Part of my excitement for the launch of the Olympic Channel a few weeks ago was the opportunity to watch the World Games for the first time. I knew what the World Games were, but I'd never seen many of the sports that make up the program, so I was curious to see them. And it's definitely a mixed bag.
The World Games were first held in 1981 and are the "Olympics for non-Olympic sports." In fact, current Olympic sports such as badminton, beach volleyball, triathlon and rugby were first featured in the World Games, and I think the IOC requires World Games inclusion before a sport can be considered for the Olympics (although I'm not sure surfing and skateboarding have ever been in the World Games).
Sport climbing, for example, will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo, and we got a sneak peek of the sport in Wroclaw (the site of this year's World Games). Likewise, karate, which has been a staple of the World Games program, will be featured in the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo. So, this could very well have been the final World Games appearance for both sports, since once a sport's in the Olympics, it's no longer in the World Games, making their status uncertain for 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama (yes, the next World Games are in Birmingham, Alabama).
Although, Olympic inclusion doesn't completely eliminate a sport from the World Games program. Rhythmic gymnastics is in both. In the Olympics, there's a team event and an individual all-around. Those two events aren't in the World Games, but individual event finals (think the apparatus finals in regular gymnastics) are. Same thing with trampoline. The individual event is in the Olympics, so it's not in the World Games, but plenty of other trampoline events are.
Archery, meanwhile, features in both Games, although it's completely different versions of the sport. In the Olympics, it's straight shooting at the target 70 meters away. In the World Games, the targets are really small, I have no idea how far they are, and there are like trees and stuff in the way. It's kinda like the way hunting with a bow & arrow must've been.
There are also the sports (like sport climbing) that would be great fits in the Olympic program, but are biding their time in the World Games until then. Like squash, which I've advocated for, and roller speed skating (roller figure skating is part of the World Games, too, but probably much farther from Olympic inclusion).
As for the rest of the World Games sports, they're definitely a mixed bag. There's a bunch that you could see possibly being in an Olympics someday if they opened them up to more sports, but seem destined (at least for the time being) to have the World Games be their ultimate showcase. Some are pretty cool, some are downright strange (if not really stupid). And there are variations of existing Olympic sports.
So what sports are featured in the World Games? Acrobatics. Billiards, a bunch of different types. Orienteering, which is basically being given a map and sent running through the city. Kickboxing. Water skiing/wakeboarding. "Air sports," a general grouping that includes parachuting and other events that involve a plane. Canoe polo (which is a misnomer, since it's played in kayaks). Power lifting factors body weight into the final score, an idea that Olympic weightlifting would be smart to adopt.
One of my favorite World Games sports is beach handball (yes, for the obvious reason). There's one element of the sport I don't understand, though. They play two timed "sets," and if the teams split the sets they go to a shootout. But if the "sets" are timed, why not just call them "halves" and use the cumulative score to determine the winner?
Beach handball isn't the only team sport in the World Games. There's also roller hockey and ultimate frisbee (which is called "flying disc"). They even had a football tournament, but that's not an official World Games sport, and women's lacrosse is making its debut this year. Floorball is pretty much floor hockey. Fistball actually looks pretty cool. The easiest way to describe it is volleyball where you can only punch it (one bounce is allowed) played outdoors on a field that's probably similar to the size of a lacrosse field.
Then there's korfball. Korfball definitely qualifies as one of the strangest sports I've ever seen. It's kinda like basketball, except the hoop doesn't have a backboard and is in the middle of the court (where a lacrosse goal would be). Oh, and the teams are coed.
But korfball isn't the only World Games sport that left me scratching my head. I'm just as confused about lifesaving. Now, when I heard lifesaving was in the World Games, I figured it was the type Australians are good at where you run out into the ocean and do various lifesaving skills in open water. But no. This takes place in a pool. It's essentially regular swimming, except they swim to one end of the pool, pick up a mannequin and bring it back. Or the "obstacle race" involves swimming under a flag in the water. Why not just do regular swimming (which I can also say about the World Games sport of finswimming)?
Nevertheless, it's definitely been fun watching the World Games. If nothing else, it's been worthwhile seeing some of these sports for the first time. I've gained a new appreciation for some, and may even find myself rooting for them to be added to the Olympic program in the future. (Let's not get carried away, though. I'm not planning a trip to Alabama for the World Games four years from now.)
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