World Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The World Games

First event	1981 – Santa Clara, California, US
Occur every	4 years
Last event	2022 – Birmingham, Alabama, US
Next event	2025 – Chengdu, China
Purpose	To conduct multi-sport events for sports and disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games

The World Games are a big international sports event. They feature sports and activities not usually seen in the Olympic Games. These games happen every four years, usually one year after the Summer Olympic Games. They last for about 11 days. The International World Games Association (IWGA) runs The World Games. They even have the support of the International Olympic Committee.

In recent years, between 25 and 34 different sports have been part of the official program. Some sports that used to be in The World Games are now in the Olympics. This means they leave The World Games program. Around 3,500 athletes from about 100 countries take part.

The World Games are different from other big sports events like the Olympics. Host cities do not need to build new stadiums or facilities. Athletes are chosen by their sport's international groups. They are not picked by national Olympic committees. To qualify, athletes usually need a top spot in world championships. This helps make sure the best athletes compete.

The very first World Games were held in Santa Clara, California, USA, in 1981. The most recent games, the eleventh edition, took place in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. They ran from July 7 to July 17, 2022. These games were supposed to happen in 2021. But they were moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History of The World Games

How The World Games Started

The idea for a sports event for non-Olympic sports came from a group called the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). These sports federations realized their sports rarely made it into the Olympics. So, they wanted to create their own special event. They called it The World Games. This event would help make their sports more popular.

In early 1979, these groups formed a team. They worked on how the games would be set up. They also looked for a place to host the first event. In May 1979, they announced that Santa Clara, California, USA, would host the first games.

The GAISF team became the World Games Executive Council in October 1979. In May 1980, they had their first big meeting. They created the main ideas for the games. In 1985, this group changed its name to the International World Games Association (IWGA).

The first World Games happened in Santa Clara, USA, in 1981. Kim Un-yong, who was the head of the games committee, opened the event. At the opening, athletes marched in groups by their sport, not by their country.

Fifteen sports were part of the first games. These included badminton, casting, racquetball, and taekwondo. The very first medals were given out for tug-of-war. The team from England won the gold medal.

The World Games in the 1900s

After the first games, a company called West Nally Group took over the rights. They brought the second games to London in 1985.

For the third games in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1989, West Nally Group still owned the rights. But the host city was in charge of the staff and volunteers. After this, the IWGA bought back the rights. Since then, the host cities have been responsible for organizing and paying for the games. This meant that for the 1993 games in The Hague, athletes had to pay for their own places to stay.

The 1997 games were supposed to be in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. But in August 1994, Port Elizabeth decided not to host. This was due to the political situation in the country at the time. Lahti in Finland offered to host instead. They signed the contract in January 1995. New sports like airsports, dancesport, aerobics, and jujitsu were first played in Lahti. They have been part of the games ever since.

After the games in Lahti, the IWGA and the IOC made an agreement in 2000. The IOC recognized how important The World Games were. They agreed to support the host cities. They also encouraged countries to send multi-sport teams. They decided to work together on preventing doping. The agreement also said that sports not in the Olympics could be part of The World Games. Another agreement was signed in 2016.

The World Games in the 2000s

In 2001, The World Games were held in Akita, Japan. This was the first time the games were held outside North America or Europe. Some events were delayed or moved because a typhoon hit the city. For the first time, some national Olympic committees helped their athletes with hotel stays.

The 2005 World Games in Duisburg, Germany, were special. For the first time, athletes marched into the opening ceremony grouped by their country. Also, new standards were set. These included showing all sports on TV. Sports were also grouped by type, like ball sports or precision sports. These standards are still used today.

The 2013 Games in Cali, Colombia, had a huge number of fans. About 500,000 people watched the events. For example, the Bullfight Ring, where dancesport was held, was completely full for the salsa dance finals. This was also the first time an event was canceled. The rhythmic gymnastics ribbons event was called off. This was due to worries about the temperature and air flow in the gym.

The 2017 Games in Wrocław, Poland, were the first to be shown on the Olympic Channel. They were broadcast to 130 countries. Two types of boules sports, raffa and lyonnaise, were canceled. A storm damaged their venue, and it could not be fixed in time.

