World University Championships 2020: 34 bidding committees converge in Lausanne

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Following up on the ideal that university sports deserve the crowning of an international champion every year, 34 bid committees came to the FISU headquarters in the Olympic Capital city to present candidatures to host World University Championship events in 2020.

Action from the gridiron as Japan takes on Guatemala at the World University Championships in American Football in 2016. A Hungarian delegation presented their candidature for the right to host the 2020 event.  

 “We had an good week evaluating the bids presented in Lausanne last week,” FISU World University Championships director Paulo Ferreira said. “The level was exceptional in all senses with over 75 representatives from 34 bidding committees representing FISU member associations from America, Africa, Europe and Asia.”

The World University Championships series run in even-numbered years between the Summer and Winter Universiades. As single-sport competitions, World University Championships give cities and universities the opportunity to host international sports events with minimum cost and complexity.

The calm before the storm at the 18th World University Cross-Country competition in Lodz, Poland. Delegations from Portugal and Morocco were in Lausanne to vie for the right to host the 21st edition of the competition in 2020. 

 All told, 27 events were proposed. This included 25 single-sport events and the two newly formed cluster events, with the latter being a collection of mind games and combat sports where all the events would take place in a single location and happen concurrently.

The Portuguese Academic Federation of University Sport (FADU) presented four bids for the 2020 season. “Portugal has a great history organising international events,” FADU President Daniel Monteiro said. “We’ve organized 12 editions of the World University Championships. We come here with great hopes and expectations to host more.”

 Action from day one of the World University Golf Championships 2016. Eighteen countries competed at the 2016 event held in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

 Following up on the success of the Taipei Summer Universiade this past August, the island’s city of Taichung was in Lausanne vying for the rights to host the World University Golf Championships in 2020.

“We have five golf courses at the international standard in our city,” said Taichung’s Sport Bureau General Director Wang Ching-Tang. “We hope we have the chance to host the World University Championships in 2020 as we see this event as part of our plan to become an international sport city.”

A Korean-led delegation brought film and video camera crews to Lausanne to cover their candidature to host the World University Championships 2020 in Cheerleading 

While cheerleading’s history is just starting to be written with the 2018 event in Lodz, Poland marking the first time the sport has been part of the World University Championship calendar, a delegation from Wonju, South Korea presented a strong candidature to host the second edition of the event in 2020.

The city currently hosts Wonju Danamic Dancing Carnival and sees hosting the World University Championship as the next step to advance the sport within the region. “Our city has a passion for cheerleading,” Wonju Mayor Won Changmuk said. “This energy will make for great memories to the participants.” 

China takes on Mexico in the 2nd World University Championship 2016 in American Football 

During the next month the WUC Department will work with CTI Chair Marian Dymalski and CTI Vice-Chair Fernando Parente, who were in Lausanne for the presentations, who will make the proposal to the FISU Executive Committee for the decision on attributing the 2020 World University Championship events. Candidate cities will be informed in December whether if their bids to host a World University Championship event were successful.

“Across the board, the candidates presented compelling reasons why they were ready to put on high-quality events that expand the role and reach of university sport around the globe,” added Mr. Ferreira. “Overall the outcome is positive and we will for sure have a high-level programme for the 2020 season.”