Karlsruhe, Germany, will officially become the host of The World Games 2029 when Mayor Dr Frank Mentrup receives the IWGA flag during Sunday’s closing ceremony in Chengdu, China. The symbolic handover by IWGA President José Perurena marks the start of the “Road to Karlsruhe” for the 13th edition of TWG.
This will not be the first time the city in southern Germany has hosted the event: Karlsruhe staged already the third edition of The World Games in 1989.
Mayor Mentrup has been in Chengdu for several days with nine members of the “KA 29” team, taking part in the observer programme led by IWGA project manager Pascal Zeller. The delegation has been visiting some of the world-class competition venues. On Thursday, Powerlifting and Racquetball were on the agenda; on Friday, Boules and Flying Disc and on Saturday Cheerleading and Gymnastics.
Meetings with the Local Organising Committee in Chengdu have provided insights into the challenges of staging a multi-sport event with more than 30 sports and over 5,000 athletes. The observers focused on key areas such as venue branding, venue management, award ceremonies, broadcasting, and competition management.
The visit is also about networking and getting to know key stakeholders. On Saturday evening, Karlsruhe will host an official reception attended by Dr. Christiane Schenderlein, Germany’s Minister of State for Sport and Voluntary Work. The Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the city of Karlsruhe are the three stakeholders in TWG 2029, contributing to a total budget of around €120 million.
“What we see here is impressive,” said Mayor Mentrup. “The competition venues alone are of the highest standard. Nevertheless, we will not simply copy what we see. We want to give the Games our own character.”
Comparisons between the current and future host cities show why the approach will be different: Chengdu has 21 million residents, while Karlsruhe in region has over over 500.000. That difference shapes the concept.
“We want to bring sport into the city,” Mentrup explained. “Public parks and squares will become venues so spectators can walk between competitions or travel just a few tram stops. The central plaza will be on the fairground in the city centre.”
One guiding principle for TWG 2029 is to create Games for the people. “In a society that is increasingly fragmented, we want to help bring people together through sport. This is even a national task,” Mentrup said. He added: “For Karlsruhe and the region, we want to strengthen identification with the city and involve the population as much as possible.”
Large venues like those in Chengdu are not feasible in Karlsruhe – but the goal is for every seat to be filled. “It will be smaller, but incredibly personal,” Mentrup said, citing the 1989 Games as a model.
“People still approach me in the supermarket and tell me how great The World Games were back then.”
The memory of that event, he added, is “burned into the city’s collective memory,” making political decision-making for TWG 2029 remarkably smooth. The city’s sports clubs, representing around 100,000 members, are also eager to participate.
The organisers aim to think beyond local borders. “We promote ourselves as the Heart of Europe,” Mentrup noted. “Karlsruhe is close to the German–French border, and we want to negotiate hosting a competition in nearby Strasbourg.”
For the new host, the Road to Karlsruhe is just beginning. The next milestone comes at the end of the year, when the Organising Committee for TWG 2029 will be established.
Karlsruhe is clearly a sport hub already: in 2005, the Tour de France stopped in Karlsruhe, and for 40 years the city has hosted an indoor athletics meeting at the Europahalle. Meeting director Martin Wacker is also part of the observer delegation in Chengdu.