History

Australia first competed at the FISU Summer World University Games in Tokyo, Japan in 1967 and has been involved in every event since with the exception of 1975 in Rome, Italy. During that time Australian student-athletes have amassed a total of 167 medals, achieving Australia’s highest ever medal tally position of 10th in Kazan, Russia in 2013.

​For any queries regarding the FISU World University Games, please contact the UniRoos team at uniroos@unisport.com.au

Australia’s history in the FISU Winter World University Games (WUG) dates back to 1985 and has seen Australian student-athletes compete in 13 of the last 27 events with unbroken involvement since 1991. The UniRoos have entered teams for events such as figure skating, speed skating, snowboard cross, ski cross, cross country skiing and freestyle skiing. 

​Australia’s best ever result at a FISU Winter WUG is two silver medals by Amber Arazny (Snowboard: Ladies’ Slopestyle) and Joss McAlpin (Snowboard: Men’s Big Air) in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2017. 

Of the 419 members of the Australian Olympic team to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games, 58% were elite student-athletes. Selection to and competing as an Australian UniRoo at the Summer University Games enables a leap forward in terms of Australia’s international competitiveness and encourages and develops more student-athletes, while at the same time, better aligning university elite sport programs with the national high performance pathway, especially towards Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games representation.  

UniSport Australia celebrates and acknowledges the elite student-athletes who represent Australia at either an Olympic or Commonwealth Games level. Some of these athletes have been UniRoos, showcasing the pathway in university sport while some have benefited from the opportunity provided to them as elite student-athletes in reaching the pinnacle of their sport. 

World University Games and Olympic Medallists

The Summer World University Games features more than 20,000 athletes from 170 countries. For many, the event is a crucial stepping stone for talent progression on the international scene as young stars strive for Commonwealth and Olympic Games selection.

Trap shooter and 2013 Summer Games champion, Catherine Skinner led the Uniroos into the opening ceremony at the 2015 Summer Games before going on to win two bronze medals, first in the individual trap event as defending champion, and then as the leader of the women’s teams event. In 2016, Skinner won Olympic gold in Rio in the women’s trap with a near flawless campaign that will be etched in history as one of the greatest performances of the 2016 Olympic Games.

Since 2010, UniSport has recognised its champions and medal winners at the Summer and Winter University Games as well as the World University Championships through the UniSport Honour Roll.

The Honour Roll includes two categories – champions and medallists. Champions are masters in their chosen sport and are student-athletes who have competed and won multiple medals (including one gold) at a single event, or multiple medals at more than one University Games or Championship event. Medallists are an elite group of student-athletes who have won a medal at a University Games or a Championship.

In 2023, the UniRoos collected 6 medals at the Summer World University Games in Chengdu, China, and added 1 Champion and  20 Medallists to our Honour Roll.