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The University Games, the international student sports games, are complex international competitions. The games were held for the first time in 1924, in Warsaw, at the initiative of the French sports star, Jean Petezhan, then, in Rome (1927), Dortmund (1930), Turin (1933), Paris (1937), and Monte-Carlo (1939).

After the 2nd World War of 1939, forty-five games were held at the International Festival of Youth and Students, under the direction of the International Union of Students. At the initiative of a number of European countries in 1949, the International Federation of University Sports (FISU) were held at youth festivals parallel to the student's games and the so-called, "Weeks of FISU" were created. In 1957, the World Student Games, renamed the University Games, were held again. The regulations of the University Games were in the spirit of the Olympic movement. The University Games motto is, "Science - Sports - Friendship - The World." The University Games are held every two years, each odd summer and winter. From 1957 to 1975, the Summer University Games took place in Paris, Turin (twice), Sofia, Porto Alegre (Brazil), Budapest, Tokyo, Moscow (1973, athletes from 72 countries of five continents participated) and Rome. The winter games took place in Zakopane (Poland), Shamoni (France), Villars (Switzerland), Pardubice (Czech Rep.), Turin, Innsbruck (Austria), Rovaniemi (Finland), Lake Placid (USA), and Livigno (Italy).

The programs of the Summer University Games include track and field athletics, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, diving, water polo, volleyball, basketball, tennis and additional programs according to the offerings of the country organizer. Programs of the Winter University Games include skiing, mountain skiing, jumping on skis from a springboard, Nordic combined, figure skating, high-speed skating, and hockey.


Last updated: 9 June 2014, 12:14

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