U SPORTS names chefs de mission for 2027 FISU World University Games

Manon Simard and Ben Matchett have been named chefs de mission for Canada’s delegations to the 2027 FISU World University Games, U SPORTS announced Friday.

Simard will lead Team Canada at the Winter World University Games in Changchun, China, from Jan. 15-25, 2027, while Matchett will head the Canadian delegation at the Summer World University Games in Chungcheong, South Korea, from Aug. 1-12, 2027.

“Manon and Ben are outstanding choices to lead Team Canada on the international stage,” said Matthew Davies, chief sport officer at U SPORTS. “Each brings valuable international experience and has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their respective programs. We look forward to seeing them support our student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence.”

Simard has served as director general of the CEPSUM and varsity sport at the Université de Montréal since 2020, capping a career with the Carabins that began in 1995. She led the relaunch of the Carabins varsity program that had been cut a year earlier and has overseen its growth to 15 U SPORTS teams. Montréal reinforced its status as one of the country’s leading programs this past season with national titles in football, women’s soccer and women’s hockey.

A former international-level swimmer, Simard will be making her second appearance at a FISU Games after serving as an athlete services officer at the 1997 Summer World University Games in Sicily. She has also worked with the Canadian Olympic Committee at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Simard is currently a vice-president of the RSEQ and served on the U SPORTS board of directors from 2015 to 2021.

“It is a tremendous honour to have been named chef de mission for the 2027 Winter World University Games,” said Simard. “As a former athlete, I long dreamed of experiencing this event from a different perspective—on the side of those who support and propel others forward. The past few years have been marked by significant professional challenges, but today, that dream is finally becoming a reality. Accompanying the Canadian delegation and supporting these student-athletes at such a defining stage of their journey is both a privilege and a responsibility that I embrace with great pride.”

Matchett will be making his fifth appearance at a FISU World University Games and previously served as chef de mission at the 2023 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. He was previously the communications manager at Naples 2019 and Granada 2015 and a communications officer at Belgrade 2009.

Matchett has been the athletic director of the Calgary Dinos since 2021 and was named president of the Canada West Conference and appointed to the U SPORTS board of directors in 2025. He has spent more than 25 years with Dinos athletics in various roles, beginning as a student volunteer in 2000 and culminating with his promotion to director. 

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be selected for this role, and I thank U SPORTS for the opportunity,” said Matchett. “FISU events represent a rare opportunity for student-athletes to represent their country at an international competition, and I look forward to working with the mission staff, team leaders, and coaches to make sure our athletes have the best possible experience and are set up to perform at their very best.”

Further announcements regarding mission staff and team rosters will be made in the coming months.