The Final Round is under way! Who will be The World Games Athlete of the Year 2022? Which team will be Team of the Year? Fans have until January 31st to vote. Go to the ballot box here: www.theworldgames.org/pages/athlete-and-team-of-the-year-2022.
There are now just 10 athletes and 7 teams running for the titles! Voting started again at zero votes on Sunday. 23 athletes and 12 teams have been up for election since earlier this month. The top 10 athletes and top 7 teams have made it to the Final Round, which runs until 31st January (12 noon GMT = 13 CET). At that point, the winners will be determined. All applicants have in common that they competed at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA; what they also have in common is that nothing is achieved without the support of their fans.
The rules for the final round are the same as for the preliminary round. The World Games fans can choose their favourite with two clicks. Each participant can cast votes for the candidates – either Athlete or Team of the Year or both - once per 24 hours on The World Games website, and each time, votes must be given to two candidates. Two votes are awarded to the first-choice candidate and one vote to the second-choice candidate.
Fans can vote separately for both the Athlete of the Year and the Team of the Year. The current ranking and the number of votes cast for each candidate will be shown on the IWGA voting page as the voting period progresses.
Anna Jacobson, IWGA Head of Communications, says of the voting process so far: "This year, no clear favourites can yet be identified. We have exciting days ahead. As for who will win the titles, there is no way to predict that at the moment.”
“It is apparent that the candidates who are actively supported by their national and international federations on their internet platforms have a clear advantage, although some get a lot of promotion on social media but less votes on the voting page," Anna Jacobson continues, “How well the candidates activate their fan base via their social media channels is also decisive”.
Beyond that, she said, it is clear that voting has already been a great success. "We are seeing that TWG 2022 is once again raising awareness among our federations. The voting brings back memories of the great Games in Birmingham, Alabama. That's what we wanted to achieve, and we have achieved it."
“In the coming days, however,” she says, “The World Games family is mostly excited about who will now finish the race in first place, and who will be runner-up and second runner-up; these athletes will enjoy the trophies and the recognition in their home country and in their federation.”
List of Candidates in the Final Round:
Teams
Archery/COL
Canoe Polo /FRAU
Finswimming/COL
Fistball/GER
Flying Disc/GER
Muaythai/USA
Tug of War/SUI
Athletes
Ivanna Berezovska, UKR – Sumo
Kaden Brown, USA – Gymnastics
Valeria Cardenas, COL – Flying Disc
Monika Chochlikova, SVK – Muaythai
Victor Crouin, FRA – Squash
Nina Holt, GER – Life Saving
Miho Nonaka, JPN – Sport Climbing
Max Poschart, GER – Underwater Sports
Johana Viveros Mondragon, COL – Roller Sports
Ya Wen Lin, TPE – Korfball
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The World Games 2022 was held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and 100 countries took part in the Games. The 12th edition of The World Games will be held in Chengdu, CHN in 2025.