Universiade. Muju and Jeonju in North Joella Province held the 18th Winter Universiade in 1997.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)