In 2015, it was announced that the 11th World Games would be in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, in 2021. Birmingham won against bids from Lima, Peru, and Ufa, Russia. On April 2, 2020, the games were moved to 2022. This was to avoid clashing with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The Olympics had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

No parasport groups are currently part of the IWGA. But The World Games in Birmingham in 2022 included parasports for the first time. Wheelchair rugby was added. Birmingham also included disabled athletes in archery. The IWGA wants to work with the International Paralympic Committee. They hope to include more para-athletes in the future.

In 2019, it was announced that The World Games in 2025 are taking place in Chengdu, China. The 2029 games are planned for Karlsruhe, Germany.

Features of The World Games

Sports Venues

To make hosting easier and more affordable, cities hosting The World Games do not have to build new places for sports. For example, Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham is an old factory. It was used for sport climbing, breakdancing, parkour, and beach handball in 2022. Athletes stayed in student housing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Many of UAB's sports facilities were used for events.

Past venues have included the Lahti City Theatre (for bodybuilding). Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (an old iron factory in Duisburg) was also used. Other venues include the Wrocław Zoo and Wrocław's Philharmonic Hall.

Sometimes, new venues are built or old ones are fixed up for The World Games. For example, for the 2017 Games in Wrocław, a new swimming pool and speed skating rink were built. The Olympic Stadium, built in 1928, was renovated. It is still used for American football and speedway. For the 2009 Games, Kaohsiung built a National Stadium. It was the first stadium in the world to use solar energy for its power. The main stadium for the 2022 games, Protective Stadium, was built for UAB's American football team.

How Athletes Are Chosen

Athletes for The World Games are chosen by their sport's international group. This is different from other events where national groups choose athletes. The goal is to pick the best athletes. It also aims to have athletes from as many countries as possible.

International sports groups must send their top athletes. The World Games wants only the best athletes and teams to be there.

International World Games Association

The International World Games Association (IWGA) is the group that runs and controls The World Games. Its main office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. English is its official language.

The IWGA has 39 international sports federations as members. It also works closely with Local Organising Committees (LOCs). These are temporary groups that organize each World Games. LOCs are closed down after each games. The IWGA is officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Ceremonies

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony officially starts The World Games. Before the 2005 Games in Duisburg, athletes marched in by sport. From 2005 onwards, they march in by country, in alphabetical order. The host country's athletes and the judges march last.

An athlete from the host country takes the Athletes' Oath. The head of the judges takes the Judges' Oath. Other important parts of the ceremony include showing flags, speeches, and the official opening. The ceremony often includes music and artistic performances. For example, over 400 artists performed at the 2017 World Games opening in Wroclaw.

Athlete Party

Since 1993, an athlete party has been held in the middle of the games. This party lets all athletes take part in at least one ceremony. They can choose between the opening, the athlete party, or the closing ceremony.

Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony marks the end of The World Games. It happens after the last awards ceremony. Official parts include speeches, a presentation by the next host city, and handing over the Games flag. In Wroclaw, the second part of the ceremony was a concert by local artists.

Editions of The World Games

Overview of The World Games Editions

Year	Edition	Host	Opened by	Official Sports	Invitational Sports	Medal Events	Nations	Date	Athletes	Officials	Top nation	Top medalist
1981	1	United States, Santa Clara	Kim Un-yong	15	1	104	58	25 July – 2 August 1981	1,400 (est) or 1,546	293	United States	United States
1985	2	United Kingdom, London	Charles Palmer	20	1	134	51	25 July – 4 August 1985	1,410	333	Italy	Italy
1989	3	West Germany, Karlsruhe	Juan Antonio Samaranch	18	2	103	50	20 – 30 July 1989	1,359	285	Italy	West Germany
1993	4	Netherlands, The Hague	Kevan Gosper	21	4	160	67	21 July – 1 August 1993	2,026	418	Germany	Germany
1997	5	Finland, Lahti	Juan Antonio Samaranch	20	6	164	70	7 – 11 August 1997	2,016	430	United States	United States
2001	6	Japan, Akita	Toyama Atsuko	22	5	170	80	16 – 26 August 2001	2,380	591	Russia	Russia
2005	7	Germany, Duisburg	Otto Schily	26	6	178	93	14 – 24 July 2005	3,149	638	Russia	Russia  Germany
2009	8	Chinese Taipei, Kaohsiung	Ma Ying-jeou	25	5	155	84	16 – 26 July 2009	2,908	636	Russia	Russia
2013	9	Colombia, Cali	Angelino Garzón	26	4 or 5	194	91	25 July – 4 August 2013	3,103	682	Italy	Russia
2017	10	Poland, Wrocław	Thomas Bach	27	4	219	102	20 – 30 July 2017	3,430	856	Russia	Russia
2022	11	United States, Birmingham	Randall Woodfin	30	5	223	99	7 – 17 July 2022	3,457	868	Germany	Italy
2025	12	China, Chengdu		35	0	253	117	7 – 17 August 2025
2029	13	Germany, Karlsruhe						19 – 29 July 2029

