The FISU World University Games 2025 are not only a celebration of international university sports, but also a platform for innovative scientific research. A variety of studies will be conducted during the FISU Games, focusing on topics such as athlete health, sustainability, public perception, and volunteer engagement. While participation in these studies is limited to specific groups (e.g., athletes, volunteers, medical staff), we invite all spectators, local residents, and interested individuals to learn more about the research taking place. These studies aim to improve future sporting events and contribute to the broader understanding of sports, health, and society.
Participants: All team delegation medical staff overseeing athlete health.
Participation Period: During the FISU Games.
Method: Report all new injuries and illnesses related to athletes warm up, competition and training on a daily basis using a designated form. The form is available in both paper and digital formats (login details for the digital tool will be provided separately to each participating delegation).
Objective: Systematic data collection will allow us to analyse trends, identify common risk factors, and develop improved prevention strategies for future competitions.
Participants: All athletes.
Participaction Period: From two weeks before the FISU Games until the end of the FISU Games.
Method: Complete a short online health questionnaire about any injuries or illnesses experienced in the four weeks leading up to the Games.
Objective: This survey helps assess the athletes' health status before the Games begin, allowing us to understand how pre-existing conditions or recent injuries might affect performance and overall well-being during the event.
Participants: Delegation Medical staff.
Participaction Period: From four weeks before the FISU Games until the end of the FISU Games.
Method: Complete an online survey detailing your medical background, the equipment you use, and the challenges you face when providing care during competitions.
Objective: This survey seeks to understand the experiences, challenges, and needs of healthcare professionals working with elite athletes, with the aim of enhancing medical support structures for future events.
Contact: Dr. Michael Zyskowski (Technical University of Munich)
Email: michael.zyskowski@mri.tum.de
Participants: All female athletes.
Participaction Period: From four weeks before the FISU Games until the end of the FISU Games.
Method: Complete an online survey covering topics such as female health, symptoms affecting performance, access to medical information, and areas where additional support is needed.
Objective: The insights gained will help improve support structures and educational resources.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Kirsten Legerlotz (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)
Email: legerlotz@uni-wuppertal.de
Participants: All athletes.
Participaction Period: From four weeks before the FISU Games until the end of the FISU Games.
Method: Complete an online survey that examines the balance between sport, academic commitments, and personal life, identifying challenges and areas for improvement in mental health support.
Objective: This study aims to understand the psychological stressors affecting student-athletes, with the goal of developing targeted mental health support measures.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Felix Ehrlenspiel (Technical University of Munich)
Email: felix.ehrlenspiel@tum.de
Participants: All athletes.
Participaction Period: From four weeks before the FISU Games until the end of the FISU Games.
Method: Complete an online survey about a connection between sporting values and sporting practice.
Objective: Attitudes and actions of athletes on the topics of ‘values’ and ‘participation’ are recorded and analysed with regards to their influencing factors and correlations using a questionnaire survey lasting approximately ten minutes.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Christian Gaum (Ruhr-University Bochum)
Participants: athletes from Germany and the USA
Participaction Period: From 1 July to 11 August 2025
Method: Online survey with athletes before and after the event (if possible), analysis, and visualisation of key findings.
Objective: to explore and assess the perception of the sustainability and legacy strategy of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games among key stakeholders, and to present actionable insights to organisers and FISU representatives.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth v. Bentum (Hochschule Harz), Email: evanbentum@hs-harz.de
Prof. Cynthia Haynes PHD (Hochschule Harz), Email: chaynes@iastate.edu
Participants: Visitors of the FISU Games 2025 food service areas, particularly at Lohrheide Stadium (Bochum) and Messe Essen.
Participation Period: During the FISU Games 2025, specifically over 7 days at Lohrheide Stadium and 10 days at Messe Essen.
Method: A field experiment introducing financial incentives (discount vouchers) and combined incentives (discounts with moral messaging) for plant-based meals. The study observes purchasing behavior during and after the removal of these incentives to assess both immediate and long-term effects.
Objective: To evaluate how financial and moral incentives influence the choice of plant-based food options and to understand the behavioral impact of removing such incentives on consumer decisions.
Contact: Johanna Volk (Ruhr-University Bochum)
Participants: Student research groups from Hochschule Macromedia, conducting interviews with 250 citizens across five host cities of Rhine-Ruhr 2025.
Participation Period: During the summer semester 2025, with results to be presented at the FISU World Conference in July 2025.
Method: Each group develops five survey questions based on literature, conducts 50 quota-based street interviews per city, and analyses the data using SPSS. Results are compiled into a PowerPoint report and a city-specific empirical appendix.
Objective: To explore public acceptance and awareness of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games, focusing on themes such as event recognition, sustainability, demographic factors, and general willingness to support multisport events.
Contact: Prof. Holger Sievert (Hochschule Macromedia)
Email: h.sievert@macromedia.de
Participants: Volunteers of various sports events in 2024 and 2025, including the FISU World University Games, as well as volunteer coordinators.
Participation Period: Volunteer survey to be conducted at the latest possible point after the event (ideally mid to late October 2025); interviews with volunteer coordinators to begin directly after the event.
Method: Online survey distributed via email to volunteers, and qualitative interviews with selected volunteer coordinators.
Objective: To identify factors that contribute to long-term volunteer engagement beyond the event itself, in cooperation with the German Foundation for Engagement and Volunteering.
Contact: Antonia Hannawacker (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)
Email: a.hannawacker@uni-mainz.de
Participants: All athletes and delegation members of the FISU World University Games.
Participation Period: Throughout the event period from 16 to 27 July 2025.
Method: Complete a brief online survey (approx.5 minutes) by scanning a QR code. The survey covers topics such as sustainability awareness, travel behavior, consumption habits, and your experience as a participant or spectator during the FISU Games.
Objective: The insights gained will help evaluate the ecological, social, and economic impact of the FISU World University Games. Your input will contribute to improving the planning and sustainability of future international university sports events.
Contact: Kim Schu (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)
Email: schu@uni-mainz.de
