Sverdlovsk Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev has announced the invalidation of the decree to hold the FISU Summer World University Games in 2023 ©Getty Images

An official order by the Russian region of Sverdlovsk to prepare and stage this year’s International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer World University Games in Yekaterinburg has been cancelled.

Sverdlovsk Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev has announced the invalidation of the decree to hold the Games after FISU suspended Yekaterinburg’s hosting rights due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

The decree was signed in October 2019 three months after Yekaterinburg was awarded the Games but the city’s plans to host the multi-sport event in 2023 have been dashed following the decision by FISU.

"I decide to invalidate the decree of the Governor of the Sverdlovsk region ‘on the preparation and holding of the XXXII World Summer Universiade 2023 in Yekaterinburg with the changes introduced by [other] decrees of the Government of the Sverdlovsk region'," the document reads.

An official decree cancelling Summer World University Games has been posted on the website of Sverdlovsk, whose administrative centre Yekaterinburg ©Sverdlosvk Oblast
An official decree cancelling Summer World University Games has been posted on the website of Sverdlovsk, whose administrative centre Yekaterinburg ©Sverdlosvk Oblast

Russia has held the Summer and Winter edition of the FISU Games under the former Universiade title in the past decade in Kazan in 2013 and Krasnoyarsk in 2019, respectively.

Yekaterinburg was originally due to play host from August 8 to 19 but a decision was made by the FISU Executive Committee in April last year to suspend the hosting rights, leading to the Chinese city of Chengdu stepping in.

Chengdu had initially been scheduled to hold the Games in 2021, but COVID-19 restrictions led to two postponements.

Chengdu 2023 is now due to take place from July 28 to August 8.

The next three editions of the Summer World University Games have also been attributed with Rhine-Ruhr in 2025, Chungcheong Megacity in 2027 and North Carolina in 2029.

Yekaterinburg had been scheduled to hold this year's Summer World University Games only for the hosting rights to be suspended by FISU last year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images
Yekaterinburg had been scheduled to hold this year's Summer World University Games only for the hosting rights to be suspended by FISU last year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

Yekaterinburg is now due to stage an International University Sports Festival from August 19 to 31.

The event will take place at sports facilities that were built as part of the preparation for the Summer World University Games and is expected to feature teams drawn from countries in the BRICS, SCO and CIS groups.

BRICS involves Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

SCO, an acronym for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, involves China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The Commonwealth of Independent States includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.