‘Today's Stars, Tomorrow's Leaders’ is one of the mottos of the World University Games. With just over a year to go until the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the athletes from the French team and the Université Grenoble Alpes have set their sights on Turin!

From 13 to 23 January 2025, 72 student-athletes, including 31 from the UGA, represented France at the 32^nd Winter FISU World University Games in the capital of Piedmont. This latest edition of the Winter FISU World university games, organised every two years by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in alternation with the summer games, brought together more than 2,500 athletes from 56 countries.

Led by the French University Sports Federation (FFSU), the French delegation had an historic Games in Turin. It was a success to which the UGA's top-level student athletes made a major contribution

Medal triumph and record for France and the UGA

With a total of 40 medals (18 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze), the French university team has smashed its medal record set in 2023 at Lake Placid in the United States (18 medals, including 5 gold). Thanks to this feat, and for the first time since 1960, France has climbed to first place in the ranking of nations, well ahead of Korea and Finland.

The UGA ‘delegation’ also made history at these Games, winning 19 medals, including 7 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze! UGA athletes also broke their record for medals in Turin, having won 5 medals in 2023 at the World University Games in Lake Placid. Of the 31 UGA athletes competing this year, 15 returned from the capital of Piedmont with a medal around their neck.

Hervé Jouniaux is a lecturer at the UFR STAPS and head of the CUFE Alpine Skiing at the UGA, and was also in Turin as the French alpine ski coach. He spoke to the France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes website about the exceptional atmosphere at these Games and the importance of such a competition in a sporting career: ‘It's such a great learning experience. You have everything you'd expect from the greats: races for medals rather than points, great opening and closing shows, but also doping tests, a national team to defend... It's an extra dimension that you need to know if you want to compete at the highest level.’

The performances of the athletes from the UGA ‘delegation’

In addition to the 19 medals won by the UGA ‘delegation’, almost half of all the French medals, the UGA's top-level student athletes put in some superb performances in Turin, with no fewer than 27 Top 10 finishes. Watch the exploits of Les Bleus on FISU web TV https://www.fisu.tv/browse

Biathlon

● Adrien Baylac, student in a 2-year degree in Physics (Physics and research course) - DLST: 21^st (15km individual), 14^th (sprint), 12^th (12.5km pursuit), 9^th (mass start)
● Amélie Broutier, 2^nd year Pharmacy student - Faculty of Pharmacy: 5^th (12.5km individual), 8^th (sprint), 10^th (10km pursuit), 5^th (mass start)
● Paul Fontaine, student in a 2-year STAPS hybrid degree (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 14^th (15km individual), 6^th (mixed relay), 7^th (sprint), bronze medal (12.5km pursuit), 12^th (mass start)
● Lisa Siberchicot, undergraduate student in Licence 3 STAPS (APAS course) - UFR STAPS: 8^th (12.5km individual), 13^th (sprint), 14^th (10km pursuit), 6^th (mass start)

Figure skating

● Amedeo Bonetto, student in degree 1 LLCER Italian - UFR SoCLE: 8^th (ice dance with Eva Bernard)
● Eva Bernard, student on a 1 Applied Human Sciences degree - UFR ARSH: 8^th (ice dancing with Amedeo Bonetto)
● Xavier Vauclin, student on a 2 STAPS hybrid licence (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 19^th (free skating)

Short track

● Étienne Bastier, student on the 2 STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 5^th (1,000m A final), 3^rd (1,500m B final), 3^rd (mixed relay B final)
● Simon Bastier, student on Licence 1 STAPS Hybride (SHIFT) - UFR STAP: 3^rd (B final mixed relay)
● Eva Grenouilloux, student on the 2 STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: bronze medal (women's 3,000m relay)
● Cloé Ollivier, student on a 2-year STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: bronze medal (women's 3,000m relay), 5^th (A final in the 1,500m), 3^rd (B final in the mixed relay), 1^st (B final in the 1,000m)
● Tawan Thomas, student on a 2-year STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 3^rd (B final in the mixed relay)

