Changchun, China, located in the Jilin Province, has been approved to host the 2027 Winter World University Games, which will run from January 15-25, 2027.
The World University Games occur every two years and are made up of athletes aged 18-25 as of December 31 in the year of the event, and are current students or recently graduated (within a year) of a university.
This will be the 33rd edition of the Games, and will feature student-athletes from over 50 countries. They will compete at the Jingyuetan, Songhua, and Beidahu ski resorts in a variety of winter sports.
China has only hosted the Winter Games one other time. The 2009 Games were held in Harbin, China, which is part of the Heilongjiang Province. At those Games, China led the medal table.
FISU President Leonz Eder stated, “We would like to warmly thank our Chinese friends for their enthusiasm and the quality of their work. I am particularly grateful to Party Secretary Mr Huang for bringing the spirit, success and legacy of the Chengdu Games 2023 to Jilin Province and for promoting the Winter Universiade project so strongly.”
Changchun is home to six major ski resorts, and falls in the world’s “golden latitude” for ice and snow. The city has hosted major sporting events before, including the 2007 Asian Winter Games.
In the most recent 2025 edition, which was held in Italy, there were 13 sport disciplines held, and parastudent-athletes competed in cross-country and alpine skiing for the first time.
2027 Winter World University Games Sports Disciplines
- Alpine Skiing
- Biathlon
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Curling
- Figure Skating
- Freestyle & Freeski
- Ice Hockey
- Para Alpine Skiing
- Para Cross-Country Skiing
- Speed Skating
- Ski Mountaineering
- Ski Orienteering
- Snowboarding
France won the medal table in 2025, picking up 18 golds, eight silvers, and 14 bronze medals for a total of 40 medals. They doubled the total medal count of the 2nd place country, Korea, who brought in 20 total medals (eight gold, six silver, six bronze).
China finished 16th overall with one gold, three silvers, and one bronze, and the United States was 23rd with one silver and one bronze.
2027 will also see a Summer World University Games, which will also be in Asia, with Chungcheong, South Korea chosen as the host.
