The World Games sports comprise all the sports contested in The World Games.[1] Starting in Birmingham 2022, there was no distinction between official and invitational sports. José Perurena, IWGA President, stated, "In Birmingham, for the first time, invitational sports were no longer presented separately but were also part of the official programme."[2] This is now The World Games policy.

Sports edit

Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same color:

  Included in the Olympic program
Official sports
Sport (Discipline) Body 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2022 2025
Acrobatic gymnastics   FIG 15 15 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Aerobic gymnastics   4 4 5 5 7 5 4 4
Rhythmic gymnastics   4 4 4 3 4 4
Trampoline and Tumbling   8 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 6
Parkour   4 4
 
Artistic roller skating   WSkate[s 1] 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3
Inline hockey   1 1 1 1 1 1
Roller hockey   1 1 1 1 1
Roller speed skating   8 12 10 10 10 10 12 10 18 18 18 18
 
Air sports   FAI 5 4 5 5 3 3 2 2
Archery   WA 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7
Beach handball   IHF 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Billiards   WCBS 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
Boules sports   CMSB 1 2 2 2 4 6 8 8 12 4 6
Bowling   WB[s 2] 3 5 3 3 3 3 6 3 3 4 4
Canoe marathon   ICF 6 4 4
Canoe polo   ICF 2 2 2 2 2 2
Cheerleading   ICU 1
Dancesport   WDSF 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 12
Dragon boat   ICF 4 4 6
Duathlon   ITU 2 2
Finswimming   CMAS 12 17 14 14 16 10 10 10 10 14 16 16
Fistball   IFA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
Flag football   IFAF 2 1
Floorball   IFF 1 1 1 2
Flying disc   WFDF [3] 3 1 1 1 1 1 2
Freediving   CMAS 9
Ju-jitsu   JJIF 10 9 10 10 13 22 18 19
Karate   WKF 9 12 12 12 12 12 13 13 12 12 12 12
Kickboxing   WAKO 7 6 12
Korfball   IKF 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
Lacrosse (women's)   FIL 1 1 1
Lifesaving   ILS 10 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
Muaythai   IFMA 11 12 6
Orienteering   IOF 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
Pool   WCBS 2 2 2 2 2 2 3
Powerboating   UIM 3
Powerlifting   IPF 9 3 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 16
Racquetball   IRF 4 2 2 2 2 2 3
Snooker   WCBS 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
Sambo   FIAS 17 9 11
Softball   WBSC[s 3] 2 1 1996-2008 1 1 1 2
Sport climbing   IFSC 4 4 4 6 6 6
Squash   WSF 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Sumo   IFS 8 8 8 8 8 8
Tug of war   TWIF 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
Water skiing   IWWF 8 6 6 6 12 6 8 6 8 8 8 6
Wheelchair rugby [s 4]   WWR 1 1
Wushu   IWUF 13 16 10 12
 
Previous official sports
Sport (Discipline) Body 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2022 2025
Badminton   BWF 5 since 1992
Baseball   WBSC[s 3] 1 1992-2008 2020
Beach volleyball   FIVB 2 since 1996
Bodybuilding   IFBB 6 6 6 7 9 7 7 7
Casting   ICSF 11 12 13 12 6 6
Indoor cycling   UCI 5
Netball   INF 1 1 1
Rugby sevens   WR[s 5] 1 1 1 1 since 2016
Taekwondo   WTF 10 8 12 12 since 2000
Triathlon   ITU [3] 4 since 2000
Weightlifting (women)   IWF 9 since 2000
 
Invitational sports
Sport (Discipline) Body 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2022 2025
Water polo (women)[s 6]   FINA 1 since 2000
American football   IFAF 1 1
Motocross   FIM
Speedway   1
Indoor motorcycle trials   1
Aikido   IAF
Bahn golf   WMSF
Boomerang   [3]
Baton twirling   [5]
Equestrian vaulting   FEI
Boule Lyonnaise[s 7]   CMSB 2
Military pentathlon   CISM 2
Pesäpallo   1
Tug of war (women)   TWIF 2 1
Gateball   WGU 1
Indoor hockey   FIH 2
Tchoukball   FITB 2
Indoor rowing   FISA 7
Lacrosse (men's)   WL 1
 
Medal Events 104 125 112 155 165 140 169 164 199 201 223 TBC
 
Official sports 15 20 19 21 23 27 31 31 32 27 30 35
Invitational sports 1 4 5 3 6 5 6 5 4 4 5 N/A
  1. ^ Previously Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports which merged with International Skateboarding Federation in September 2017 to form the current World Skate.
  2. ^ The world governing body for nine-pin and ten-pin bowling changed its name from Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs to World Bowling in 2014.
  3. ^ a b The World Baseball Softball Confederation, which currently governs both baseball and softball, was created by a 2013 merger of two former governing bodies—the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation.
  4. ^ Paralympic Sport since 2000
  5. ^ During the period in which rugby sevens was contested at the World Games, the world governing body was known as the International Rugby Board. The current name of World Rugby was adopted in 2014.
  6. ^ A structured invitational sport program did not exist for the 1981 World Games. Press coverage did not refer to water polo as an invitational sport. An agreement was reached with FINA in the lead-up to the games not to allow women's water polo athletes to march in the opening ceremony, to assuage the displeasure of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its being included in the program.[4]
  7. ^ From 2001 Boule Lyonnaise has been part of the Boules Sports program.

Past TWG sports and disciplines edit

Past TWG sports and disciplines added to the Olympic Games edit

References edit

  1. ^ "World Games". sports123.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  2. ^ "Interview of the Month | IWGA". The World Games. 22 Dec 2022. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  3. ^ a b c "THE WORLD GAMES CONTINUE TO GROW!". TheWorldGames.org. IWGA. 2019. Retrieved 2021-07-14. (In 1989) Aikido and Minigolf were presented as invitational sports, and Triathlon, Boomerang and Flying Disc were among the demonstration sports. This was the first time there were sports demonstrations at The World Games.
  4. ^ Berkow, Ira (July 28, 1981). "Unheralded Sports Exert a Pull, Too". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  5. ^ "History | World Baton Twirling Federation". www.wbtf.org. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  6. ^ After various violations of Anti-Doping Rules at the 2009 World Games, IWGA decided to remove the sport from the program for the 2013 World Games in Cali. "IWGA - Body Building". theworldgames.org. Retrieved 3 July 2013.

External links edit