Competitions at the highest level in a multitude of diverse, popular and spectacular sports make up the mainstay of The World Games.

Sports practiced on land, in the air, in and on the water, they all concur in the pursuit of 'Faster, Higher, Stronger'.

At quadrennial intervals, in the years following the Games of the Olympiad, the world’s best athletes in these sports unite in their common search for excellence during The World Games. As the pinnacle in the competition calendar and as a highly visible stage for top athletes to perform on, The World Games generate worldwide exposure for the participating sports and athletes alike.

Above all, The World Games provide the unique setting for thousands of athletes from different sports and countries to join in a celebration of unity and friendship across all boundaries. The World Games are the MAIN EVENT for all these athletes – one marked by sporting exploits as well as by camaraderie.

The World Games, IWGA, IOC & More ...

The World Games are held under the auspices of the International World Games Association (IWGA). It is made up of 32 International Sports Federations governing all those sports and disciplines of sports which are eligible for participation in the Official Sports Program. The organization of The World Games is entrusted by the IWGA to an Organizing Committee formed by the host city and entities such as the National Olympic Committee, the regional government, etc. The World Games are staged over a period of 11 days. They start with the Opening Ceremony and conclude with the Closing Ceremony. The conduct of ceremonies and contests is subject to the 'Rules of The World Games', the IWGA directives for the organizing and the staging of the event. While the International Olympic Committee grants its patronage to all editions of The World Games, and while the IWGA explicitly accepts and adheres to all principles of the Olympic Charter, the multi-sport games differ in one important aspect from the Olympics. The host is never required to build facilities or extend upon available infrastructure for the sake of The World Games alone. Ideally, the event is to be staged at existing venues, in appropriately sized facilities, which have been planned or built regardless of the candidate host bidding for the The World Games. This condition influences the composition of The World Games program. Not all IWGA sports feature necessarily on all editions of The World Games. Existing infratsructure and venues in and around the host city are the determining factor for the sports' selection to be on the Official Sports Program.  The host may also endorse a limited number of additional sports, which are not governed by the IWGA Member Federations, to feature on the Invitational Sports Program. Empirically, around 35 sports are featured in an edition of The World Games. Hence the slogan which the IWGA adopted in 2003 ...  THE WORLD GAMES: 30+ SPORTS AT THEIR BEST!