(ATR) The Olympic Movement is back in action this week as hundreds of athletes compete for their shot at a world championship title.
Competitions begin on Monday as the World Wrestling Championships start in future Olympic host city Paris, France.
Organized by United World Wrestling, the 2017 tournament marks the 14th edition of hosting combined men’s and women’s world championships by the federation. Men will compete in freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines while women will compete in freestyle only.
The AccorHotels Arena will stage the competitions and is one of the venues Paris will utilize when it hosts the Summer Olympics in 2024.
The competition concludes on Aug. 27.
The Badminton World Federation also begins its world championship on Monday, with Glasgow, Scotland playing host the 2017 edition of the tournament.
The 6,000 seat Emirates Arena will host the best men’s and women’s badminton players as they compete to determine who are the best singles and doubles players in the world.
The Total BWF World Championships also come to a close on Aug. 27.
The International Canoe Federation hosts the 2017 edition of the Canoe Sprint World Championships beginning Wednesday, Aug. 23 in Racice, Czech Republic.
Individuals and teams of two or four will compete in their respective disciplines, racing distances between 200 to 5,000 meters.
The event also features the new Paralympic sport paracanoe which made its Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games. The parasport debuted at the canoe sprint world championships in 2009 and has remained on the championship program ever since.
Competition in Racice concludes on Aug. 27.
The 2017 Boxing World Championship is the last of the summer Olympic sport to begin its competition this week on Aug. 25.
The event, hosted by former 2024 Olympic bid city Hamburg, Germany, will feature 280 of the world’s best male boxers from the five continental associations within the International Boxing Association.
The event could be slightly overshadowed by the political infighting currently afflicting the federation as members of the Executive Committee seek to oust AIBA president CK Wu for alleged mismanagement of its properties.
An Extraordinary Congress is scheduled for Nov. 12 in Dubai to hold a motion of no confidence against Wu by AIBA’s 201 National Federations. Before then, a Swiss court is ruling as to whether AIBA vice president Franco Falcinelli had the right within AIBA’s statutes to form an Interim Management Committee at its EC meeting on July 24 in Moscow.
The court heard arguments from both Wu and the IMC at a hearing on Aug. 18, a week before the championships. A decision is not expected until after the world championships conclude in September.
According to AIBA, IOC president Thomas Bach will attend the world championship and will help crown the winners on Sep. 3 when the tournament concludes.
The IOC president will likely be given a full update regarding the current infighting at AIBA and the pending court case, especially given AIBA president Wu’s position on the IOC Executive Board.
Tokyo Celebrates Three Years to Paralympics
The countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics begins Friday, Aug. 25 at a special celebration on the docks of Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is hosting a its countdown celebration at the Urban Dock LaLaport Toyosu Seaside Deck beginning with a festive water sprinkling ceremony which organizers say will help best the summer heat.
Organizers of the event will then open the countdown featuring several Paralympic athletes along with leaders of Tokyo 2020.
After opening remarks from Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto, Governor Yuriko Koike and new Olympics minister Shunichi Suzuki, the Paralympians will demonstrate 5-a-side football to the audience.
Following the demonstration, athletes will remain on the stage to interact with and entertain the spectators, with an interactive quiz with the audience, a "challenge" segment and athletes speaking about what makes their sports unique and how it appeals to their personality.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics will begin Aug. 25 and conclude Sep. 6.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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