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Competitors take part in the tug of war during the Braemar Gathering highland games at the Princess Royal And Duke Of Fife Memorial Park held a short distance from the royals' summer retreat at the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. Picture date: Saturday
THE BEST British cheerleaders, orienteers and tug-of-warriors are among the athletes heading to the Chinese city of Chengdu on Thursday for the start of the 12th edition of the quadrennial World Games.
Recurring every year after a summer Olympics since 1981, the World Games has traditionally been intended as a platform for sports aspiring for promotion to full Olympic recognition.
But what exactly is it, and what is the point? The Morning Star investigates.
What sports does it include?
There are 35 different sports categories on the 2025 World Games programme, of which the likes of beach korfball, powerboat racing and wushu are appearing for the first time. Stalwarts include tug-of-war and karate, which have appeared in every edition of the Games.
Which sports have gone on to greater things?
Triathlon and trampolining both featured at the World Games prior to their inclusion in the Olympic programme for the first time in 2000. Sport climbing made its World Games debut in 2005, over a decade prior to its appearance in Tokyo. Two of the four new sports scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028, squash and lacrosse, have previously been contested at a World Games.
And which have tried but failed?
Mini-golf featured on the World Games programme just once, in Karlsruhe in 1989. Boomerang featured as a demonstration sport at the same Games, and ironically did not come back. Unsurprisingly, indoor speedway did not catch on in Duisburg in 2005. Gateball briefly baffled in 2001; sumo was chucked out after a 17-year stint in 2022 due to what officials described as “sportsmanship issues.”
Has it ever been staged in Britain?
London hosted the second edition of the Games in 1985. Comprising over 1,000 athletes from 51 countries, the Games were centred on the Crystal Palace national sports centre and Wembley Conference Centre. A total of over 50,000 spectators feasted on sports like fistball, fin-swimming and sambo, as well as motocross and speedway demonstrations.
Are any Britons going to Chengdu?
Great Britain will be represented in 15 sports in Chengdu, including in flag football, flying disc, and wushu. “It’s the pinnacle of our sport,” says Rachel Turton, who competes on the flying disc pro tour.
“Others have the Olympics, but for us, it means everything to get the chance to go out and compete on such a big stage.”
