Kian Oei: From studying to becoming a star athlete at the FISU Games 2025!

Kian Oei: From studying to becoming a star athlete at the FISU Games 2025!

On July 11, 2025, Kian Oei, a talented badminton player, will compete in the FISU World University Games. This prestigious event is the largest multi-sport event after the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will take place in NRW. Around 8,500 students from up to 150 countries are expected to compete in Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Bochum, Hagen and Berlin.

Kian Oei, who studies industrial engineering with a specialization in mechanical engineering, originally comes from Berlin. He trains at the federal base in Mülheim an der Ruhr and has chosen Saarbrücken as his main training location. In the Bundesliga he plays for SV Fun-Ball Dortelweil from Hesse. His intensive training includes around 9 to 10 sessions per week - half of which are badminton-specific, while the rest are used for athleticism, strength and general fitness.

Consistency and effort

Badminton is one of the most popular sports among students worldwide. The first World University Badminton Championship was held in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1990. Badminton was originally an optional sport at the Universiades, but was made a compulsory sport in Chengdu in 2021. This development shows how much sport has become more important, not only in Europe but also in Asia, where many countries are traditionally strong.

Kian has been playing badminton for about five years and has achieved remarkable success. His greatest achievements include multiple titles at the German Youth Championships and a 3rd place at the 2024 European Team Championships. His goal at the FISU Games is to win a medal, both in the individual and team competition. In order to meet the challenges of competitive sports, he plans small daily tasks to balance his studies and sport.

Preparation for the competition

Kian Oei has no set rituals or lucky charms, but does carry out individual warm-up exercises before every game. Thanks to his well-thought-out scheduling, he can work productively even in tight time windows, for example while traveling or between training sessions. This discipline not only reflects his commitment to sport, but also his ambition to be successful in both areas of study and sport.

The FISU World University Games take place in North Rhine-Westphalia, a region with around 17,600 sports clubs and 5.3 million members. This support for sport is proven by official statistics and the State Sports Association of North Rhine-Westphalia. A total of 173,500 students are enrolled at the FISU Games venues, which corresponds to 24.4% of all students in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is noteworthy that the Fernuniversität Hagen is the largest university in this area, with over 60,000 enrolled students.

The competitions begin on July 16, 2025, and the anticipation among the athletes, including Kian, is palpable. The return of the FISU World University Games to Germany since 1989 and the simultaneous upgrading of badminton to a compulsory sport make the upcoming event particularly remarkable.