Jose Perurena: Future of World Games Could Include Olympic Channel

(ATR) International World Games Association president Jose Perurena tellsAround the Ringsthat he is in talks with the OBS to include the World Games in the Olympic Channel.

Perurena spoke with ATR in Washington D.C. in the backdrop of the 2015 ANOC General Assembly.

The IWGA chief said that OBS headquarters being located in Madrid makes relations with OBS leaders very easy. "More importantly," he added, "for the future is a focus on the Internet.

"Young people watch sports events on tablets and smart phones."

Max Bishop, IWGA vice president and senior vice president of the World Air Sports Federation, told ATR that the OBS has already made direct contact with his IF.

"We’re meeting with a five-member delegation from the OBS next week to go over how they would cover our regular events outside of the World Games.

"We’re in the fortunate position of having in our World Games family a lot of sports that are extremely attractive to young people; the up-and-coming sports, the trend sports.

"We like to think that we’ve grown a number of sports of the future which are going to provide interest not just in our event, but the Olympic Games as well."

The slate of 27 sports on the program for the 2017 World Games includes a few of the additional sports up for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (karate, roller sports, and sports climbing).

Perurena said that in this way, the World Games acts as a "trampoline for federations to show the IOC" what they would offer to the Olympic Games.

Bishop told ATR that the IOC recognizes the importance of blending Olympic Program with the World Games program. "It has to be a two-way process.

"If they’re going to take all of our best events and leave us with all the stuff that they don’t want…there has to be a trade-off."

Perurena added that the addition of sports like roller sports and sports climbing to the 2020 Olympic Program will hopefully generate excitement for those sports in the lead up to the 2021 World Games.

Birmingham beat out competition from Lima and Ufa to secure the 2021 World Games last January.

This will mark the first time the U.S. has hosted the event in more than 30 years. Santa Clara, California hosted the inaugural edition in 1981.

Birmingham 2021 will showcase the IWGA’s capability to "organize cheaper events, good-quality TV events with the same athletes" competing in the 2020 Olympics, Perurena said.

Looking forward, IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow told ATR that the World Games program will start to incorporate the local flavor of future host cities.

Depending on the continent, "there might be a different advantage to present a particular sport to different local organizing committees," Gossow added.

In considering future World Games, Gossow said the IWGA "will make sure to have a well-placed sports program."

IWGA Chief Calls on Support from ANOC for 2017 Event

Perurena presented to the ANOC General Assembly on Friday.

The IWGA chief addressed plans for the next edition of The World Games and called for support from ANOC to raise the profile of the World Games in the Olympic Movement.

Poland will host The World Games in 2017. This will be one of the largest multisport events ever staged in the country.

Earlier this week, IOC President Thomas Bach called on NOCs to get behind preparations for the 2017 World Games in a letter to the IWGA.

"The International World Games Association and The World Games play important roles in the framework of the Olympic Movement," Bach wrote.

Perurena said that "close cooperation with the IOC and the NOCs is essential to take our event up to the next step.

"We are grateful for Thomas Bach’s endorsement of TWG2017.

"The ninth edition of our event in Cali, Colombia was an outstanding success, not least thanks to the support of the NOCs.

"In 2017, we aim for nothing less than the best World Games ever. One of the stepping stones to help us reach this goal is close cooperation with National Olympic Committees."

IWGA leaders held a meeting with the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, Andrzej Krasnicki, on Thursday.

Perurena told ATR that IWGA leaders are traveling to Wroclaw next week to check in on plans for the 2017 World Games. Preparations, according to the IWGA, are on track for the event.

Written byNicole Bennett

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