1983 Summer Universiade

XII Summer Universiade
XII Universiade d'été

Host city	Edmonton, Canada
Nations	73
Athletes	2,400
Events	117 in 10 sports
Opening	July 1, 1983
Closing	July 12, 1983
Opened by	Charles, Prince of Wales
Torch lighter	Jeanna Suzanne-Genrisson
Main venue	Commonwealth Stadium
←  1981 Bucharest 1985 Kobe  →

The 1983 Summer Universiade , also known as the XII Summer Universiade, took place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between July 1 and 12, 1983. Over 2,400 athletes from 73 countries participated. It was the first ever Summer Universiade held in North America; ^[1] as of 2026 ^[update] , it remains the only time Canada hosted the Summer, or Winter, Universiade (renamed Summer, or Winter, World University Games in 2021). ^[2] Previously, Edmonton hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games, and later hosted the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, amongst other international sporting events.

The official mascot of the event was Wugie the Owl; his name is an acronym of World University Games in Edmonton, and the Owl is the provincial bird of Alberta. The Prince of Wales (now Charles III) opened the Universiade accompanied by Diana, Princess of Wales, and other dignitaries and celebrities also visited the event. ^[3]

The event was marred by tragedy from the death of Soviet diver Sergei Chalibashvili when he died eight days after hitting his head on the 10 m diving platform in competition while attempting a reverse 3½ in the tuck position. ^{[4] [5]}

In October 2005, Edmonton was selected as a potential bid candidate to host the 2011 Summer Universiade by the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). ^[6]

Sports

Various competitions were held, across 10 different sports: ^[1]

•   Athletics (40)
•   Basketball (2)
•   Cycling
  • Road cycling (4)
  • Track cycling (8)
•   Diving (4)
•   Fencing (8)
•   Gymnastics (14)
•   Swimming (30)
•   Tennis (5)
•   Volleyball (2)
•   Water polo (1)

Venues

Venue	Events	Capacity	Status
Argyll Velodrome	Track Cycling [7]		Active
Commonwealth Stadium	Athletics	60,081	Active
Hawrelak Park	Road cycling	Start/finish	Active
Kinsmen Aquatic Centre	Diving, Swimming, Water polo		Active
Michener Park	Tennis [8]		Defunct [9]
Northlands Coliseum	Gymnastics [10]	17,498	Defunct
Universiade Pavilion	Basketball, Volleyball [8]	5,500	Active

Medal table

  *   Host nation (Canada)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Soviet Union  (URS)	57	30	25	112
2	United States  (USA)	12	20	21	53
3	Canada  (CAN)*	9	11	18	38
4	Italy  (ITA)	8	11	6	25
5	Romania  (ROU)	6	12	8	26
6	China  (CHN)	5	5	4	14
7	Nigeria  (NGR)	5	0	0	5
8	Great Britain  (GBR)	3	2	3	8
9	France  (FRA)	2	4	5	11
10	Japan  (JPN)	2	3	5	10
11	Cuba  (CUB)	2	1	4	7
12	Australia  (AUS)	2	1	2	5
13	West Germany  (FRG)	1	6	3	10
14	Poland  (POL)	1	2	1	4
15	Belgium  (BEL)	1	1	0	2
16	Brazil  (BRA)	1	0	2	3
17	Netherlands  (NED)	0	3	0	3
18	Yugoslavia  (YUG)	0	2	1	3
19	Tunisia  (TUN)	0	1	2	3
20	Czechoslovakia  (TCH)	0	1	0	1
	Senegal  (SEN)	0	1	0	1
	Tanzania  (TAN)	0	1	0	1
23	Austria  (AUT)	0	0	1	1
	Bermuda  (BER)	0	0	1	1
	Hungary  (HUN)	0	0	1	1
	Jamaica  (JAM)	0	0	1	1
	New Zealand  (NZL)	0	0	1	1
	South Korea  (KOR)	0	0	1	1
Totals (28 entries)		117	118	116	351

Participating nations

Around 2,400 athletes from 73 nations, competed at the 1983 Summer Universiade. ^[1]

Participating National University Sports Federations

Afghanistan   Albania   Algeria   Andorra   Angola   Argentina   Australia   Austria   Barbados   Belgium   Benin   Bolivia   Botswana   Brazil   Bulgaria   Myanmar   Cameroon   Canada   Chad   Chile   China   Colombia   Comoros   Republic of the Congo   Cuba   Cyprus   Czechoslovakia   Denmark   Dominican Republic   Ecuador   Egypt   Ethiopia   Finland   France   Gabon   The Gambia   East Germany   West Germany   Ghana   Greece   Guatemala   Haiti   Honduras   Hong Kong   Hungary   Iceland   India   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Ireland   Israel   Italy   Ivory Coast   Jamaica   Japan   Jordan   Kenya   South Korea   North Korea   Laos   Lebanon   Lesotho   Libya   Liechtenstein   Luxembourg   Mali   Malta   Mauritania   Mexico   Monaco   Mongolia   Morocco   Nepal   Netherlands   New Zealand   Nicaragua   Niger   Nigeria   Norway   Oman   Pakistan   Panama   Papua New Guinea   Peru   Paraguay   Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Puerto Rico   Qatar   Romania   Rwanda   Saint Kitts and Nevis   Saint Lucia   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   San Marino   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Seychelles   Sierra Leone   Singapore   Soviet Union   Spain   Sudan   Sweden   Switzerland   Syria   Chinese Taipei   Tanzania   Thailand   Togo   Tonga   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Turkey   Uganda   United Arab Emirates   Great Britain   United States   Upper Volta   Uruguay   Venezuela   Vietnam   Samoa   North Yemen   South Yemen   Yugoslavia   Zaire   Zambia

References

1. "12th Summer Universiade | Canada, Edmonton | 01 Jul 1983 - 12 Jul 1983". International University Sports Federation. Archived from the original on 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
2. "FISU World University Games - Events". International University Sports Federation . Retrieved 2026-01-07.
3. "Highlights from Edmonton's Sport History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
4. Burnton, Simon (March 28, 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No20: Greg Louganis's perfect dive 1988". The Guardian . Retrieved July 27, 2012.
5. "Milestones: Jul. 25, 1983". Time . July 25, 1983. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
6. "International Programs - Canadian Interuniversity Sport". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
7. "Russian bear displays true golden color" (PDF). Sports. The Citizen . United Press International. 1983-07-05. p. 14. Retrieved 2026-01-07. In an afternoon competition under the sun at the Argyll Velodrome, two Soviet cyclists won the 1,000-meter time trials.
8. "The summer the world came to North Campus". In the Community. The Quad. 2023-08-31. Archived from the original on 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
9. Azarcoya-Barrera, Jessy (2022-07-11). "New U of A tennis facility to open at South Campus". The Gateway . Archived from the original on 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2026-01-08. The new facility will replace the existing nine outdoor tennis courts at Michener Park that were originally built in 1982 and are getting to the end of their life cycle.
10. John Tesh, Peter Kormann (July 1983). 1983 World University Games - Men's Team & All-Around Competition Gymnastics (Television production). Edmonton: CBS Sports . Retrieved 2026-01-07– via YouTube.