Just a few weeks before the 2022 Commonwealth Games (28 July-8 August 2022) begin in Birmingham, UK, the city’s namesake in Alabama, United States plays host to a spectacular and slightly different international multi-sport event: The World Games. Running from 7-17 July, the inclusive event welcomes sports on the more obscure side with athletes of all skillsets, shapes, sizes, and strengths heading to the event.
Paris 2024 (26 July-11 August 2024) is still a few years away and The World Games aims to show spectators a broader variety of disciplines and is perhaps even more inclusive than the Olympic Games. Ticket holders will be able to see sports that are not generally contested at the Olympics with The World Games usually being held every 4 years – one year after the Olympics – so the 2022 edition is the delayed 2021 edition due to the postponement of the Tokyo Games. In fact, The World Games is closely linked to the biggest sporting event on Earth and is overseen by the International World Games Association, under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the 2 competitions sharing similar values of striving for better: “faster, higher, stronger”.
Since its inaugural edition in Santa Clara, United States in 1981, The World Games has grown from strength to strength and now includes between 25-30 sports competed over 11 days by 3,600 competitors from around 100 nations. In Birmingham, the events will be held at numerous fantastic venues across the city.
There are sports of all sorts on offer in Birmingham. If you’re one for water sports, there’s finswimming, lifesaving, canoe marathon, canoe polo, and waterski & wakeboard. If you’re a devotee to dancing and movement, there’s rock’n’roll/Latin/standard, breaking, parkour, and gymnastics. If you’re barmy for ball sports, there’s floorball, men’s lacrosse, bowling, softball, racquetball, fistball, flag football, beach handball, boules, women’s lacrosse, korfball, wheelchair rugby, and squash. If you’re a supporter of strength competitions or mad for martial arts, there’s powerlifting, tug of war, karate, sumo, wushu, kickboxing, ju-jitsu, and Muaythai. As well as all this, there’s roller sports, archery, duathlon, air sports, flying disc, billiards, and sport climbing.
As is the case at many large-scale multi-sport events like the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Commonwealth Games, some of the most visually stunning events of the Games are the opening and closing ceremony. The opening ceremony takes place on 7 July and is a colourful celebration of sport and unity, while the closing ceremony on 17 July says a fond farewell and a huge thank you to all involved in the Games. Both ceremonies take place in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and spectators can expect lights, music, and a sprinkling of local culture.
In sweet home Alabama, where the skies are so blue, The World Games is just the ticket for you!