Every January, sports fans around the world can vote for their favourite in The World Games Athlete of the Year vote. In the last two years, super-stars such as Sport Climbing World Record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) and the Acrobatics Gymnastics stars Marina Chernova & Georgii Pataraia (RUS) have been crowned Athletes of the Year. Notably on both occasions the first runner-up, with a very close gap to the winner, has come from Powerlifting.
The first Athlete of the Year vote was in 2013. Since then, athletes from Life Saving, Sport Climbing, Netball, Muaythai and Gymnastics have been crowned winners of the prestigious award.
“For us, the Athlete of the Year campaign is a way to promote our sports and our athletes, and activate the fan bases around the world. It is also a way of introducing sports to each other. In the vote, fans of one sport to get to know the other sports that belong to the family, as happens also in The World Games. That is why we always introduce the athletes both with a short text and with a video,” explains Communication Officer Anna Jacobson.
It is now time for the IWGA member federations to propose their candidates for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2019! The entry deadline is 10 November 2019, and the nominations should be sent to [email protected].
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 15-25 July 2021. 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries will take part in the Games.