WORLD GAMES
An worldwide multi-sport competition called the World Games features sports and athletic disciplines that are not competed in at the Olympic Games. They typically last 11 days and are held every four years, one year after the Summer Olympic Games. The International World Games Association oversees the World Games, which are supported by the International Olympic Committee.
In the most recent iterations, the official program included between 25 and 30 sports. Due to their inclusion in the Olympic Games schedule, a number of sports or disciplines that were on the World Games schedule have been discontinued. There are about 3500 participants, representing about 100 countries. In contrast to other multi-sport competitions, like the Olympic Games, host towns are not required to build new venues or facilities for the World Games. Rather than the National Olympic Committees or other national governing bodies, the athletes are chosen by the international federations of the respective sports. The best finish at the world championships or a qualification competition is required for qualification in the majority of sports. The goal of this is to guarantee that the best athletes in each event compete at the Games.
The World Games, with a capital T, are the event’s official name. The World Games were originally held in Santa Clara, California, in 1981, and the eleventh edition took place in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 7 to July 17, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a one-year delay in the current edition, which was initially scheduled to take place in 2021.
International World Games Association
The organization in charge of overseeing and managing The World Games is called the International World Games Association (IWGA). Its official language is English, and its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
39 international sports federations make up its membership. Additionally, it collaborates closely with the temporary Local Organising Committees (LOCs), which are in charge of planning each World Games. After each Games, LOCs are eliminated. The International Olympic Committee has granted the IWGA official recognition.
2022 World Games
The 11th World Games, the 2022 edition, were a multi-sport international competition for sports, disciplines, or events that were not competed in the Olympic Games. The World Games 2022 were held in Birmingham, Alabama, in the United States from July 7 to 17, 2022, rather than their planned date of July 2021, as a result of the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The International World Games Association announced Birmingham, Alabama, as the host city on January 22, 2015. The Games included 30 sanctioned sports in 54 disciplines that were played at 30 locations in the Birmingham area. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a portion of the ticket sales were sent to Ukraine to help restore sporting venues. Ukraine has received a donation of $54,000.
Venues
- Avondale Park – archery
- Barber Motorsports Park – air sports (canopy piloting)
- Bessie Estell Park – boules sports
- Birmingham Crossplex
-
- Bill Harris Arena: artistic skating, inline hockey
- Natatorium: canoe polo, finswimming, lifesaving
- Indoor Track: wheelchair rugby
- Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
-
- Concert Hall: powerlifting
- East Exhibition Hall: floorball, korfball
- Legacy Arena: dancesport (Latin, rock n roll, standard), gymnastics (acrobatic, aerobic, rhythmic, trampoline and tumbling)
- North Exhibition Hall: bowling
- Sheraton Hotel Ballroom: billiards sports
- Birmingham Southern College
-
- Bill Battle Coliseum: ju-jitsu, karate, wushu
- BSC Panther Soccer Field: fistball
- campus: orienteering (sprint)
- Boutwell Auditorium – kickboxing, muay thai, sumo
- Hoover Metropolitan Stadium – softball
- John Carroll Catholic High School – flying disc
- Legion Field – flag football
- Oak Mountain State Park
-
- Double Oak Lake: canoe marathon, water skiing and wakeboard
- nature: orienteering (middle distance)
- Powell Steam Plant – track speedskating, road speedskating
- Protective Stadium – opening and closing ceremonies, air sports (drone racing)
- Railroad Park – duathlon (start and finish), orienteering (sprint relay)
- Sloss Furnaces – beach handball, dancesport (breaking), gymnastics (parkour), sport climbing
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
-
- PNC Field: lacrosse
- University Recreation Center: racquetball, squash
- track and field complex: tug of war