World Games Rescheduled After Coronavirus Postpones Olympics

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The International World Games Association and Birmingham Organizing Committee have agreed to postpone the 11th edition of The World Games until July 7-17, 2022. The Games had originally been planned to take place in Birmingham July 15–25 next year.

The International Olympic Committee’s decision to move the Tokyo Olympic Games to July 2021 made a significant impact on the planning of The World Games in Birmingham, officials said. Keeping to the original dates in July 2021 would have meant excluding many athletes and officials involved in the Olympics, and would have led to a potential reduction in public and media interest, according to officials with the World Games.

“A great deal of detailed work is now required to implement this decision, and further progress reports will be issued in due course,” said IWGA President José Perurena. “But I am impressed by the flexibility and efficiency of the Birmingham Organizing Committee: they have been able, in just two days after the IOC’s announcement, to get all the main organisational items in place.”

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IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow added, “I am very proud of the capable organising team in Birmingham. All organisational main pillars such as venues and accommodation are in place for 2022, and we are able to have exactly the same sports programme as we had planned for 2021. We look forward to working together with the chairman Jonathan Porter, his CEO Nick Sellers and their team to organise the best possible Games for our athletes.”

"The date of the event has changed, but Birmingham's commitment to a world-class event has not wavered," Mayor Rndall Woodfin said. "I want to thank the IWGA and The World Games 2021 Birmingham for their work in making a timely decision. As the City of Birmingham addresses the current pandemic, be assured that we remain focused on the city's future and making this the best edition of The World Games ever."

“I want to thank our entire team and partners across the State of Alabama and internationally for their work and support to set our new dates,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of the Birmingham Organizing Committee. “While it wasn’t an easy decision, it was the right one for our athletes, fans, sponsors and community. We share many key partners of the International Olympic Committee, and this move will ensure that we maintain national and international television coverage as well as keeping several sport competitions that participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics."

“We are supremely confident in this shift, and believe that the circumstances will further increase the significance of The World Games across our state, region, and country,” added Jonathan Porter, Chairman of The Birmingham Organizing Committee Board of Directors. “We are just as excited now as we were when we were scheduled for 2021, and we hope the Birmingham community and the world will share that enthusiasm with us. The World Games Birmingham is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. A new date on the calendar isn’t going to change that.”

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