Three years to go - The World Games 2025

It’s exactly three years to go to The World Games 2025 to be held in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China! The Opening Ceremony of the Games in Chengdu will take place on 7th August 2025, and the 12th edition of The World Games will be held in the period 7–17 August 2025. The World Games always takes place one year after the Summer Olympic Games – this time the Olympic Games to be held in Paris in 2024.

For the third time in the history of The World Games since its first edition in 1981, the multi-sport event is a guest in Asia. The host for 2025, Chengdu, is a city of 21 million people in the south-west of China. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province and also well known as the ‘home’ of the panda.

Chengdu city already has the necessary infrastructure to host an event the size of The World Games. Following the principles of the IWGA, the construction of new sports facilities is not necessary. Chengdu organized the World Police and Fire Games in 2019, and looks forward to hosting the FISU Summer University Games in 2023.

“Chengdu is a city of positiveness and inclusiveness”, Xian Rongsheng, Vice Mayor of Chengdu said when celebrating the three-years-out day on 7 August, and continued: “With two international airports - Tianfu International Airport and Shuangliu International Airport and 131 international air routes, Chengdu has the 4th greatest global aerial connectivity. 21 foreign countries have been approved to set up consulates in Chengdu and it has paired with 104 international sister cities and friendship cities. The international block trains have connected Chengdu to 68 Eurasian cities.”

Vice Mayor Xian Rongsheng concluded his speech by welcoming everyone to Chengdu: “Chengdu will work closely with the International World Games Association and try its best to present the world with a safe, wonderful and unique sports event. The 21 million Chengdu citizens are eagerly looking forward to the coming of athletes from all over the world! We are ready and see you in Chengdu in 2025!”

The process of deciding on the sports program for The World Games 2025 will start immediately, now that The World Games 2022are over. Qualifications - for which the member federations will be responsible - will begin in 2023. As with The World Games 2022, the Madrid-based company ISB will be responsible for the production of the TV signal and the international marketing of the TV rights. The official timekeeper will be Swiss Timing, as it has been for the Games since 2009.

The World Games 2025 will be the first edition held under the guidelines set by the strategy paper of the International World Games Association ‘Growth Beyond Excellence’. The maximum permitted number of participants (this includes athletes and technical officials) for the sports program of The World Games 2025 onwards will be increased from 4,200 to 5,000. In principle, this number will include 4,000 participants proposed by the 39 IWGA Member Federations with events on the program. The remaining 1,000 participants will be made up of participants from other disciplines in agreement with the host cities, participants from disciplines determined in consultation with the International Olympic Committee, and participants from para-disciplines. These disciplines will be determined after consultation with the International Paralympic Committee.