WPU Part of Delegation that Lands FISU World University Games in North Carolina

North Carolina will host the 2029 World University Games — and William Peace University President Brian C. Ralph was part of making that happen. 

The FISU Executive Committee announced this week that North Carolina will host the 2029 World University Games Summer. 

Ralph and other delegation members traveled this week to Lake Placid, where the 2023 University Games Winter are underway. Ralph and the group visited Belgium in November, hoping to bring the games to the Triangle and Triad in 2027. While they lost that bid to South Korea, the FISU team was impressed with the presentation. 

In a press release, Leonz Eder, President of FISU, said North Carolina scored the highest on the staff technical evaluation of the bids. 

“Even though North Carolina did not win the 2027 FISU Games last fall, we have worked diligently with our membership and staff since that time on the best way to secure North Carolina USA as a future host of the FISU Games,” he said. “Fortunately, with our leadership gathered in Lake Placid for the Winter Games, the timing has been very appropriate and opportune to approve North Carolina USA as the Host City of the 2029 FISU World University Games.”

Ralph said it was an honor to be part of the group, and he was thrilled to be part of this moment in history. 

“I am so glad to showcase North Carolina on this world stage,” Ralph said. “The opportunity for student-athletes from around the world to experience some of the amazing colleges and universities of North Carolina is truly extraordinary. I am confident that state leaders will build out an incredible event and that the fans of college athletics in North Carolina and beyond will provide a warm welcome to competitors from near and far.” 

The FISU World University Games are the largest event for student-athletes on the planet and second in size only to the Olympic Games in terms of global Olympic multi-sport competitions. FISU conducts both a winter and a summer edition every other year in the odd year. The FISU World University Games Summer has only been held once previously in the United States, in 1993 in Buffalo, New York.

North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said the event will be the largest ever hosted in our state. 

“It will give us the unique opportunity to not only host athletes and fans from more than 150 countries but to showcase North Carolina, including our renowned universities and all that our great State has to offer, to a worldwide audience of more than 400 million!”