College athletics College athletics is a term encompassing the non - professional , collegiate and university - level competitive sports and games requiring physical skill , and the systems of training that prepare athletes for competition performance . World University games . The first World University Games were held in 1923 . There were originally called the Union Nationale des Étudiants Français . In 1957 , following several previous renames , they became known as the World University Games . Individual countries . Australia . University sport has received little academic attention in Australia . In 1863 , rugby union was first played in Australia at the University of Sydney when several clubs affiliated with the university were established . One of Australia ' s earliest cricket teams was founded at the University of Sydney in 1854 . This university affiliated team is one of the only teams from that period that still exists . Canada . University sports are viewed as having a positive social impact in Canada . The Federal government is involved with university sport . Wrestling is a university sport in Canada , with the system helping to provide future and current members of the Canadian national wrestling team . China . University sport was established in China by the 1930s . One of these programs was at the Catholic University of Peking . In 1936 , members of the team traveled to Japan as members of a team to participate in a basketball and association football competition . During the early stages of World War II in the region , most universities suspended their sport programmes . The exceptions were Fu Ren University and Yanjing University which kept these programmes open until 1942 before shutting them down . Chinese universities organised boat races before the cultural revolution . These races were modeled after the boat races in England . Japan . University sport was established in Japan by the 1930s . By 1977 , ultimate Frisbee had been established as a university sport . National championships were held that year with Aichi Gakuin University winning the inaugural event . Mexico . Universities are affiliated with soccer teams that are professional . One such team is the Universidad Autonoma Pumas New Zealand . New Zealand universities ' s sports teams normally compete in local sports leagues against non - university teams . There is an annual national event which covers a large number of sports and competitive cultural activities ( such as debating ) . The event is typically held over Easter , rotating around university centers . South Africa . During the 1970s , the National Union of South African Students worked to create a university sport programme where race was not considered in team and competition arrangements . The organisation faced some governmental hurdles . At the time , inter - racial sport was only allowed to be played on private grounds , which meant games and competitions could not be played on public university grounds . They had models from the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town which had already held such events . United Kingdom . British Universities and Colleges Sport ( BUCS ) is the governing body for university and college sport in the UK . It runs leagues in 16 sports and an annual championship meeting , which in 2011 covered 19 sports . England . There were undergraduate boat races in Victorian England , and The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is still a notable annual event . During the 1990s , ultimate Frisbee became a popular sport in England with events organised on many university campuses . This university participation would help lead to the establishment of a national sport federation for ultimate Frisbee . Wales . Universities in Wales support national development of athletics . One example of this is the Wales National Pool at Swansea University which with local government constructed a pool for high level development of swimming in Wales .