IWGA Annual General Meeting on 3rd May in Madrid
The International World Games Association (IWGA) is shaping the road-map for the way to the future. On the agenda of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) are the elections for the Executive Committee for the next three years. In addition, the representatives of the member federations will ratify the proposal for the sports programme for The World Games 2025 (7 to 17 August) in Chengdu, Peoples Republic of China.
The AGM will be held on 3rd May in Madrid, Spain. 34 member federations have confirmed their participation in Madrid. Other federations have the opportunity to follow the meeting remotely.
IWGA President José Perurena describes the purpose of this year’s AGM: “I can say that it will be a landmark session. It is about the future of our event and The World Games family.” The elections for the new Executive Committee will be the main focus. José Perurena (ICF), IWGA President since 2014, is standing for re-election for a third term. He will be the only candidate for the position of President. Lukas Hinder (WDSF), in office since 1998, is the only candidate for the position of Treasurer. There will be a new appointment for the position of Vice President; Max Bishop (FAI) is retiring after 17 years in office. Tom Dielen (WA) and Jörn Verleger (IFA) have both been nominated for this role.
Antonio Espinos (WKF) is also retiring from the Executive Committee. Anna Arzhanova (CMAS), Volker Bernardi (WFDF) and Jan Fransoo (IKF) are proposed for another term. New candidates for one of the four Executive Committee posts are as follows: John Liljelund (IFF), Jose Antonio Perez Priego (IWWF), Pablo Felipe Serna Cardenas (WSF) and Joachim Thumfart (JJIF).
Usually, the Executive Committee is elected the year after the last edition of The World Games for a term of 4 years. However, the current ExCo’s term was extended to 5 years when the Birmingham Games (originally planned for 2021) had to be postponed by a year because of COVID-19 restrictions. It did not seem advisable to change the IWGA management team immediately before the Birmingham Games. So, the next ExCo’s term of office will be 3 years only.
Ratification of the Sports Programme for TWG 2025
Also awaited with some excitement is the presentation of the Sports Programme for the Games in two years' time. Member federations had the opportunity to apply for participation in Chengdu with their non-Olympic disciplines. The IWGA Executive Committee will have a programme ready for ratification by the Assembly. Publication of which member federations will be represented at the twelfth edition since 1981 will follow directly after the AGM. Additionally, the host city will have the opportunity to invite other sports and disciplines to the Games in the capital of Sichuan Province. Ms. Lin Han, member of the delegation from Chengdu and a senior member of the staff of The World Games 2025, will make a presentation and give information about the current state of preparation at the AGM.
Also on the agenda is an update on The World Games Series. The new format presents a selection of five to six sports of The World Games in the context of a 4-day multi-sport festival, to be held twice in the years between the editions.
The AGM agenda also includes the presentation of the budget for the coming year and the Executive Committee's annual report, and also the review of The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA. In this context, the IWGA will present the independent evaluation report to its member federations.
The Executive Committee will also report on partnerships that have been negotiated. These include that ISB from Madrid will continue to have responsibility for the production and marketing of the TV signal. The IWGA is also continuing its cooperation with Swiss Timing as Timekeeper and Sword Venue as Venue planning solution provider. Additionally, the collaboration with a new agency looking after the marketing strategy of the IWGA will be on the agenda.
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.
