Moscoso (28), and Rizzo (21), led the race from the start of the final round, and were very close going into the final 24 hours. They have left third and fourth places to Germany’s Marius-Andrei Balan (33) and Khrystyna Moshenska (34), nominated in the Latin dance discipline, from the DanceSport category and Ju-Jitsu ace Faisal Al Ketbi (36), from UAE.

The German dancers, performing together since 2015, collected 43,560 votes, while Faisal Al Ketbi, The World Games 2017 gold medallist, recorded 36,824 votes.

Once again with this yearly award there has been an equal distribution of votes, showcasing a very balanced gender representation. Two men and two women are in the top 3 (with one couple), while four men and three women complete the top-10 final ranking. These results align with the IWGA’s mission to promote gender equality.

IWGA President José Perurena congratulated all the finalists on their success: “On behalf of the International World Games Association, and personally, I would like to congratulate our winner and all the athletes in the Top 10 for their outstanding performances. Congratulations for their performances in this race; but they also need to be recognised and saluted for the constant, tireless hard work and sacrifices that they make to reach the highest possible level in their sport. This Award is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible records and achievements of The World Games’ male and female athletes from all over the world. Athletes are the beating heart of our community, and this trophy symbolises our gratitude.”

After the first round which ended on 22 January 2024, the ten best athletes with the most votes went into the final round, with the voting phase ending on Wednesday 31 January 2024 at 12 noon GMT. The winner, together with the silver and bronze finishers, will receive a trophy as well as a certificate. The candidates were nominated by their respective federations.

Inspire the younger generation to get moving

Conrrado Moscoso has had a highly successful and glittering career in Racquetball. He is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) men’s singles World champion, and currently leads the Racquetball World Rankings. He won two gold medals and one bronze at the latest edition of the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Immediately after the announcement, winner Moscoso said:  “I am incredibly grateful and honoured to win this Award. For myself of course, but also for the international Racquetball community that I wish to represent with this title. I want to advocate for my sport in my country, my continent and throughout the world because the sport deserves worldwide publicity. My goal is to inspire the younger generation to get moving and find a passion for sport, possibly Racquetball!”

IRF President Osvaldo Maggi spoke with great enthusiasm: “On behalf of the global Racquetball community, I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate our champion Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia on this tremendous achievement. We are so proud of him for winning and we would like to thank our supportive fans that made it possible. We look forward to seeing what the next edition of The World Games in Chengdu brings!”

A great honour!

For 21-year-old Luisa Rizzo, flying her FPV drone at speeds of over 160km/h around an intricate obstacle course is much more than a simple hobby. The remarkable Italian pilot came third in the FAI World Drone Racing Championships in Namwon, Korea in 2023. She also entered the Guinness World Record Book for clearing 56 gates in 60 seconds on live TV when aged just 16.

Happy about her second place, Rizzo said: “I am delighted with this final result. It is a great honour, not only for me but for the entire air sports community, to receive this distinction. It was thrilling to follow the voting evolution since the start of the year, and I had no idea that I was going to get so much support from The World Games community. I am endlessly grateful for the mobilisation and encouragement, and I wish I knew who voted for me, in order to thank them one by one. I would also like to thank IWGA for their promotion of non-Olympic Games Sports.”

World Air Sports Federation President David Monks echoed the young athlete’s excitement: “We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Luisa Rizzo for her second place. The depth of her talent and outstanding performances in one of our disciplines is undeniable and brings us all together. We are honoured that she gets to be recognised in her specific field.”

Growing popularity of DanceSport

Right from the beginning of their union, Balan and Moshenska became one of the most successful and mesmerizing couples in the world. They are German Champions and have been finalists in every major competition in the world. Since 2020 they are #1 on the World Dance Sport Federation World Ranking List and continue to dominate the international Latin Dance scene.

Thrilled about their third place, the pair commented: “We are incredibly grateful to be second runners-up in The World Games Athlete of the Year Award. We hope DanceSport will get more recognition all over the world, because it is an artistic sport which makes you feel and look good.”

World DanceSport Federation President Shawn Tay commented: “I’m delighted to witness Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska’s remarkable journey towards the third place in the IWGA Athlete of the Year Award. I’ve known Marius and Khrystyna for over a decade and have seen them persist through all the triumphs and hardships in their career. Their global acclaim is in recognition of their sheer hard work, discipline, and dedication, as well as an important indication of the growing popularity of our beautiful, artistic sport. We, at the WDSF, are very proud of Marius and Khrystyna, and thankful for the recognition from IWGA.”

