# International Children's Games

The International Children's Games (ICG) is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports and cultural activities.

## History

The Slovenian sports instructor Metod Klemenc founded the International Children's Games in 1968 with the aim of promoting peace and friendship through sports to the world's youth. He organised the first International Children's Games and Cultural Festival in 1968 in Yugoslavia with the participation of teams from nine European cities.
Since that time, 37,000 children aged 12 to 15 have been in competition at 47 Summer Games and 6 Winter Games. 411 different cities, 86 countries and all 5 continents have participated. The International Children's Games and Cultural Festival has become the world's largest international multi-sport youth games, and is a recognised member of the International Olympic Committee since 1990.
1,600 boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 15 from 70 cities in 37 countries participate in this competition every year.
The most recent edition of the International Children's Games was held in León, Mexico from July 15–20, 2024.

## Locations
### Summer Games

| Games | Year | Host city | Host nation |
| 1 | 1968 | Celje | Yugoslavia |
| 2 | 1970 | Udine | Italy |
| 3 | 1972 | Graz | Austria |
| 4 | 1974 | Murska Sobota | Yugoslavia |
| 5 | 1974 | Darmstadt | West Germany |
| 6 | 1976 | Murska Sobota | Yugoslavia |
| 7 | 1976 | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 8 | 1978 | Ravne na Koroškem | Yugoslavia |
| 9 | 1980 | Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 10 | 1982 | Darmstadt | West Germany |
| 11 | 1983 | Troyes | France |
| 12 | 1983 | Murska Sobota | Yugoslavia |
| 13 | 1984 | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 14 | 1985 | Granollers | Spain |
| 15 | 1986 | Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 16 | 1987 | Graz | Austria |
| 17 | 1988 | Szombathely | Hungary |
| 18 | 1989 | Andorra | Andorra |
| 19 | 1990 | Uzhhorod | Soviet Union |
| 20 | 1991 | Bratislava | Slovakia |
| 21 | 1992 | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 22 | 1993 | Darmstadt | Germany |
| 23 | 1994 | Hamilton, Ontario | Canada |
| 24 | 1994 | Slovenj Gradec | Slovenia |
| 25 | 1995 | Celje | Slovenia |
| 26 | 1996 | Sopron | Hungary |
| 27 | 1997 | Sparta | Greece |
| 28 | 1998 | Logroño | Spain |
| 29 | 1999 | Mediaș | Romania |
| 30 | 1999 | Velenje | Slovenia |
| 31 | 1999 | Český Krumlov | Czech Republic |
| 32 | 2000 | Hamilton | Canada |
| 33 | 2001 | Szombathely | Hungary |
| 34 | 2002 | Płock | Poland |
| 35 | 2002 | Taipei | Taiwan |
| 36 | 2003 | Graz | Austria |
| 37 | 2003 | Patras | Greece |
| 38 | 2004 | Cleveland | United States |
| 39 | 2005 | Coventry | United Kingdom |
| 40 | 2006 | Bangkok | Thailand |
| 41 | 2007 | Reykjavík | Iceland |
| 42 | 2008 | San Francisco | United States |
| 43 | 2009 | Athens | Greece |
| 44 | 2010 | Manama | Bahrain |
| 45 | 2011 | Lanarkshire | United Kingdom |
| 46 | 2012 | Daegu | South Korea |
| 47 | 2013 | Windsor, Ontario | Canada |
| 48 | 2014 | Lake Macquarie | Australia |
| 49 | 2015 | Alkmaar | Netherlands |
| 50 | 2016 | New Taipei | Taiwan |
| 51 | 2017 | Kaunas | Lithuania |
| 52 | 2018 | Jerusalem | Israel |
| 53 | 2019 | Ufa | Russia |
| 54 | 2022 | Coventry | United Kingdom |
| 55 | 2023 | Daegu | South Korea |
| 56 | 2024 | León | Mexico |
| 57 | 2025 | Tallinn | Estonia |
| 58 | 2026 | Hualien | Taiwan |
* ↑ Originally scheduled to be held in Kecskemét, Hungary from 30 June–5 July 2020 but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* ↑ Originally scheduled to be held in 2021 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Winter Games

| Games | Year | Host city | Host nation |
| 1 | 1994 | Ravne na Koroškem | Slovenia |
| 2 | 1995 | Prakovce and Helcmanovce | Slovakia |
| 3 | 1999 | Maribor | Slovenia |
| 4 | 2009 | Montreux and Vevey | Switzerland |
| 5 | 2011 | Kelowna | Canada |
| 6 | 2013 | Ufa | Russia |
| 7 | 2016 | Innsbruck | Austria |
| 8 | 2019 | Lake Placid | United States |
| 9 | 2023 (cancelled) | Pyeongchang | South Korea |