You would have seen it there first: long before they became part of the Olympic Games, sport climbing, breaking, lacrosse, and flag football were pillars of The World Games, a once-in-a-quadrennium event that has become a pipeline for aspiring Olympic sports.
Couples compete in dance sport at The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland. Almost all of sports contested at The World Games aspire to become part of the Olympic Games one day. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chances are you may not have heard of The World Games. Specifically for sports and disciplines that aren’t part of the Olympic program, The World Games debuted in California in 1981, where first titles were awarded in tug-of-war. During the past several years The World Games and its parent organization the International World Games Association (IWGA) have worked to showcase its unique identity more. The upcoming edition, which begins August 6 in Chengdu, China, promises to be more accessible and high-profile than ever.
“We want to bring the Games closer to the fans,” IWGA President Jose Perurena affirmed in a 2023 interview. After a triumphal return to the United States in 2022, where spectators goggled at sumo wrestling in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and crooned along with Lionel Ritchie during the closing ceremony, the event has moved to Chengdu, the emerging sports hub of western China.
The Chengdu Games will begin with an opening ceremony that features a parade of the more than 100 nations involved. The 11-day schedule has more than 4000 athletes competing for titles in 34 sports including floorball, orienteering, and inline skating, then retiring to their housing in the all-inclusive athletes village designed to spur community-building and cultural exchange.
There’s also a torch relay and a recently launched global streaming platform, The World Games Live, that will allow viewers to watch extensive coverage free as it unfolds or on demand later.
Influencing — influenced by — the Olympics
If all this sounds rather Olympic, that’s partly the point. For athletes in dance sport or dragon boat racing, The World Games offers athletes whose sports happen to fall outside the spotlight cast by the Olympics the unique chance to be part of something larger than life. For sports hoping to become part of the Olympics one day, which is basically all of them, it’s an audition before the International Olympic Committee, which will be watching closely and contemplating what might good adds for future Games.
“There is no clear red line between Olympic and non-Olympic sports any more,” said Perurena, a 1968 Olympian who has been President of the International Canoe Federation. The Spaniard takes pride noting that at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics four World Games sports, including sport climbing, became part of the Olympics. Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris last summer. Baseball and softball, lacrosse, flag football and squash have been confirmed for Los Angeles in 2028.
The IOC is selective about the sports it lets into the Olympics, which generally have to demonstrate global appeal and be practiced in several dozen countries. With The World Games, athletes and federations alike get something that’s mutually beneficial.
“Our athletes are the winners in this development. They are receiving more and more of the attention they deserve,” Perurena said. “Our event represents the whole diversity of sport, and is thus this kind of showcase. This is both a challenge and a commitment for the Games in Chengdu. Expectations are high.”
