Sheffield was selected as the host for the 1991 Summer Universiade at an annual meeting of
FISU's (Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire) Executive Committee in the city in February 1987. Despite initial excitement, lack of central government funding and sponsorship led to the organising company, Universiade GB, going into liquidation in the summer of 1990 with debts of more than £1 million.
Sheffield City Council stepped in to run the games using taxpayer money.
Venues The three major venues for the events were all built especially for the event, on land formerly occupied by various industrial works.
Don Valley Stadium, the centrepiece for the Games, was completed in September 1990, at a cost of £29 million. It was the first entirely new outdoor sporting arena built in Great Britain since Wembley in 1923. With a capacity of 25,000, it was twice as large as the second-biggest athletics arena in the country,
Crystal Palace.
Ponds Forge, named for the former steelworks demolished to make way for it, hosted the aquatics events.The
Sheffield Arena opened in May 1991 as a multi-purpose venue and hosted the gymnastics events. Other venues included the
Concord Sports Center in
Shiregreen and
Hillsborough Stadium. The football tournament was held across Yorkshire; at
Huddersfield,
Chesterfield,
Wakefield,
Bradford,
Scunthorpe and
Stocksbridge,with some games played at the Hillsborough.
Accommodation Hyde Park flats near
Sheffield City Centre were used for accommodation for the athletes during the games. Built in the 1960s, many had been demolished, with those left being specially refurbished for the Games.
Medals The medals were forged by Thessco, a Sheffield-based mint, who charged no fee for their manufacture. The medals' designs were selected through a national student competition, and the final design bore the
Yorkshire Rose.
Broadcasting The organisers struggled to find a live broadcast partner with any of the three terrestrial networks so a deal was signed with
BSB (British Satellite Broadcasting) and
Sky Sports provided extensive live coverage of the event. However, at the time only 1.5 million households had access to satellite television, thus reducing the potential audience. Highlights were shown on
Yorkshire Television, with commentary from
John Helm and
Gary Bloom.
Opening ceremony The opening ceremony included a performance honouring Sheffield's industrial heritage, with participants wearing flat caps and waistcoats and carrying hammers, choreographed by Judy Chabola, who had been involved with the opening ceremony of the
1984 Summer Olympics in
Los Angeles. Sheffield native
Helen Sharman, Britain's first astronaut, attracted publicity when she tripped and dropped the games torch, extinguishing it; the flames were lit by the ignitor in the flame bowl itself. The Games were then officially opened by
Princess Anne. ==Sports==