Lausanne, Switzerland – 26 January 2025: The International World Games Association (IWGA) is excited to unveil the ten (10) shortlisted athletes and pair who have advanced to the final round of voting for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2025.
This milestone marks an exciting phase in the competition, as the vote tallies are reset to zero, giving every finalist an equal chance of claiming the prestigious title.
Over the first phase of voting, Mexico’s Victoria Chavez from Flag Football is leading the poll with an incredible 32’712 votes. Tug of War Chia-Jung Tien (TPE) is second with a strong 20’485 votes, while DanceSport couple Marius Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska of Germany are is third with 20’425 votes.
However, with the vote counts now reset, it’s anyone’s game as the competition approaches its thrilling conclusion.
The 10 finalists are:
- 1. Flag Football – Victoria Chavez (MEX) – 32’712
- 2. Tug of War – Chia-Jung Tien (TPE) – 20’485
- 3. DanceSport – Marius Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska (GER) - 20’425
- 4. Muaythai – Laura Burgos (MEX) – 16’007
- 5. Wushu – Loan Drouard (FRA) – 14’813
- 6. Underwater Sports – Dengxi Long (CHN) 12’387
- 7. Fistball – Gabriel Heck (BRA) – 12’231
- 8. Cheerleading – Emily Growdon and Shayla Myerscough (AUS) – 11’800
- 9. Sambo – Arman Avanesyan (ARM) – 11’259
- 10. Gymnastics – Ethan McGuinness (AUS) – 11’241
With the initial round of voting now complete, fans worldwide can continue to vote for their favourites until 2 February 2026 at 12:00 GMT., when the winner, runner-up and bronze medallist will be revealed.
Let your voice be heard! Head to The World Games website and cast your votes now. You can vote every 24 hours.
Voting details:
- Voting will close on 2 February 2026 at 12:00 GMT.
- The final medallists will be announced immediately after the voting period ends.
- Real-time vote tallies will continue to be displayed throughout the campaign.
The top three finalists will receive a trophy, a valuable prize, and significant global promotion.
For more information about the voting rules and to see the athletes profile, please visit this page.