The World Games are a proving ground for new Olympic sports

The World Games gives so many athletes a shot to make their Olympic dreams come true.

Everyone’s familiar with the Olympics. But do you know how new Olympic sports, like breakdancing, make their way onto the big stage?

They get their start at The World Games. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO did a segment on their July 21 show on The World Games, and I was instantly obsessed. Let me bring you up to speed so you can be obsessed, too.

The World Games, like the Olympics, are typically held every four years, in the year following the Summer Olympics. The World Games are coordinated and regulated by the International World Games Association, which operates under the umbrella of the International Olympics Committee.

These games feature sports you won’t see at the Olympics, from drone sports (literally flying drones) to orienteering (navigating through unfamiliar terrain with a compass that isn’t on a smartphone and a paper map, which apparently both still exist) to lifesaving (which sounds very similar to the test I had to take to become certified as a lifeguard when I was a teenager). The next iteration of the World Games will take place in 2025 in Chengdu, China, so you’ve got plenty of time to read up and get ready.

World Games history

The very first World Games were held in 1981 in Santa Clara, Calif. It featured 15 different sports, and 1600 athletes hailing from 58 different countries participated in 104 medal events over the course of the very first games. For the opening ceremony, athletes were sorted by sport and not by nation, which is one of the most notable departures from the Olympic format.

The first gold medal in The World Games was awarded to the men’s 640 kilo class tug of war (yes, that’s a real competition) from Britain, and the United States ended up dominating the medal count with 38 golds, 37 silvers, and 25 bronze medals for a total of 100. South Korea was next in the gold medal count with nine, and Italy was next overall with seven golds, 14 silvers and 19 bronze medals.

The sports featured at the inaugural World Games included baseball and softball, bowling, several varieties of casting (as in fishing rods), fitness and bodybuilding, racquetball, and roller sports, including a roller-skating version of figure skating, among other competitions.

The next World Games will include 35 different sports, including billiards sports, cheerleading, fistball — which is vaguely like volleyball but also not — disc golf, parkour, powerboating, and waterskiing and wakeboarding competitions.

What’s different about The World Games compared to the Olympics?

Just about everything! For one, host cities don’t have to construct all new facilities for the World Games. Two, the international governing boards for each individual sport decide which athletes will get to compete in the World Games, as opposed to each country’s national team organization. Three, it’s definitely the sports. While The World Games are a starting point for some traditional sports that become Olympic competitions, there are still a lot of really unusual sports featured at The World Games.

Connection to Olympics

Here’s a breakdown of the games’ relationship with the IOC and the Olympics:

The newest agreement confirms that the IOC recognises the importance of The World Games as a multisport event, and that the IWGA is committed to developing its activities in the Olympic spirit and in conformity with the Olympic Charter.

The IOC agrees to grant patronage to Organising Committees of The World Games and to provide technical assistance. Furthermore, the IOC provides its expertise and help to promote IWGA’s activities within the Olympic Movement, and encourages the NOCs to support and assist their national multisport delegations taking part in TWG.

Several sports have made the transition from The World Games to the Olympics. Per The World Games’ website, from 1981 through 2021, these sports have made the jump:

Badminton
Baseball/softball
Beach volleyball
Karate
Rugby sevens
Sport climbing
Taekwondo
Trampoline gymnastics
Triathlon

Baseball, softball and karate are not on the Olympic program for this year. Karate was introduced as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which were held in 2021 due to the global COVID pandemic), and it was excluded from this year’s Games. It made the shortlist for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 but did not make the cut.

Baseball and softball were excluded from the Paris Games after being a part of the 2020 Tokyo Games. Baseball is wildly popular in Japan, but not so much in Europe. France has a national team, but they aren’t particularly good — they’re currently ranked 21st in the world, while Japan, Mexico, and the United States are Nos. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Both sports will be back on the program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Breakdancing: From the World Games to the big stage

Breakdancing (officially known as breaking) will make its debut at this year’s Paris Games. It was included in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires; was introduced in the World Games in 2022, and it’s on the program for the 2025 World Games as well. It unfortunately has been excluded from the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, which is a disappointing snub and a huge missed opportunity for all of us to refer to the competition as Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The men’s gold medalist from the 2022 World Games was B-Boy Victor (Victor Bermudez Montalvo, USA), and he and the women’s gold medalist, B-Girl Ami (Ami Yuasa, Japan) will both compete in Paris. The field also includes the World Games men’s silver medalist, B-Boy Jeffro (Jeffrey Lewis, USA), and the women’s bronze medalist, B-Girl Ayumi (Ayumi Fukushima, Japan).

Flag football is next up in 2028

Flag football didn’t make the cut for the Paris games, so it’s on the World Games program for 2025. But that will change in 2028, when flag football will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles games.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell supports the move.

“The NFL is committed to working together to strengthen flag football’s place in the Olympic movement long term, and we look forward to continuing this exciting journey with IFAF, the LA28 Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee and USA Football.”

Flag football was chosen in part because it’s the most inclusive version of the sport. We’ll have a better idea on who to keep an eye on during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after next year’s World Games, but the US men’s team won gold at the 2022 World Games, and the Mexican women’s team won gold.

Diana Flores, the star quarterback of that gold-medal winning Mexico women’s flag football team in 2022, emphasized that this gives so many athletes their shot to make their Olympic dreams come true.

“To compete in the Olympic Games is the ultimate dream of every athlete, and millions of flag football players around the world will go to sleep dreaming of Los Angeles 2028 tonight. I want to thank everyone who has made this possible — including all my fellow athletes and ambassadors who have played such a central role in driving the project forward.

“Together, we are determined to use this incredible stage to showcase the best of flag football — its speed, athleticism and creativity, and also its power to transform lives and include new communities in sports. As an athlete community, we are proud to be leading the way, but our goal must be to use this opportunity to inspire, lift up and empower a new generation around the world.”