The World Games in Birmingham, July 7 to July 17, 2022 |
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This entire newsletter is dedicated to
the World Games in Birmingham.
The 11th World Games will be held July 7-17, 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. After the first World Games in Santa Clara in 1981, this is the second World Games to be held in the United States. The last World Games took place in 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.
The World Games is an 11-day international multi-sport event organized with the support of the International Olympic Committee. Held the year following the Summer Olympic Games, The World Games 2022 will showcase a New Generation of Global Sports in Birmingham. An anticipated 3,600 elite athletes from over 100 countries will compete for gold in more than 30 of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
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AGP Conversation with the German World Games Team |
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Sabine Krapf, Head of Games Management, Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund
In case you missed our conversation last month with Sabine Krapf, Games Management for the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (German Olympic Sports Confederation) and head of the German World Games 2022 management team, you can watch it here:
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We covered a lot with Sabine Krapf, everything from her own Olympic sports career, how one qualifies for the World Games, how many German athletes have already qualified, what sport disciplines they will participate in, any new disciplines to be excited about, what it means for an athlete to participate in the World Games, and much more. |
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Team Deutchland - The German World Games Team |
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Germany will be participating the World Games with a strong team of 254 athletes. The German team - Team D - has grown by almost 70 athletes since the last World Games in Wroclaw, Poland in 2017.
The team consists of a total of 122 male and 132 female athletes. The German athletes have qualified for 30 out of 34 sports at the Games. 111 athletes compete as individuals, and another 143 compete in one of the nine team sports. Team D is supported in Birmingham by 133 officials, coaches, trainers, medical staff as well as 34 other officials which brings the total German delegation to 421 members.
According to Dirk Schimmelpfennig, Chef de Mission of Team D World Games and DOSB (Der Deutsche Olympische Sportbundboard) member for competitive sports: “Team D World Games is well positioned for Birmingham. This is shown by the fact that we are represented in 30 of the 34 sports. This broad lineup is important for athletes and the development of individual sports. Under the motto "Wir für Deutschland (We for Germany)", a strong team with good prospects will go into the competitions and at the same time set an example for the diversity of the sport. We are particularly pleased that SPORT1 will report live on its various platforms about the World Games and transport the fascination of the games and sports to Germany. This is an additional motivation for our athletes.”
At the World Games 2017, Team D was convincing across the board. With a total of 41 medals (17 gold, ten silver, and 14 bronze), the German athletes finished in a strong second place in the medal table. Four years earlier at the 2013 World Games, they took home 30 medals (15 gold, seven silver, and eight bronze) - fourth place in the national ranking. In the overall historical ranking, which includes all World Games since 1981, Team D occupies third place behind Italy and the USA.
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Dankeschön to our PATRON Members: |
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World Games Economic Impact |
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By Ashlee Woods and Cara Clark for Birmingham Business Journal |
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In a matter of days, the city of Birmingham will host athletes and tourists from all over the world for the World Games. The 10-day event is expected to have a massive impact on Birmingham’s tourism industry, potentially bringing in $256 million to the city.
But it will be a continuation of momentum already sparked by tourism ahead of the games. In 2021, tourists spent more than $2.2 billion in Jefferson County. After a Covid slowdown, more events are bringing people to Birmingham to spend money and support area businesses.
“As we look toward The World Games this summer, we are optimistic that it will impact climbing visitor numbers,” said J. John Oros, president, and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. “As long as the economy and consumer confidence remain stable, we expect to emerge from the Covid slump with a strong travel industry intact and growing.”
The World Games’ impact on that final number is currently unknown but projected to be significant. The World Games 2017 generated the equivalent of $23 million in direct economic impact on the local economy in Wrocław, Poland, with 240,000 attendees. Birmingham is expected to see double that number.
“I think that the long-term economic impact of The World Games to the state of Alabama will exceed expectations,” said Josh Bryant, CFO of the World Games, who added it is hard to compare what the World Games did for other host cities to what the event can do locally.
Since the city won the event in 2015, supporters have been working to make it a top-tier destination for athletes from more than 100 countries.
“Already you can see the impact this has had on the city with all the improvements to the main travel routes and specifically 20th Street North,” Bryant said. “There is a new shine on our region that will inspire follow-up visits to our city.”
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Know Before You Go to the World Games |
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By Birmingham Business Alliance |
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Photo Credit: Birmingham Business Alliance
Here's what you need to know before you go:
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Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members: |
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How to Watch the World Games |
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Photo Credit: Christof Starke/AFP
The very best way to watch the World Games is off cause to attend the events of your choice at the venues in Birmingham. Come out to support your favorites! You can get tickets by sport, day or venue. And don't forget to get your tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies that are going to be spectacular. Get your tickets today!
They will also have feature interviews and news articles here on the website, and on @Olympics social media channels.
In addition, fans in the United States have several viewing options including one-hour highlight shows each day on CBS Sports Network and streaming coverage through Paramount+.
German TV channel Sport1 will also be broadcasting more than 100 hours of action to viewers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
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AlabamaGermany Partnership 1900 International Parkway Drive, Suite 105
Birmingham, AL 35245 www.AlabamaGermany.org
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