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From July 1–11, 1983, Edmonton, Alberta, hosted Universiade ’83, the World University Games. Held every two years, the Games were second only to the Summer Olympics in size and scope, attracting many of the world’s top student athletes. That year, about 4,500 competitors from 90 countries participated in events ranging from track and field to swimming, cycling, basketball, and gymnastics. Universiade ’83 marked milestones with the first women’s marathon and women’s cycling competitions in the Games’ history. Organizers anticipated 700,000 spectators and a global television audience, cementing Edmonton’s reputation as a hub for world-class amateur sport.

The stamp design features a victory figure set against bold stripes of colour (green, black, yellow, red, yellow, blue) symbolizing the different sporting events. Each value is distinguished by its outer background — silver for the 32-cent stamp and gold for the 64-cent. Designed by Christa Huebner and David Kilvert of Heatwave Design in Edmonton, the project also benefited from the expertise of Pierre-Yves Pelletier, former Deputy Director General of graphics for the Montréal Summer  Olympics in 1976.

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