At Thursday's press conference Joachim Gossow, IWGA CEO, Jonathan Porter, Chairman of the Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) and Nick Sellers, CEO of the BOC, gave a positive interim assessment of The World Games 2022. Birmingham Citizen Matt Harris, who will present Para Ju-Jitsu as a demonstration sport on Friday, reported that it makes him proud to have the Games in his city.
On stage, Joachim Gossow said
"The athletes are happy. Therefore, we are happy too. That's our goal, to give the athletes the best possible conditions, and we have succeeded in that together with the local organisers."
Jonathan Porter noted that "The athletes show great commitment and so do the spectators, who have shown a great attitude." In addition, the BOC Chairman praised the efforts of his team and especially the more than 3,000 volunteers. "It's great to show Birmingham to the whole world," stated Matt Harris.
In turn, The World Games introduces the world of sport to the people of Birmingham. That's been gaining interest since the July 7th opening ceremony at Protective Stadium. Wednesday's Softball finals at Hoover Met sold out with a crowd of 15,000. "That night we sold more than $50,000 worth of merchandise.” On Thursday night the Flag Football final, when the U.S. plays Italy, will provide another highlight in front of a large crowd.
"We want to use this momentum for the days of the Games that are now coming,"
said Jonathan Porter. Joachim Gossow added, "It seems that the citizens of Birmingham have really woken up to the excitement of watching the Games. I receive feedback every day that many spectators are surprised by how attractive the sports are, and especially the sports they don't know." The number of spectators coming to the competitions is growing every day, he said. Nick Sellers drew the bottom line:
“Citizens are learning how connected we are, connected that is through sport. The Games will change Birmingham forever.”
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 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.