The 2016 FISU World University Rugby Sevens Championship will welcome 19 rugby sevens teams – nine male and 10 female – from 14 nations, to the second largest city in Wales for three full days of competition and a comprehensive cultural programme from 6-9 July. 

First played in China in 2004, the Championships have been a breeding ground for future top level players, including current England and Wales sevens captains and Great Britain Rio 2016 hopefuls, Tom Mitchell and Luke Treharne, both of them gold medallists in 2012 when Great Britain became the first and only nation to win both the men’s and women’s titles in the same year.

A number of high-profile women’s players have also graced the World University Championship with Berta Garcia, who recently helped Spain qualify for Rio at the repechage in Dublin, the triumphant captain back in 2010. She was followed in holding the trophy aloft two years’ later by England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 hero Emily Scarratt, while, in 2014, Bianca Farella led Canada to victory.

Emphasising the important role student rugby plays in the pathway to the top end of the game in Candian women's rugby, Farella is one of 10 players from that title-winning squad to go on and represent their country on the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. Meanwhile, France’s Lenaig Corson, who played on the series as recently as February when she appeared in Sao Paulo, has been given the honour of taking the athletes' oath at the opening ceremony.

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The Great Britainmen’s squad will be looking to complete a hat-trick of titles in Swansea – adding to their tournament wins in France in 2012 and Brazil in 2014. Cornish Pirates and University of Exeter scrum-half Robin Coote is the only survivor from the team that beat Belgium 17-7 in the final two years ago.

Hoping to steer the hosts to glory is experienced campaigner James Farndon, who was assistant coach two years ago and head coach back in 2010. But the two-time defending champions will have to negotiate tough-looking pool fixtures against Australia and Italy if they are to progress to the latter stages of the competition.

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The GB women’s team will be fighting hard to win back their 2012 title after Canada pipped them to the post in the last tournament held in Brazil. They avoid Canada in their pool but New Zealand and France stand in their way.

“I’m hoping we win, that’s the aim and I think we have an extremely strong team and there’s no doubt in my mind that we can. The key thing is to work together, listen and push each other to our limits, become a team and enjoy the experience,” said Great Britain's Abigail Walker.

Canada's women have won the tournament an unprecedented three times and with three of the squad – Pamphinette Buisa, Ashley Gordon and Nakisa Levale – earmarked for future international honours, they look just as strong as ever. Their title defence gets underway with a game against Portugal.

The international competition falls under FISU (the International University Sports Federation), who announced an exciting collaboration with World Rugby in April, and is one of 33 championships held across 2016. On alternative years, World University Games (Summer Universiade) are held – events that are considered second to only the Olympic Games. 

The World University Championship will be delivered utilising the resources and networks of a number of partner organisation including Swansea University, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and the Welsh Rugby Union.

As a team training base during the Rugby World Cup 2015, the Swansea University International Sports Village’s high calibre facilities boast an international reputation utilised by the Canada, Fiji and New Zealand national rugby teams among a range of other distinguished sporting teams and athletes.

Swansea University have strived to turn the event into a sevens festival spectacular and will feature a School’s Day on Thursday, giving over 300 pupils and staff from local schools a chance to see world quality skills in action. 

 All matches will be live streamed via www.youtube.com/FISUTV.