The IWGA Board started the year ahead of The World Games 2021 by meeting in Lausanne to discuss matters related to The World Games and its future, and more. Last year, all federations received a paper for review, presenting a future strategy for the IWGA. “In the meeting, the Board went through the valuable advice and observations made by the federations, and agreed appropriate modifications to the paper,” says Joachim Gossow, CEO of the IWGA.
Another topic on the agenda of the meeting was modification of the IWGA Anti-Doping Rules, in preparation for The World Games 2021. The IWGA Board is cooperating with WADA to ensure continued code compliance at all levels.
The Board also noted the status of planning for The World Games 2021, as well as changes in the Organising Committee, warmly welcoming to his role the new CEO, Nick Sellers.
As regards The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China, the Board was informed that there was much interest from the federations in staging events of The World Games sports in Chengdu and its surroundings, in the years leading to The Games. This is something the Chengdu organisers are working hard to enable.
John Faylor, the chair of the IWGA Ethics Committee, also briefed the meeting on their responsibilities for upholding ethical standards. The Board appointed two main Committee members from those previously approved by the General Meeting. The plan is to have two members and two reserve members, in addition to the chair.
After the Board meeting, a status update meeting was held between the official time-keeper of The World Games 2021, Tissot / Swiss Timing, and the IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow. Laszlo Szakadati, Head of Client Services at Swiss Timing, and Regis Menoux, Int. Sports Partnership Manager at Tissot, took part. Their planning for The Games in Birmingham is on schedule, and Joachim Gossow was pleased with the meeting:
“We have been partners with Tissot and Swiss Timing since 2009, so both parties know what is expected in the year before The World Games. Everything is running well and Tissot is doing their best to help make The World Games once again a success, in particular when it comes to time-keeping and the results service.”
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 15-25 July 2021. 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries will take part in the Games.
