2012 FISU Forum: 20 years of history

Taipei – The FISU Forum celebrates in Taipei its 20th anniversary, having had its inaugural edition in 1992 in Paraimni (Cyprus) as result of an initiative to gather students, teaching staff and sports leaders from different backgrounds in the university sports movement, giving them a chance to meet, interact and network. Currently, the underlining idea remains the same: bridging cultures.

The second edition of the FISU Forum took place in Catania (Sicily, Italy) in 1994. CUSI had just been nominated for the 1997 Summer Universiade and was looking to extend its already rich history in FISU event management by undertaking this recently created event at that time. Overall, 110 participants from 25 countries attended. In 1996, it was the turn of Madrid to host the Forum. The Spanish capital received 144 participants from 31 countries. The Swedish city of Lulea hosted the 4th FISU Forum in 1998 with 35 countries registering 159 participants.

The new millennium saw a new dawn for the FISU Forum with the first organization on the American continent. The city of Monterey in Mexico hosted the 5th edition in 2000. The lovely city welcomed 138 participants from 40 countries. In 2002, the Forum head again to new destination, this time in Cape Town (South Africa). The 6th FISU Forum welcomed 155 delegates, representing 32 countries. The Forum in 2004 took place in Lisbon (Portugal) with 43 countries bringing 146 delegates.

Asia had its first FISU Forum in 2006 with the UAE city of Abu Dhabi hosting 54 countries and 214 delegates. The Polish city of Krakow received 181 participants from 47 countries in 2008. The 10th edition of the FISU Forum was held in 2010 with the Spanish city of Vigo hosting a record 252 participants from another record of 71 countries.

Over the past 20 years, a total of 1588 participants have attended the different editions.

(Source: Paulo Ferreira, WUC Executive Assistant)