The World Games itself were first held in 1981, they are an international multi-sport event, designed for sports which are recognized by the International Olympic Committe (IOC), but are not in the Olympics. It is run by the International World Games Association (IWGA), under the patronage of the IOC.
So essentially it is the breading ground for Olympic sports, or second rate sports, depending which way you look at it.
However in the past, sports in the World Games have been elevated to the Olympics, such as Triathlon, while other have been disappointed, with sports such as Tug of War and more recently Softball being demoted to the World Games.
Being held every four years, the World Games has grown since its inception to now include 26 sports in Kaohsiung, with nearly 5000 participants and includes an opening and closing ceremonies.
Orienteering was first introduced in 2001 in Japan, with Australia's own Grant Bluett, taking the the Mens title. Since then the orienteering program as been expanded. This year in Kaohsiung, Taiwan the following events will be included:
Friday 17th July - Sprint
Saturday 18th July - Middle
Sunday 19th July - Mixed Relay (2x Women, 2x Men)
Stay tuned for more news from the team's training camp in Hong Kong......
No comments:
Post a Comment