100 days to go: A part of the price of each ticket for the Birmingham 2022 World Games will be donated to Ukraine

A solidarity initiative, hopefully imitated in other international competitions, will be implemented by the American organizers of the World Games in Birmingham: a part of the ticket price will go to help Ukraine.

This was one of the results of the meeting held by the delegation of five directors of the International World Games Association (IWGA) headed by its president, José Perurena, with the Birmingham Organizing Committee (BOC) led by Jonathan Porter.

Speaking to Around The Rings, Perurena commented that Birmingham 2022 also agreed to receive Ukrainian athletes weeks before the Games begin to complete their preparation, if needed.

With 100 days to go before the opening of the Games on July 7, the impact of the war in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion was a priority on the agenda. The meeting analyzed the final arrangements for the preparations for this mega-event.

Perurena expressed his satisfaction with the support the hosts gave to his proposal that a part of the ticket income go to the athletes in Ukraine.

“The American public is very sensitive to the situation in Ukraine,” Perurena said.

“For each ticket a person buys, a percentage (still to be defined) will be used to help athletes and rebuild sports facilities damaged by bombing.

“A ceremony will be organized during the Games where the mayor of Birmingham Randall Woodfin, will present a check with the proceeds to a Ukrainian representative who could be Sergey Bubka”, commented Perurena.

Bubka, former world record holder and Olympic champion in 1988 in pole vault, and president of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, was appointed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach as coordinator of the Olympic Movement’s humanitarian aid to the athletes and sports organizations of that Eastern European country, directly affected by the Russian military action.

Bubka is also a member of the IOC. The Olympic legend is one of the vice presidents of World Athletics that will organize the World Championship in Eugene, Oregon, USA from July 15-24. The World Games in Alabama close on July 17.

The confirmation of Bach’s presence at the opening of the Birmingham 2022 Games and his attendance at several events during the Games, was also praised by the organizers who hope to have the highest authorities during the opening ceremony.

Another objective of analysis of the almost 10-hour meeting last Friday was the trip of the Ukrainian athletes to the Games, and the possibility they do it weeks before to train and prepare at the venues. Plans were also explored to allocate a portion of marketing revenue for this purpose.

“Both the IWBA and BOC 2022 in collaboration with the 34 International Federations involved in the sports program, we are ready to help qualified Ukrainian athletes both those outside the country and those who stay inside,” Perurena said.

It is estimated more than 100 Ukrainian athletes have qualificated to the World Games, postponed in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first edition in California in 1981.

“We are going to study these athletes case by case, to confirm if we have to help them.”

“We hope the war will end soon and the organizers have taken note to find an alternative solution to see necessary for the processing of visas. I think the U.S. government is very willing to find a positive measure for Ukrainian athletes.” said Perurena.

“At the IWGA General Assembly on May 19 in Madrid we already hope to have the final solution on the participation of each Ukrainian athlete in the World Games. If we know of an individual problem before, then we solve it in April”, clarified the president of the IWGA.

The issuing of visa isn’t the only worry for the IWGA however. Perurena explained the Birmingham Organizing Committee is analyzing, with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the situation of those countries whose athletes and officials could have difficulties entering the country.

Thirteen international federations of the 34 that will compete will complete their qualification process by the end of April. . The organizers have confirmed participants from 106 countries have already qualified. This figure already takes into account the ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus. The International Federations are replacing the qualified participants from those two countries.

As of March 27, 2022, 103 athletes from Ukraine have qualified for 63 of the 223 medal events. How many of them will be able to represent their country in Birmingham remains an open question, given the current war situation.

From Kyiv Illia Shevliak, the president of the Sports Committee of Ukraine (SCU), which brings together more than 60 non-Olympic sports federations, gave exclusive statements to Around The Rings.

“All our federations feel the sincere support and assistance of their international colleagues,” said Shevliak after briefly recounting the current drama in the Ukrainian capital and detailing the accounts of destruction and death.

“Today the situation in Kyiv is calm and people seem to get used to daily air alerts,” comments the sports director.

“President Perurena in his letter mentioned the IWGA team will do everything possible to facilitate the visa issue and I am sure that they will be able to find a relevant decision.

“Regarding the training process, there are several proposals to provide facilities to our athletes in other states, which seems today the only way to be, at least in some way, prepared for the Games.”

Shevliak confirmed the 103 qualified athletes “is likely to be one of the largest sporting delegations in Birmingham.”

Ukraine will perform in 16 sports with 20 more places than in the last Games in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2017.

“We are happy, but we hope to have a proportional result for medals, of course. It is not always an easy task, but it will require extreme efforts from our athletes, particularly this year: physical and psychological.

“Now the population is united for the future of the country and the sports community is no exception. Some athletes, coaches and federation officials are in the armed forces or territorial defense units, including women, others are volunteers. I will not say the names, but believe me that they all perceive themselves as children of a great family.”

Shevliak is confident the war will be over by the time the World Games start and assures that Ukrainian athletes will be highly motivated to confirm triumphs on the international sports scene, especially in one of the main world events of 2022 like Birmingham.

The SCU director assures Around The Rings several Ukrainian athletes have died during the Russian military intervention. President Vladimir Putin has described this action as a “special military operation” in defense of Russia’s national security.

Shevliak mentioned among those killed are11-year-old gymnast Kateryna Diachenlo after a bombing in Mariupol; mixed martial arts fighter Yehor Birkun and rower Ivan Schokin in combat; and Artem Pryjmenko, Ukraine’s multiple champion in sambo, in a blitz in Sumy.

“There is still no reaction on the Russian invasion from the International Sambo Federation. Few international federations remained silent while the majority of the global sports community showed solidarity with strict restrictions. In this sense, the first and tough position of the IWGA became very valuable and illustrative”, said Shevliak.

“Unfortunately, almost every day we receive information about athletes who die. Rugby, floorball, sambo, kickboxing, chess... This list is not complete and unfortunately it is not over yet...”.