Multisport Association of Russia

One of these days there appeared an official website of the VIII World Games Kaohsiung 2009 (Taiwan). The official program of the Games includes 30 sports; the number of disciplines has not yet been specified. Such sports as Aikido, American football, Beach handball, Casting and Motorcycling have been excluded from the program. And only three sports entered the program: Racquetball, Softball and Wushu.

The VIII World Games in Duisburg 2005 (Germany) included held competitions in 32 sports, and upper 4 gymnastics disciplines and 2 roller sport disciplines. Last time the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) presented contests in acrobatics, aerobics, trampoline and tumbling, rhythmic gymnastics. And the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) offered speed, figure skating and roller hockey. The final opinion on the number of the disciplines of the Games in Duisburg will be expressed according to the results of the negotiations between the members of the international federations and the organizers of the 8th World Games Kaohsiung 2009.

The organizers of the Games suggested an interesting decision on grouping the sports into four categories:

Billiards, Bowling, Boules (Petanque), Fistball, Korfball, Racquetball, Rugby 7, Squash

Canoe polo, Life saving, Underwater sport, Waterskiing

Bodybuilding, Dance sport, Gymnastics, Ju-Jitsu, Karate, Powerlifting, Roller sport, Sumo, Tug-of-War (women)

Airsport (parachuting), Climbing, Field archery, Fly disc, Orienteering, Tug-of-War (men)

Besides, the status of the new participants of the Games has changed – in Duisburg competitions such sports were demonstrative, and in Kaohsiung they will be “Invitational”. Out of the 6 invitees in Duisburg only two sports (dragon boat race and indoor hockey) have managed to preserve their status. It is worth mentioning that none of them has been included in the official program. And Aikido, American football, Beach handball and Motorcycling have been excluded from it.

All three new sports of the official program never were demonstrative at the previous World Games but they have the status of sports recognized by the IOC. Softball was among the sports included in the Olympic program some time ago. Such peculiar concern for sports recognized by the Olympic Committee was provided by the former president of the Association of recognized by the IOC international sport federations (ARISF), at present an honorary president of the ARISF and the President of the International World Games Association (IWGA) Ron Froehlich.

We should also mention the situation connected with softball: earlier sports from the Olympic program never got into the World Games. It is likely to be vice versa. The founder of the IWGA Kim Yong Chen (South Korea), former IOC vice-president and former president of the World Taekwondo Federation conceived the World Games as a starting point for sports with Olympic “ambitions”. Chung managed to fulfill his idea: taekwondo was included in the Olympic program. The acting IWGA president also managed it: in the FIG he was responsible for trampoline, which was first presented at the Olympic Games in Sidney (2000). Probably such transfer of sports from the Olympic to World Games is a part of the IOC plan of reducing the program. Ron Froehlich is also a member of the IOC Commission for the Olympic Program. We all remember that nothing new appeared instead of baseball and softball. They simply added competitions to swimming program and BMX discipline to cycling.