The World Games and Olympic Games champion in Karate, Sandra Sanchez (ESP), is announced as the chairperson of the new Athletes’ Committee of the International World Games Association (IWGA). The Committee will be established in early February, but Sanchez’ nomination was approved by the IWGA Executive Committee at its recent meeting.
Sandra Sanchez won silver and gold at The World Games – silver in Wroclaw 2017 and then gold in Birmingham 2022, her last fight before she retired from her Karate career. She was chosen as the Athlete of the Day on Day 2 of the 2022 Games. On Karate’s debut at the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo, Sanchez won gold, and acted as the flag bearer for Spain in the Closing Ceremony.
“We are very fortunate to have a motivated, positive and resourceful athlete such as Sandra Sanchez as the chairperson of our new Athletes’ Committee,” IWGA President José Perurena says. “The World Games is essentially about the athletes; we want to give our athletes the international centre stage that they deserve. Therefore it is only natural that we establish an Athletes’ Committee. And who better to chair it than a recent Champion of The World Games and Olympic Games, with a long and extensive career in one of the sports that has been with us since the beginning in 1981!”
The composition of the Athletes’ Committee will be published early in February.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The World Games 2022 was held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and 100 countries took part in the Games. The 12th edition of The World Games will be held in Chengdu, CHN in 2025.
