The World Games is an international multi-sport event comprising sports and disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every 4 years - one year after a Summer Olympic Games - over the course of 11 days and are overseen by the International World Games Association (IWGA), under the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The impressive event has roughly 3,600 participants from around 100 nations taking part.
From 7-17 July 2022, the event is hosted by Birmingham, Alabama, USA - a city known for its coal and metal industries - where athletes will need to show nerves of steel as they compete for global success. The IWGA promotes sustainability and encourages host cities to utilise established venues rather than building new ones, so it’s the perfect opportunity to see the soul of Birmingham in its parks and arenas. Let’s take a look at some of the inspiring sports on offer next summer.
We’ve all been watching the hopeful highs and unfortunate lows of the fantastic US gymnast Simone Biles during the past few weeks, and The World Games have much to offer in terms of artistic sports. Aerobic, rhythmic, and trampoline disciplines fill a familiar gymnastics roster, with the inclusion of parkour adding some extra speed and style. Artistic sports also consist of DanceSport – and within that, breaking, Latin, rock’n’roll, and standard – and roller sports with inline hockey, speed skating, and artistic freestyle.
If you have been taking an interest in taekwondo at Tokyo 2020, The World Games features an expansive array of martial arts. From karate to sumo, kickboxing to ju-jitsu, these sports are all about a balance between power, discipline, and respect. Perhaps one of the lesser-known events is wushu where competitors perform routines either barehanded or with short or long weapons. Enjoy witnessing a sport full of tradition and skill.
Flag football and softball take pride of place at an America-based games where their sister sports – American football and baseball – are hugely popular. Other ball sports include lacrosse (women's and men's), squash, handball, korfball, and even canoe polo, to name just a few. The IWGA chose to integrate adaptive sports into The World Games 2022 with the ever-popular and intensely fierce wheelchair rugby taking a rightful place in the schedule.
Archery, billiards, boules, and bowling make up the engaging precision sports program where accuracy and a steady hand are the order of the day. The tension in each of these disciplines makes them ideal spectator sports.
The World Games feature competitions in 2 strength sports: powerlifting and tug of war. The former is similar to Olympic weightlifting and strongman competition with muscle, core strength, and timing playing a huge factor in an athlete’s success. Tug of war was part of the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920 and is still regularly seen in Scottish Highland Games. It pits 2 teams against each other in a test of strength that has been around since the times of ancient Egypt.
The category of trend sports offers a whole host of diverse competitions. The pool welcomes finswimming (involving swimming with monofins or bi-fins) and lifesaving (testing an athlete’s skills in rescue and emergency care.), while other water sports include waterskiing, wakeboarding, and canoe marathon. Other trend sports include canopy piloting, drone racing, flying disc, and many more exciting events to learn all about by watching on from the crowds.