Alpine skiing

● Emy Charbonnier, student on a Licence 1 Applied Human Sciences - UFR ARSH: gold medal (combined), bronze medal (super-G), 5^th (giant slalom), 15^th (slalom)
● Marjolaine Ollier, student on a 2-year vocational degree in Entrepreneurship - IUT2: 4^th (combined), 7^th (giant slalom), bronze medal (mixed team parallel), 6^th (slalom)
● Paul Silvestre, student on Licence 1 STAPS hybride (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 10^th (giant slalom), bronze medal (mixed team parallel), bronze medal (slalom)
● Jonas Skabar, student in degree 1 STAPS hybrid (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: silver medal (combined), bronze medal (super-G), 17^th (giant slalom), bronze medal (mixed parallel by team)
● Clément Talayrach, student on the 1 STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: 10^th (super-G), 21^st (giant slalom), 15^th (slalom)

Para alpine skiing

● Arthur Bauchet, undergraduate student in Physics 1 (Physics, chemistry, mechanics, maths course): silver medal (super-G), gold medal (giant slalom)
● Aurélie Richard, student on a 1 STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS: gold medal (super-G), gold medal (giant slalom)

Ski mountaineering

● Rémi Cantan, student in the Master 1 Métiers de l'enseignement (MEEF 1^er degré) programme - INSPE: gold medal (vertical race)
● Bazil Ducouret, student on a 2 STAPS degree course - UFR STAPS: 5^th (sprint)
● Louna Dupont, Masters student in Local Authority Management - Science Po Grenoble - UGA: 4^th (sprint), 9^th (vertical race)
● Robin Gallindo, student on a 2-year STAPS hybrid degree course (SHIFT) - UFR STAPS
● Pablo Giner, master's student in Ecological Transitions - Science Po Grenoble - UGA: silver medal (sprint), gold medal (mixed relay with M. Ravinel)
● Eliott Robin-Saje, student-engineer at the Prépa des INP - Grenoble INP - UGA: bronze medal (vertical race)
● Loanne Roussillon, student in BUT 2 Organisational Communication - IUT 2: 5^th (sprint), 4^th (vertical race)

Cross-country skiing

● Félix Caillot, student on a degree 1 Applied Human Sciences - UFR ARSH: 5^th (10 km individual), 6^th (4 x 7.5 km relay), 21^st (mass start)
● Justine Gaillard, student on a 2 Geography and Planning degree - IUGA
● Julie Marciniak, student on a 2-year vocational degree in Entrepreneurship - IUT2: 5^th (10 km individual), 6^th (mixed relay with H. Zanellato), bronze medal (4 x 7.5 km relay), 11^th (mass start)

Snowboard

● Margaux Herpin, 3^rd year engineering student at Polytech Grenoble - Grenoble INP - UGA: silver medal (snowboard cross)
● Camille Poulat, student in degree 1 Life Sciences - DLST: gold medal (snowboard cross)

Top-level support

This year, the UGA is supporting nearly 700 high-level sports students (SHN) in their dual project, and has established itself as the French university with the highest number of students recognised by the Ministry of Sport as high-level sportspeople*. As the capital of the Alps, the UGA offers specific support for winter sports, which account for 42% of the top-level sports students.

Involved in the biggest competitions (33 UGA students and graduates took part in the last Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022), the UGA's winter sports specialists can take advantage of two innovative schemes organised around their strong sporting constraints: Inter'Val and the Centres universitaires de formation et d’entraînement (CUFE).

Reserved for athletes competing on the international circuit, Inter'Val is based on a unique partnership in France between the UGA, the Agence nationale du sport (ANS) and 4 sports federations (FFS, FFSG, FFHG and FFHandisport). Also in conjunction with the sporting world, the UGA has set up specific support in several winter disciplines through three of its seven Centres universitaires de formation et d’entraînement: the CUFE Ski Alpinisme, the CUFE Ski Alpin and the CUFE Ski Nordique.

Before joining them again in 2027 for the 33^rd edition of the FISU Winter World University Games, the UGA champions look forward to seeing you in February 2026 for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina!