The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city and which is second in importance only to the Olympic Games.

The Summer Universiade consists of 10 compulsory sports and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 6.009 participants in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1999 and 162 countries in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1995.

Compulsory (10): Track & Field, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Fencing, Gymnastics, Swimming, Diving, Water Polo

The Winter Universiade consists of 6 compulsory sports and one or two optional sports also chosen by the host country. Poprad-Tatry region, in Slovakia in 1999 is the biggest one in attendants' number with a record of 1.412 participants (929 athletes and 483 officials). 40 countries took part to the Slovakia competitions compared to the record of 48 countries of the '97 Muju-Chonju edition in Korea.

Compulsory (5): Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing (jump, cross country, combined), Ice Hockey, Short-Track Speed Skating, Figure Skating

FISU stands for Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation) and was founded in 1949. FISU's main responsibility is the supervision of both Summer and Winter Universiades as well as the World University Championships.

FISU was officially formed in 1949, but its origin goes back to the 20's when the Frenchman, Jean Petitjean, organized the first "World Student Games" in Paris. That was in May 1923.

The following year saw the birth of the International Confederation of Students (I.C.S.), which held a congress in Warsaw. Several delegations took part - the movement was launched. From 1925 to 1939, many great sporting events were organized by the students and the I.C.S.: in Prague in 1925, Rome in 1927, then again in Paris, Darmstadt (1930), Turin (1933), Budapest (1935), Paris (1937), Monaco (1939).

The Second World War interrupted these meetings, but when peace was restored, France re-launched the World University Games.

This peace was relative, because the shadow of the Cold War soon divided university sport. In 1949, although the International Students Union (I.S.U.) organized Games at which very few Western countries participated, the International University Sports Federation, born the previous year in Luxembourg, was officially founded and organized its first International University Sports Weeks bringing together the western delegations. These meetings took place notably in Merano (1949), Luxembourg (1951), Dortmund (1953) and San Sebastian (1955).

In a new departure in 1957, the French Federation organized a World University Sports Championship which brought together students from Eastern and Western blocks.

From this meeting came the desire to organize a universal event in which students from all over the world could participate.

In 1959, FISU and the I.S.U. agreed to participate in the games organized in Turin by the Italian association: C.U.S.I. That year was undoubtedly the one that left the biggest impression on our federation. In fact, the Italian organizers baptized these 1959 games with the name Universiade. They created the flag with a "U" surrounded by stars which was going to begin its journey around the world, and replaced the national anthems at the medal-awarding ceremonies by the Gaudeamus Igitur.

The Universiade in Turin was a success for the local Executive Committee and for the man who was going to change the future of the university sports movement: Dr Primo NEBIOLO. At this Universiade, which brought together 43 different countries and 1,400 participants, many non-member federations asked to become members of FISU.

For more than thirty years, 120 of these Championships have been organized, covering a large range of events (almost always different from the Universiade sports). These championships, which take place on even years and which have had increasing success as the years go on, guarantee continuity in the competitions program. They also allow a large number of students and university sports leaders to unite on occasions other than at Universiades. In 1998, 20 World University Championships were held, each in a different place for a different sport. 75 different countries attended with a total of 3.679 participants.

In January 1999, the Winter Universiade took place in Poprad-Tatry (SVK) and attracted a record 1.412 participants (929 athletes and 483 officials) from 40 countries. The Summer Universiade was organized in Palma de Mallorca (ESP) in July 99 and saw beautiful accomplishments with 10 new FISU records and a record participation with 4.076 athletes and 1.933 officials.

The Summer Universiade 2003 and 2005 editions have been attributed respectively to the cities of Daegu (Korea) and Izmir (Turkey). The Winter Universiade 2003 will be held in the city of Tarvisio (Italy) and the 2005 edition has been attributed to the national university sports organization of Austria, who will organize it at Innsbruck.