IOC in 2017 Wroclaw

The start of The World Games 2017 Wroclaw is only 6 months away. In a press release dated 23 January 2017, the International World Games Association (IWGA) announces that IOC President Thomas Bach will attend the Opening Ceremony of the tenth edition of The World Games on 20 July.

After the IOC and the IWGA had signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to emphasise the much closer collaboration between the two bodies, the IOC President's presence in Wroclaw, POL, is only one expression of it.

"The IOC will also be sending a much bigger delegation to The World Games 2017 than we have seen in the past," says IWGA President José Perurena in the statement in which he thanks the IOC President for the support. "Experts from the IOC Sports Department will support us with their observations on how individual sports perform, and on the Games as a whole. This means that we have to deliver an outstanding event. We want to prove that our sports are on the same level as those on the Olympic programme.”

This should challenge the 30+ sports to rise to the occasion. WDSF, which had excelled in the 2009 and 2013 editions of The World Games with record revenues generated at the gate, is in the process of preparing another successful participation. The Sports Commission led by its new chairman Michael Eichert is currently in Barcelona, ESP, working on the technical details. Eichert has also assumed the role of Competition Manager for the four DanceSport events in The World Games 2017: Latin, Rock 'n' Roll, Salsa and Standard.

Published on 24 January 2017