"We are delighted to welcome our friends from French Polynesia to the FISU Oceania network. It is our mission (at FISU Oceania) to provide opportunities for university students from across the Pacific, and we are pleased to now be able to include students from the two universities in French Polynesia in our programmes and activities," said David Schmude, President of FISU Oceania since November 2019. 

"The development of university sport in our smaller nations is important to our federation and we look forward to working with the team at the Union du Sport Universitaire Polynesien to promote university sport opportunities both on and off the islands," Schmude added. 

The Union du Sport Universitaire Polynesien (USUP) was created in 2022 to promote and support the development of university sport in French Polynesia. The island state has two universities: The University of French Polynesia and the Institut Supérieur d'Enseignement Privé de Polynésie (ISEPP). 

"It is an exciting time for our federation to be the newest member of FISU Oceania. We look forward to participating in events and becoming more active in university sport in the Oceania region," said Benjamin Grosjean, President of USUP. 

"Our students are passionate about sport and with our island nation hosting the Paris 2024 Olympic Surfing Programme, we expect to see increased excitement and engagement in sport within our university student community," he concluded.

FISU Oceania has 13 member nations 

-Full Members: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. 

-Associate Members: American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, New Caledonia and now French Polynesia.