For the sports federations that are members of the International World Games Association, 2019 is going to be a key year. The sports that have been invited to take part in the next edition of The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in 2021 will be starting to plan in detail how best to showcase their sport. For some of the athletes their road to Birmingham starts now. Beach Handball has already confirmed their initial qualifying places when their World Championship ended in July. There will be other qualifying spots available this year in Orienteering, Korfball and Muaythai. The latter sport is returning home to Thailand, where the martial art originated. Other members of The World Games family will have their eyes on the biggest stage of all and will be striving to secure their place at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Unsurprisingly, Japan will be staging major competitions in Baseball, Surfing, Sport Climbing and Karate which will all be awarding Olympic medals in two year’s time, together with Skateboarding.
Fans of multi-sport events who also enjoy beach holidays will be spoilt for choice this year with major events taking place in Barcelona, Lima and San Diego. The Spanish city will host the second edition of the World Roller Games, which is a celebration of every sport that is performed on roller skates. Medals will be awarded in eleven sports, including The World Games disciplines of Roller Hockey, Artistic Skating and Speed Skating. The latter two along with Skateboarding make up the three roller sports that will be contested in the Peruvian capital, as part of the Pan American Games. Gold medals will also be presented in Baseball & Softball, Bodybuilding, 10 Pin Bowling, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Karate, Racquetball, Rugby 7s, Squash, Surfing, Waterskiing and Wakeboard.
The Pan American Games represents the first chance to see how the American athletes fare against their rivals in many sports that will be part of the Birmingham 2021 sports programme. As host nation, USA is guaranteed representation in most sports that are part of The World Games in 2021. This is the first time The World Games returns to the USA since the first edition held in Santa Barbara in 1981, so when the 2021 edition of The World Games is declared open, it will be like celebrating a homecoming.
The World Games has compiled a list of the most important dates throughout the year, so that you will not miss any of the action. For many sports the most important event will be the World Championship. Where 2019 is a non-World Championship year for the sport concerned, then a suitable Continental Championship or age group World Championship has been selected instead. For a series of events, the final one in the series was chosen.
2019
January No event listed
Feb
14-23 Buenos Aires Argentina IWWF Wakeboard Cable World Championship
23-02 Chicago USA PSA Squash World Championship
March
04-11 Cordoba Argentina CMSB Boules Raffa World Championship
April
20-06 Sheffield UK WCBS Snooker World Championship
May
01-05 Almeria Spain CMSB Boules Petanque World Championship
June
01-02 London UK World Rugby Rugby 7s Series (Men)
03-15 Helsingborg Sweden IPF Classic Powerlifting World Championship
15-16 Biarritz France World Rugby Rugby 7s Series (Women)
30-14 Barcelona Spain World Skate World Roller Games
July
12-21 Liverpool UK INF Netball World Championship
13-20 Heidelberg Germany Ultimate World Championships U24
26-11 Lima Peru Pan American Games
28-04 Sharm El Sheikh Egypt CMAS Finswimming Junior World Championship
Aug
01-10 Durban South Africa IKF Korfball World Championship
01-10 Peterborough Canada FIL Lacrosse Womens U19 World Championship
11-17 Winterhur IFA Fistball World Championship
11-17 Irvine USA WBSC Softball U19 World Championship
12-17 Ostfold Norway IOF Orienteering World Championship
12-18 Putrajaya Malaysia IWWF Waterski World Championship
19-28 Bangkok Thailand IFMA Muaythai World Championship
22-30 Las Vegas World Bowling 10 Pin Bowling Womens World Championship
28-01 Coimbra Portugal ICF Canoe Polo European Championship
Sept
04-08 Castlebar Ireland TWIF Tug of War European Championship +U23 World Championship
04-08 Hluboka Czechia ICSF Casting World Championship
07-08 Prilep Macedonia FAI Drone Racing World Cup
07-15 Miyazaki Japan ISA World Surfing Games
14 Ashdod Israel WDSF 10 Dance World Championship
16-22 Baku Azerbaijan FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship
30-05 Brezice Slovenia World Archery Field Archery Euros
Oct
19 Leipzig Germany WDSF Standard Dance World Championship
19-27 Sarajevo Bosnia WAKO Kickboxing World Championship
17-20 Shaoxing China ICF Canoe Marathon World Championship
Nov
03-08 Sarasota USA WFDF Ultimate Frisbee PanAmericans
05-10 UAE IFBB Bodybuilding Mens World Championship
09-16 San Jose Costa Rica IRF Racquetball Junior World Championship
10-16 Dubai UAE IPF Open Powerlifting World Championship
14-24 Abu Dhabi UAE JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championship
11-17 Tokyo Japan WBSC Baseball Premier 12
16-18 Guangzhou China IFSC International Climbing Series
19-23 Lyon France CMSB Boules Lyonnaise World Championship
20-24 Pretoria South Africa FAI World Cup of Canopy Piloting
23-01 Antalya Turkey WAKO Kickboxing World Championship
21-23 Leeds UK ILS Commonwealth Festival of Lifesaving
26-30 Randers Denmark World ChampionshipBS 3 Cushion Billiards World Championship
29-01 Madrid Spain WKF Karate 1 Premier League
28-01 Tokyo Japan FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championship
Dec
07-15 Neuchatel Switzerland IFF Floorball Womens World Championship
??-?? Doha Qatar World ChampionshipBS 9 Ball Pool World Championship
TBA
Hawaii USA IFS Sumo World Championship
Brian Salmon for The World Games
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.
