Preparations for The World Games 2021 is the focus of the IWGA in 2019. However, the twelfth edition in 2025 is an important topic on the agenda as well.
Presenting the host city for the Games in six years’ time is one of the tasks for this year. IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow says: "Planning the future of The World Games is very important for us. We are in good time with this process and very confident that we can present the right successor to the Games in 2021.”
But first: On 1 February, The World Games Athlete of the Year for 2018 will be announced. After the cut on 15 January, 10 of the original 25 candidates are in the final round. Communications Officer Anna Jacobson expects an exciting race right to the end. “We are very pleased that so many federations are supporting the voting, and thereby their candidates, in a tremendous way. At the same time, this support contributes to the promotion of The World Games 2021.”
As part of the preparations for The World Games 2021, a milestone will be reached in the spring. The 30 federations with disciplines in the official programme will then sign the so-called IF Passport. It defines all the important parameters, such as the number of competition days, athletes, officials and medal events. Another part of the passport is the agreement about the best venue for the respective competitions.
Sebastian Riediger, Head of IF and Games Services, states: "The passport is the most important agreement for our federations. They will have all the necessary details to do their planning, and the host city will also know exactly what to plan for.”
The representatives of the IWGA member federations will receive the next comprehensive information on the status of the planning during the Annual General Meeting on 9 May 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia. Neither elections, nor applications for IWGA membership are agenda items this time, but the tribute to the Athlete of the Year 2018 will take place in the assembly.
General Manager Chantal Boehi says: "We have informed the interested federations that we want to set up the appropriate internal procedures before we decide on new applications." The tribute to the Athlete of the Year 2018 will take place in the assembly.
Regular meetings on the different levels of the IOC and IWGA are planned for the coming month, where they will discuss among other topics the successful cooperation with the Olympic Channel. Part of this cooperation last year was a media workshop for the member federations of the IWGA in Madrid.
Hagen Bossdorf, IWGA TV and Marketing Coordinator, has already announced its continuation. “We have received very positive feedback from our federations, and we will be hosting another media workshop next autumn.”
At the same time, further preparations are under way for The World Games 2021: more than 20 sports venues will be selected and announced for the event this spring.
In the words of José Perurena: "We expect nothing less than an outstanding event with our return to the USA. The Organising Committee in Birmingham has the same goal to present itself and the city to the world with Games to remember."
The host broadcaster agreement as well as accommodation agreements are further stepping stones on the way to Birmingham. “We discuss progress with our board and those responsible in Birmingham at our CoCom (Coordination Commission) meetings. These meetings provide a comprehensive picture of progress and upcoming tasks. The federations will receive all the latest information in Bulletin 2 too, which will be published in September 2019”, José Perurena concludes.
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.