Sports at The World Games

Official Sports

Before 2022, the IWGA alone chose the official sports. Only sports whose international groups were members of the IWGA could be picked. Since 2022, both the IWGA and the host city choose the official sports. This means some sports whose groups are not part of the IWGA can now be included.

The rules state that "only events not in the Olympic Games can be part of The World Games." For example, canoe polo is in The World Games. But canoe sprint and canoe slalom are in the Olympics. All three are managed by the same international canoe group.

Sports that need snow or ice are not allowed in The World Games.

Some sports have been in every edition of The World Games. These include bowling, finswimming, trampoline and tumbling (part of gymnastics), karate, powerlifting, roller sports, tug of war, and water skiing. However, bowling and water skiing are not on the program for the 2025 World Games.

Invitational Sports

Besides the official sports, the host city can invite other sports to join. They do this with the IWGA's help. These invited sports can include those whose international groups are not IWGA members. Before the 2022 Birmingham games, these were called "invitational sports."

Starting with Birmingham 2022, there is no longer a difference between official and invitational sports. Host cities can still choose up to five extra sports. But these are now also called "official" sports. Host cities can also pick "display sports." José Perurena, the IWGA President, said that in Birmingham, invited sports were part of the official program. For example, Birmingham chose men's lacrosse (women's was chosen by the IWGA), duathlon, flag football, and wushu. For the first time, a parasport was included: a wheelchair rugby tournament.

Some sports started as invitational sports and later became official. This often happened when their international groups joined the IWGA. Examples include the lyonnaise type of boules sports, beach handball, sumo, and indoor tug of war.

Olympic Sports at The World Games

Some sports or activities have been part of both The World Games and the Olympics. These include badminton, baseball and softball, karate, rugby, sport climbing, taekwondo, target archery, triathlon, beach volleyball, and water polo. Target archery is currently in both. But The World Games only has events not in the Olympics.

Other Sports Shown

Besides official and invitational sports, other sports have been shown during The World Games. This sometimes happens through special events like "The World Games Garden." Some of these sports include Rhönrad (Wheel Gymnastics), Ring Tennis, Skateboard, and Baton twirling.

Table of Sports

Medal Tables

Top Countries in Medals

This table shows the top ten countries by total medals up to the 2022 World Games.

Top ten total medal ranking

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Italy	166	171	153	490
2	Germany	162	118	156	436
3	United States	161	137	115	413
4	Russia	137	110	72	319
5	France	114	116	121	351
6	China	78	59	29	166
7	Great Britain	65	65	95	225
8	Japan	65	49	65	179
9	Ukraine	58	59	54	171
10	Spain	47	49	49	145
Totals (10 entries)		1,053	933	909	2,895

Top Athletes in Medals

This table lists the top ten athletes with the most medals.

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Sport	Years Active	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Jurgen Kolenda	Germany	Finswimming	1981–1985	11	0	0	11
2	Steve Rajeff	United States	Casting	1981–2005	8	4	3	15
3	Serguei Akhapov	Russia	Finswimming	1989–2005	8	4	1	13
4	Bart Swings	Belgium	Speed skating	2013–2022	8	2	2	12
5	Danny Wieck	Germany	Life saving	2013–2022	6	1	2	9
6	Magali Rousseau	France	Life saving	2013–2022	6	1	1	8
6	Patrice Martin	France	Waterski	1981–2001	6	1	1	8
8	Anna Poliakova	Russia	Sumo	2009–2017	6	0	0	6
9	Marcello Saporiti	Italy	Life saving	1989–1993	5	2	2	9
10	Vasilisa Kravchuk	Russia	Finswimming	2005–2013	5	2	1	8

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Mundiales para niños