Dreams are fuelled by determination and can turn into reality

The Abu Dhabi native Ketbi, finished fourth in the race among 22 top athletes. He is the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 World Champion in Ju-Jitsu in the -94kg category. He also won TWG 2017 gold medal in Wroclaw, Poland, in the same category, and grabbed TWG 2022 golds in the -85kg group and Open Men discipline in Birmingham, USA.

Ju-Jitsu Faisal Al Ketbi commented: “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the visionary leadership of the UAE for their limitless support, which made this achievement possible. I also extend my deepest appreciation to all my supporters who have been with me on this incredible journey. This achievement is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and endeavour that has fuelled my passion for Ju-Jitsu. I dedicate this achievement to my teammates, coaches, family, and fans who have stood by me every step of the way. This achievement is not just mine; it’s a collective effort, and I am overjoyed to be able to honour my country with this recognition. Together, we’ve proven that dreams fuelled by determination can turn into reality. I hope this win serves as a beacon of inspiration, encouraging aspiring athletes to pursue excellence and contribute to the sport’s continued success on the global stage.”

To close the 2023 season, a total of 22 athletes were running for The World Games Athlete of the Year title. As a reminder, in the voting for 2022, the individual winner was Valeria Cardenas (COL) from the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF).

On 28 December 2024, the Chengdu 2025 Organising Committee (OC) initiated a national contest to create the logo, mascot and slogan of The World Games 2025.  

Despite already receiving a great number of national submissions, the OC is opening the contest internationally on 20 January 2024, to appeal to the world’s creativity to develop the visual identity of the landmark event next year.  

Ideas and designs are expected to be submitted by art & design students, professionals from design companies or independent graphic designers.  

Submissions from both China and overseas will be welcome to participate individually or as part of a team, until the tender deadline on 28 February 2024.  

The guidelines provided by the OC say that the logo, mascot and slogan of the upcoming TWG 2025 should embody the spirit of sport and Chinese cultural values and reflect the history and culture of Chengdu as the host city.  

The logo needs to be innovative and aesthetically pleasing, elegant, creative, and easily recognisable. 

Furthermore, the new visual identity elements should be adaptable, and versatile, allowing for extended design options to suit different branding and marketing needs. 

The mascot’s requirements included criteria such as being “lively, adorable, amiable, and able to get universal recognition from diverse audiences”, and all designs should comply with IWGA’s marketing guidelines.  Take a look at the requirements  document here.

All elements will be available both in English and Chinese and remain as a sustainable legacy for The World Games.  

Selected winners will receive certificates and cash prizes from the TWG 2025 Chengdu OC.  

Hermann Kewitz retired from his Media Officer duties at the IWGA in December 2023. Kewitz started his journey with The World Games at the 7th edition of The World Games in Duisburg (GER) in 2005, before joining the IWGA in 2009 to work alongside IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow.

The Journalism graduate from the University of Dortmund in Germany steps down after a highly fulfilling career with the IWGA. In addition to his media expertise, Kewitz was responsible for TWG’s archives and publications issued by the IWGA. The IWGA would like to express its deepest gratitude to Hermann Kewitz for his commitment and valuable contribution. The legacy of his work will benefit the IWGA in the long term and it will remain impossible to duplicate.

Joachim Gossow praised long-serving Kewitz for his accomplishments during his time with the IWGA: “Hermann’s leadership in all media matters has greatly improved our visibility globally. His expertise and relentless hard work have been instrumental in the success of our event. We sincerely thank Hermann and wish him all the best for the next chapter of his life.”

“It has been an honour and a pleasure to work for The World Games for so many years (and five editions). It is a great event because it really showcases the athletes on the centre stage. Giving them the attention they deserve for their outstanding performances has always motivated me. Even though I no longer work for the IWGA, I will always feel part of The World Games family. Because that’s the feeling The World Games has always given me: to be part of a big family in the world of sport,” said Kewitz.

“I would like to thank our President José Perurena, my CEO and friend Joachim Gossow and my colleagues in the small but smart IWGA team for giving me this feeling. I hope my successor Camille enjoys the challenge as much as I always have. But nothing can really go wrong with this: The World Games grabs everyone who gets in touch with it,” added Kewitz.

Camille Bastin has joined the IWGA in January 2024 as the new Media and Communication Manager. With an extensive background in Olympic sports, Camille will develop, implement and oversee communication and media relations activities within the IWGA. Her career path to date has led her to work for World Aquatics (formerly the International Swimming Federation) as well as the London based PR and Sport Communications consultancy Jon Tibbs Associates. Camille also has experience with sponsors, as she was based in the Omega Press Office during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Camille has participated in four Olympic Games and eight World Championships, including those in Aquatics and Volleyball. Her first edition of The World Games will be the 12th edition in 2025 in Chengdu (CHN).

