Duisburg student fights for badminton honors at FISU games!

Duisburg student fights for badminton honors at FISU games!

On July 13, 2025, an important competition starts for Jonathan Dresp, a 20-year-old business administration student at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He will compete in men's doubles badminton at the FISU World University Games. Dresp trains at the federal base in Mülheim an der Ruhr and has a weekly training time of around 20 hours. His competitive spirit, coupled with a solid education, is evident not only in sports, but also in his academic career.

Dresp began his badminton career at the age of six. Since then he has achieved significant success, including tournament victories at the Bonn International Future Series Tournament, the Czech International Future Series and the Latvia International. He also achieved an impressive 3rd place at the German Championships. His main goal at the FISU Games is to play as many high-level games as possible and go far.

Badminton in the context of the FISU games

Badminton is extremely popular within the student community and has received a lot of attention since its introduction as an optional sport in the FISU World University Games. The first World University Badminton Championship was held in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1990. In the first four editions, Asian countries, particularly China and Chinese Taipei, dominated the singles competitions, while European nations enjoyed occasional success in the doubles competitions. This development led to badminton being recognized as a compulsory sport in Chengdu from 2021, further promoting the sport. Another sign of its popularity is the increasing number of participating countries and athletes, as seen at the 2004 World Cup, which featured 20 countries and 134 participants.

The practical experience and the increased international number of spectators have contributed to the popularity of badminton. In 1998, badminton was first proposed as an optional sport at the Universiade in Thailand, resulting in a massive increase in the number of participating countries. Badminton was also repeatedly part of the program at the subsequent events in Shenzhen 2011, Kazan 2013, Gwangju 2015 and Taipei 2017.

A look into the history of the FISU Games

The FISU World University Games, formerly known as the Universiade, has a rich history, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022. From the initial 43 countries that took part in Turin in 1959, the number of participants has increased to 109 countries by the last edition in Naples in 2019. A record 173 countries attended the 2003 Daegu Games. The sports program has expanded significantly over the years, from 7 sports at the first Games to currently 15 compulsory sports and up to 3 optional sports, as adopted at the last event in Naples.

The evolution of women's participation is equally striking: in 1959, 120 female athletes took part, while in Naples this number rose to almost 2,800. The medal table also reflects the diversity and competition of the participating nations, with leading countries such as Russia, Korea, Japan, China and Taipei in recent editions. The FISU Games are therefore not just a competition, but also a significant international event that promotes the support and commitment of young athletes worldwide.

As Dresp prepares for his competition, he shows how sports and academic careers can go hand in hand and highlights the importance of such games for the personal and athletic development of young talent.