Boost for global university sport
Lausanne, Switzerland: FISU (International University Sports Federation) has signed a three-year partnership deal with the Chinese Taishan Sports Industry Group to develop joint-projects from January 2016 to December 2018 in the following domains:
- Sports and Innovation (Idong);
- Sports Equipment and Brand Promotion (FISU Events);
- Sports and Knowledge (Taishan R&D Centre).
The deal involves sponsoring for a number of sports on the programme of the 2016 and 2018 World University Championships, the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei City and several testing platforms for the physical education department of Universities.
“The partnership with Taishan is an important one for FISU. Taishan groups around ten of the biggest Chinese sport related companies, with some of them pioneers in developing high technology sports equipment for research centres,” said FISU Secretary-General/CEO, Eric Saintrond.
“It is interesting for FISU to have partners in the field of sports equipment but also in research and development and products linked with new high-level technology. The agreement is threefold. Sports equipment for some of our sporting events, research and development for the universities and access to the development of new technology which will serve as a bridge towards university sports centres and student-athletes to collaborate with Taishan R&D in a win-win situation. In other words the partnership will surely benefit the student-athletes and the Local Organising Committees, but also the universities.”
Bian Zhiliang, president of Taishan Sports Industry Group added: “After working and researching in the past forty years, Taishan Sports Industry Group established its green and healthy concept of exercise and fitness based on scientific and technological innovation. Nowadays, Taishan is the largest equipment supplier in the history of the Olympic Games, and now will also will cooperate with FISU to support the international university sports for the global development of health and sports.”
Founded in 1949, FISU is an organisation dedicated to university sport and the promotion of excellence in mind and body. Balancing elite sport competition and academic studies, the student-athletes participating in FISU events are today’s stars and tomorrow’s leaders.
FISU has three core sport properties: the Summer and Winter Universiade and the World University Championships. The Summer and Winter Universiade are international multi-sporting and cultural festivals held every two years, gathering student-athletes aged 17-28 from more than 170 countries.
FISU’s other major sporting events are the World University Championships (WUC), single-sporting events which are held in the years between the Universiades. In 2016 there will be a total of 34 Championships in 25 countries.
