IWGA and Birmingham/USA sign Host Agreement for The World Games 2021

Official Ceremony after the IWGA Annual General Meeting 2015 in Sochi/Russia

On the day of the Annual General Meeting of the International World Games Association President, José Perurena, and William A. Bell, Mayor of Birmingham/Alamaba, signed the Host Agreement for The World Games 2021. This city in the southern USA is now the official host of the 11th edition of the multi-sport event, following Wroclaw, Poland the host city for The World Games in 2017. The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday after the AGM in Sochi/Russia.

Giving reasons for looking forward to The World Games in Birmingham, President José Perurena mentioned the excellent bid and opportunity to go back to the USA 40 years after the first edition of The World Games 1981 in Santa Clara, California: ”We are happy to celebrate our anniversary back in the USA. We are sure that we will be offered optimal conditions for our sportsmen and women in Birmingham. We have to deliver nothing less than outstanding World Games. We are convinced that Birmingham will exceed these expectations.”

Jose Perurena stated: “Birmingham offers a perfect setting for an event like The World Games. This refers not only to the required sporting venues and infrastructure. For us it has been important that sponsors and private companies will collaborate with The World Games. The organizers in Birmingham do not depend on public money and this might be a future philosophy for hosting events like ours.”

William A. Bell said during his short presentation before the official signing ceremony: ”We want TWG 2021 to be the beginning of Birmingham’s new sports-oriented future! Birmingham is a city that’s very enthusiastic about sport. Hosting the Games and the world in 2021 presents tremendous opportunities for our city to introduce new sports and new cultures into our educational system. Preparing for the event supports the City intentions to upgrade existing venues, transportation systems and infrastructure.” 

The new host was selected by the IWGA Executive Board in Lausanne in January 2015. After an almost twelve-month long bidding process the city finally prevailed over its competitors Lima (Peru) and Ufa (Russia). Following the award, the IWGA and representatives from bidding committee of Birmingham still had to negotiate and agree on the final contractual details. The 37 IWGA member federations of the IWGA ratified the decision at the AGM on Tuesday. So it was not until the signatures on Tuesday that the city officially became host of The World Games 2021.

About The World Games

The World Games – under the patronage of the IOC - are a quadrennial and multidisciplinary sports event, which showcase 25+ sports, such as Gymnastics, Squash, Tug of War, Sumo and Roller Sports. About 4,500 athletes and officials from approximately 100 countries take part in The World Games. The 10th edition of The World Games will take place in Wroclaw/ Poland from 20 to 30 July 2017.

Past editions of The World Games

1981:   Santa Clara (USA)

1985:   London (GB)

1989:   Karlsruhe (GER)

1993:   The Hague (NED)

1997:   Lahti (FIN)

2001:   Akita (JPN)

2005:   Duisburg (GER)

2009:   Kaohsiung (CTP)

2013:   Cali (COL)

Upcoming edition:

2017    Wroclaw (Poland)

Learn more about The World Games.