What are the FISU Games?
Every two years, thousands of student-athletes gather in a different city to hold one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious multi-sport affairs. Established in 1949, the International University Sports Federation Games or the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU), hosts some of the world’s most skillful student-athletes in an event where brain meets brawn. With its motto “Excellence in Mind and Body,” FISU promises to deliver world-class sports while allowing the athletes to carry on with their academic pursuits.
The two-week gathering is a competition of over 9,200 participants from over 100 countries; they compete in 15 compulsory sports and up to three optional sports, which are left to the organizers’ discretion as a way of complying with their goal of sports innovation and development. Team Canada selects its delegation team through a set of relevant competitions and rankings made by the national federation of a particular sport. After their absence in the 2023 FISU Games, Canada returned to the playing field with some of the best U of T student-athletes.
Making waves in Rhine-Ruhr
He’s a provincial champion, a medalist in the nationals — and now has made his presence known on the international scene.
Ben Loewen, a fourth-year commerce major, propelled himself to a fourth-place finish in the 200-metre butterfly at the recently held 2025 FISU Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. The reigning Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s swimmer of the year also landed a sixth-place finish on the 200-metre men’s backstroke and the 23rd spot in 100-metre butterfly. Despite falling short of a podium finish, the Varsity Blues Swimming head coach, Byron MacDonald, remains optimistic about the swimmer. In an interview with the Varsity Blues, he said, “This is a huge step forward for Ben, to vie for a medal on the senior international stage with all the adjustments like time change and mid-summer prep and taper.”
The Toronto-born swimmer finished three spots ahead of his teammate Patrick Hussey, who is from Montreal and is attending the University of North Carolina, where he topped his semi-final time by just five milliseconds. “It was a lot of fun being able to race that event with Patrick. We were neck and neck in all three races, and he’s an extremely supportive teammate,” Loewen disclosed in an interview with the Varsity Blues.
Loewen’s Varsity Blues teammate, Liam Weaver, also grabbed the 29th place in the men’s 50-metre freestyle and the 44th spot in the 50-metre butterfly. Weaver also took part in the men’s 4x100m relay as part of Team Canada, helping them nab a 12th-place finish.
Clearing new heights
What is there left to conquer for a two-time U-SPORTS winner and a three-time OUA champion? — nothing, except maybe a grander and brighter stage.
Aiden Grout, a Master’s student studying science in sustainability management, recorded a 2.13-metre jump to clinch ninth place in the men’s high jump competition. Julia Agostinelli, Grout’s teammate on the Track and Field Team and a physical therapy major, ran 2:09.00 to place 30th in the women’s 800-metre. She is the reigning women’s 1,500-metre U SPORTS champion.
The Blues pair was chosen from a selection of over 50 student-athletes across 22 Canadian universities to represent their country in the games.
A smashing duo
Nathan Mills and Harold Tan represented both Canada and U of T in badminton at the games. The pair earned their spot at the delegation after leading the Varsity Blues at the 2025 YONEX Canadian University College Championships.
The duo first spearheaded the team on its way to winning the national title. The pair then snagged the men’s doubles gold medal, completing an immaculate run with five consecutive victories in the final two days of the YONEX competition.
The pair anchored the Varsity Blues’ team to capture the OUA Provincial Gold and are currently ranked 13th for men’s doubles in Canada.
When asked about representing Canada in an interview with the Varsity Blues, Mills said, “Making Team Canada was an incredibly satisfying feeling.” He added, “It has always been a dream of mine to represent my country and play against the best players in the world, so you can imagine what it meant to me when I finally got the chance.”
Meanwhile, in the same interview, Tan shared his excitement about playing with his doubles partner in the international tournament. “I have been playing with him this whole season, and it only feels right to enter onto such a prestigious stage of international badminton with him as well.”
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