The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach has confirmed that he will be present at The World Games Opening Ceremony in Birmingham, USA. In his letter to IWGA President José Perurena, the IOC President states that he will also attend several sports events during his stay. The Opening Ceremony at the Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Thursday, 7 July 2022 will celebrate the start of the 11th edition of the multi-sport event.
After receiving President Bach’s letter, IWGA President Perurena said: “I want to thank IOC President Thomas Bach for his enormous support for The World Games. His visit in Birmingham, Alabama will be a major highlight for all participating athletes, officials and the local Organising Committee. For the third time in a row, we are honoured to have President Thomas Bach as our Guest of Honour at the Opening Ceremony of our Games."
At the opening of the Games in Cali, Colombia, Thomas Bach took part as IOC Vice-President together with the then IOC President Jacques Rogge. In 2017 Thomas Bach opened the Games in Wroclaw, Poland as IOC President.
In his reply to Thomas Bach, Jose Perurena made his feelings clear: “The IWGA appreciates your Committee’s continuing support for athletes and teams which compete in non-Olympic sports. Your confirmation of the close collaboration between our two Sports Departments will contribute greatly to the success of our Event in the summer.”
In his letter, the IOC President had outlined the next steps on this common path. “To continue our close cooperation, the IOC Sports Department will liaise with your team in the coming weeks to discuss the IOC’s involvement. The IOC will also be sending a delegation to TWG 2022. Experts from the IOC Sports Department will support the IWGA in the development of The World Games with their observations on how individual sports are performed, and on the event as a whole.”
In 2016 the IOC and the IWGA signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which underlined cooperation between the parties. The Memorandum stated: “The IOC recognises the importance of The World Games as a multi-sport event” and “The IOC will provide its expertise when needed and maintain its cooperation with the IWGA through its Sports Department, and will help to promote the IWGA’s activities within the Olympic Movement.”
The World Games 2022 take place from 7 to 17 July in Birmingham, USA with 34 sports on the programme.
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 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.
