The World Games 2025 are rapidly approaching their point of no return. Tuesday marks the fifth of ten competition days with medal events on the schedule. In seven sports, athletes will be competing for a total of 24 gold medals. But there’s more to celebrate than just victories and champions. In the evening, participants will gather on the TWG Plaza for Athletes’ Night — a special celebration for all competitors who cannot take part in either the Opening or Closing Ceremonies. The plaza will be transformed into a lively party venue and meeting place for The World Games family.
Before the festivities, however, the focus will be firmly on the competition venues in Chengdu, where athletes are performing in 13 different sports. Not every arena will need a medal podium today. In Ultimate Flying Disc, for example, the tournament is only just getting underway — the final won’t be played until Saturday. Still, it’s worth taking an early look at the Chengdu Sport University Sancha Lake Campus Athletics Field.
Here, the term “The World Games Family” can be taken quite literally. Defending champions team USA feature brothers Michael and Henry Ing. Colombia’s squad includes twin sisters Valeria and Manuela Cárdenas — with Valeria who was awarded IWGA Athlete of the Year in 2022. Australian player Cat Phillips also has a special link to the IWGA as a member of the Athletes’ Commission.
In Archery, at Qinglong Lake Park there will be no medals awarded on Tuesday either, but the event features the Games’ oldest competitor: 68-year-old Gary Yamaguchi from the United States. Competing in the recurve discipline, he will face Croatia’s Alen Remar in the elimination round.
Monday saw the start of the Billiards competitions at Civil Aviation Flight University of China Tianfu Campus Gymnasium— and a historic moment in Men’s Carom Three-Cushion. For the first time since the Games in Akita in 2001, Dutch legend and defending champion Dick Jaspers will leave the Games without a medal. The 60-year-old was eliminated in the preliminary round after two defeats. The quarterfinals will go ahead without him. In Floorball — the longest-running tournament at these Games, which began the Wednesday before the Opening Ceremony — and in Kickboxing, Tuesday will also pass without any medal matches.
So where will the podiums be set up? One answer: the Beach Handball court at Xinglong Lake Beach Arena, where Germany has the chance to close the gap on China in the medal table. Both the German women’s team (against Argentina) and the men’s team (against Portugal) have reached the finals. Fans at Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena can also expect spectacular battles in Parkour, a gymnastics discipline, with freestyle finals for both men and women.
Korfball has been part of The World Games since 1985, and the Netherlands have won the tournament ten times in a row. On Tuesday, they are once again in the final and enter the pitch at Longquan High School Gymnasium as clear favorites. Their opponent? Belgium where Korfball is very popular as well. The World Games champions will also be crowned in in Inline Skating Road (10,000 meters and 1 Lap), Squash (men’s and women’s singles) and Wushu.
And last but not least: Ju-Jitsu. One of two para disciplines at these Games will be contested on Tuesday. After Monday’s champions were crowned in Para Free Diving, the spotlight now turns to Para Ju-Jitsu, with titles to be decided in Mixed Duo Para Mental, Mixed Duo Para Visual, and Mixed Duo Para Physical categories.