On 9 January 2024, the IWGA delegation led by President José Perurena, and Mr Gao Zhidan, China’s Sports Minister and Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) President, gathered in person in Beijing (CHN).

Minister Gao, who will co-preside The World Games 2025 Chengdu Local Organising Committee (LOC) together with Mr Huang Qiang, Governor of the Sichuan province, provided general updates on the overall progression of The World Games preparations to the delegation on site, and shared the latest plans related to a variety of organisational topics.

Minister Gao confirmed the readiness and enthusiasm of the city of Chengdu to welcome athletes to the 2025 edition of The World Games, and outlined the fantastic opportunity that it represents for China to further develop and promote the sports featured on TWG’s programme. The COC equally confirmed that it will actively support the promotion of the event in the lead up to 2025.

“Today we found out that preparations are going smoothly, and we are confident that Chengdu has the required experience in hosting global multi-sport events. In addition to China’s world-class hospitality alongside sporting excellence, the IWGA is fully committed to support and strengthen its close relationships with the participating International Federations, and to provide guidance in terms of technical preparation for the most successful edition of The World Games yet,” President Perurena said, echoing the excitement of the Chinese organisers for the upcoming Games.

The IWGA and the COC agreed to further increase collaboration in the near future by the possible signature of a Memorandum of Understanding to be concluded in the first half of 2024.

The IWGA delegation also met with Mr. Ma Zheng, Deputy Director of CMG (China Media Group) Sports and Children’s Programming Centre, at the headquarters of CCTV in Beijing, to discuss the collaboration for The World Games in the areas of production and distribution of images.

After the official meeting in the Chinese capital, the IWGA delegation headed south to Chengdu, in the Sichuan province, for a site visit of the Roller Sports, Squash and Racquetball venues. Near-completion of the Roller Sports site was reported, while additional work is needed on the other facilities.

The delegation met again with Governor Huang, Mayor of Chengdu Municipality, Mr Wang Fengchao and other key LOC senior executives to discuss the progress of preparation for The World Games 2025.

The IWGA representatives attended a community event organised by the LOC to engage with the youth of Chengdu, where both President Perurena and Governor Huang stressed the opportunity of using The World Games coming to Chengdu as a vector to promote physical activity and involve the local citizens.

“This landmark community event symbolises a significant milestone in the LOC’s dedication to promoting The World Games and sport in the region. Educating and raising awareness about sports in the local communities is of upmost importance. Today, we have witnessed that Chengdu is moving in the right direction,” Perurena said.

This event featured competitions and demonstrations of Softball, Flag Football and Flying Disc as well as cultural activities. 

The official visit in China concluded on Thursday 11 January with a working-group meeting involving IWGA CEO Mr Joachim Gossow, IWGA Deputy CEO Mr Guillaume Felli and Ms. Zhang Ruiqin, Vice Director-General of TWG 2025. Operational matters, as well as planning of The World Games 2025 in areas of marketing, broadcasting, accommodation and media were the working group’s focus.

The 12th edition of The World Games will be held from 7-17 August 2025. The sports programme is available here.

The International World Games Association (IWGA) has finalized plans for The World Games 2025, set to take place in Chengdu, China from August 7th to 17th. This edition of the multi-sport event, held every four years, will see an unprecedented 262 gold medals awarded across 35 sports and 62 disciplines.

This marks a significant increase from the 2022 Games in Birmingham, USA, which featured 223 medal events. The expansion aligns with the IWGA’s “Growth Beyond Excellence” strategy, introducing more diverse sports including four para disciplines, a notable increase from just one in 2022.

The event is expected to draw around 5000 athletes from over 100 countries. The IWGA’s decision-making process involved collaboration with host city Chengdu and the international federations, ensuring a diverse and inclusive sports program. New additions to the medal events include Heyball, a popular variant of Pool Billiards in China, and dragon boat races in various team sizes and distances.

Sebastian Garvens, Sports Director of the IWGA, emphasized the significance of these discussions and adjustments, highlighting the association’s commitment to excellence, sustainability, and inclusiveness. The IWGA aims to finalize and present a provisional competition schedule at their next Annual General Meeting on May 1st, 2024.

The World Games is a prestigious event organized with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The previous edition in 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, saw participation from 3,600 athletes in 34 sports representing 100 countries. The upcoming 12th edition in Chengdu represents a new chapter in the World Games history, promising to be a spectacular showcase of sportsmanship and cultural exchange.