(ATR) More than 3,000 athletes competing in 27 sports travel to Wroclaw, Poland this week for the 10th edition of the World Games.
The event, hosted by the International World Games Association and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, features sports not traditionally included in the Olympic program.
However, the 2017 edition of the event includes two sports that will soon join the Olympics, at least at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. Karate and sport climbing have been added to the Tokyo 2020 Games following Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations that allow host cities to determine the sports on the program. Tokyo 2020 added five sports with baseball/softball, skateboarding and surfing also joining the Games.
Along with the 27 sports on the World Games program, four sports will also have demonstrations at the games based on invitation by the IWGA. American football, indoor rowing, kickboxing and speedway are included in the World Games as invitation sports.
The World Games has been held every four years since its inception in Santa Clara, United States in 1981. The event returns to the U.S. for the first time at the next edition in Birmingham, Alabama in 2021.
The 2017 World Games begins July 20 and concludes on July 30.
Hungary Hosts Aquatics Championships
The world’s best swimmers, divers and water polo players are converged in Budapest, Hungary for the 17th edition of the International Aquatics Federation (FINA) World Championships.
The FINA championships began on July 14 and feature 76 medal events throughout the two-week competition. Medal events began on July 15 and continue until the closing ceremony on July 30.
The women’s water polo tournament began on July 16 with the men’s tournament beginning Monday, July 17. High diving is the final event to begin with qualifiers on July 28 and two days of final dives until the championships conclude on July 30.
FINA has an independent team of athletes competing in the championships much like the Rio 2016 refugee team. The Independent Athletes team joins the list of athletes from 98 countries competing in the championships.
The championships will be one of the first major events showcased live by the new Olympic Channel in the United States.
FINA will also elect its next president at its Annual Congress taking place on July 22.
Para Athletics Championships Underway
Athletes competing in the 2017 Para Athletics World Championships enter their third day of competition on Monday.
The eighth edition of the event organized by the International Paralympic Committee features 213 medal events throughout the nine-day competition.
The championships are being held in London’s Olympic Stadium a month prior to the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships take place in the same venue. London will be the first city to host both the IPC and IAAF World Championships in the same year.
There are 92 countries competing in the championships along with two independent athletes forming the Independent Para Athletes team. Russia is notably absent from the championships following the suspension placed on the country by the IPC ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics for the country’s state-sponsored doping offenses.
The Para Athletics World Championships conclude on July 23.
Fencing Champions Compete in Germany
The 2017 World Fencing Championships begin this week in Leipzig, Germany on July 19.
Athletes will square off in the Arena Leipzig throughout the seven-day competition in both individual and team events across the disciplines of épée, foil and sabre.
The men’s and women’s individual events begin on July 19 with the finals and medal matches running from July 21-23. Team competitions begin on July 24 with medal matches taking place throughout the close of the tournament on July 26.
Gyor Hosts European Youth Olympic Festival
Fifty countries throughout Europe are sending their future Olympic hopefuls to the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Gyor, Hungary this week.
The 2017 edition of the EYOF begins in July 23 and features 10 traditional Olympic sports: athletics, basketball, canoeing, cycling, gymnastics, handball, judo, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
The 14th edition of the biennial summer event is the first time it is being held in Hungary. It follows the 13th edition of the Winter EYOF that was held in Erzurum, Turkey from Feb. 12-17.
Host of the 2015 European Games – Baku, Azerbaijan – will host the 2019 Summer EYOF.
The 2017 EYOF concludes on July 30.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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