2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama postponed to 2022 to avoid clash with Tokyo Olympics

The 2021 World Games have been pushed back by a year to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics which were rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Games organisers said on Thursday. The World Games, which are held every four years and feature 32 sports that are not part of the Olympic program, were scheduled to take place in Birmingham, Alabama, from 15–25 July next year but have now been postponed to 7-17 July, 2022. [caption id=“attachment_8223361” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Team Sweden pulling during the men Tug of War competition at the World Games in Duisburg, Germany in 2005. AP[/caption] Organisers said that the decision to move the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 made a significant impact on the planning of the World Games and sticking to the original dates would have meant excluding many Olympic athletes and officials. “A great deal of detailed work is now required to implement this decision, but I am impressed by the flexibility and efficiency of the Birmingham Organising Committee,” International World Games Association (IWGA) President Jose Perurena said. The international event was set to host 3,600 athletes from over 100 countries to take part in a variety of sports such as martial arts, bowling, squash, billiards and even wheelchair rugby. “All organisational main pillars such as venues and accommodation are in place for 2022, and we are able to have exactly the same sports program as we had planned for 2021,” IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow added.