TGW2017 Sports Summary
Wrocław, POL
The World Air Sports Federation (FAI)

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World Archery Federation (WA)6International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS)

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8World Confederation of Boules Sports (CMSB)

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International Canoe Federation (ICF)

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World Bowling (WB)

World DanceSport Federation (WDSF)

International Fistball Association (IFA)

International Floorball Federation (IFF)
World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)

International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
International Handball Federation (IHF)
Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF)
World Karate Federation (WKF)

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO)
International Korfball Federation (IKF)

Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL)International Life Saving Federation (ILS)International Motorcycling Federation (FIM)

International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA)
International Orienteering Federation (IOF)
International Powerlifting Federation (IPF)

International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS)World Rowing Federation (FISA)International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)World Squash Federation (WSF)

International Sumo Federation (IFS)

Tug of War International Federation (TWIF)World Underwater Federation (CMAS)

International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF)

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The World Air Sports Federation (FAI)
Number of national federations: 113
Website: http://www.fai.org/

Media contact: Faustine Carrera (communication@fai.org)

Air Sports
Most successful nations

Most important athletes
Glider Aerobatics
Ferenc Toth (HUN)
Luca Bertossio (ITA)
Jerzy Makula (POL)
Parachuting Canopy Piloting
Curt Bartholomew (USA)
Nicolas Batsch (USA)
Cornelia Mihai (UAE)Paramotoring
Alexandre Mateos (FRA)
Ramon Morillas (ESP)
Marie Mateos (FRA)
Historic overview
Glider Aerobatics, Parachuting Canopy Piloting and Paramotoring are fairly recent sports that have in common spectacularcompetitions specially designed to thrill the spectators.
Whatever pilots fly, to compete at the highest level takes skill, ambition, training and years of dedicated practice. In Poland, The
World Games will feature these three spectacular air sports that will bring impressive action to the heart of the competition.
Glider Aerobatics is a test of a glider pilot’s ability to perform spectacular aerobatic manoeuvres within the boundaries ofcompetition. Silent and graceful, the pilots aim to impress the judges with their precision and skill as they execute a pre-planned
routine in a 1,000m aerial 'box' in the sky. Pilots must manage the glider’s speed, energy and position all while knowing exactly
which way is up. Routines typically last three minutes and will see pilots pull up to 6G during the toughest manoeuvres.
Parachuting Canopy Piloting is one of the most spectacular disciplines in air sports. Relatively new, the idea is to test aparachutist’s ability to control their canopy accurately at high speed. After jumping out of the aircraft competitors spiral down
towards the performance zone, a long stretch of water known as a 'swooping pond'. There, as they pass through the course
across the swooping pond, they are scored on speed, accuracy and distance. In the Freestyle round scores are given for technicaldifficulty, presentation and landing. Stand by to be amazed.
Paramotoring (also known as powered paragliding) is one of the most accessible forms of flight there is. Flying a paraglider andusing a back-mounted engine, pilots launch with a quick run from the ground to get into the air. In Poland pilots will compete overa series of five tasks that measure precision flying skills – from Accuracy Landing to Paramotor Football. Spectators looking foraction should watch for pilots foot-dragging in the water and flying slalom. Clear prop, and start your engines!
TriviaGlider Aerobatics
This is a relatively young event; the earliest dedicated Glider Aerobatics contests were held in the early 1980’s. At that time there
was very little choice of suitable gliders specifically designed for competition aerobatics. The development of dedicated designs
and highly stressed, very manoeuverable gliders such as the Swift and MDM Fox has encouraged a considerable interest in thispage 2 of 52

sport in recent years.
Most glider aerobatic pilots start by becoming regular glider pilots, learning at one of the many clubs around the world. Once they
have reached a reasonable level of skill they can begin aerobatic training; this is offered by many of the larger gliding clubs. Somecountries require aerobatic proficiency qualifications.
Parachuting Canopy Piloting
Canopy piloting is a fairly new sport, made possible by the development of smaller and faster canopies in the mid-1990s. The
discipline was originally called ‘blade running’ but soon evolved into the format on display at the Games. Competitors compete
over a stretch of water for safety reasons because of the high speeds involved – at the same time creating spectacular action as
the parachutists swoop across the surface of the water, leaving a plume of spray behind them.
This discipline requires a high level of skill and experience. Many of the top competitors at the Games are professional
parachutists or work for parachute manufacturers in the development of new canopies.
Paramotoring
Paramotoring (also known as powered paragliding) enables the pilot to take off from level ground unassisted and climb toaltitude; there is no need to launch from a hill or high ground. Modern paramotors are capable of speeds up to 75km/h and can fly
for several hours at a time. The current FAI open distance world record is 1,105km. Paramotor units typically weigh 30kg, and are'foot-launched' without wheels. After a short take-off run of 10-20m the weight of the paramotor is carried by the paraglider
above. The pilot, sitting in a comfortable and ergonomically designed harness, controls the engine with a throttle held in one hand,
while steering is possible by changing the attitude of the flexible wing. There are an estimated 30,000 paramotor pilots
worldwide. Training to fly solo takes about 8-10 days. With a wide network of schools and clubs, coupled with the easytransportation of the engine and wing, paramotors represent an accessible, viable and low-cost route into the world of aviation.

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International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
Number of national federations: 71
Website: http://ifaf.org/

Media contact: (info@ifaf.org)

American Football
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview

The first national American Football federation outside of the United States was founded in Canada in 1896, as Canada alreadyhad a long history with Canadian football. Japan was also an early adopter of American football, establishing its national
federation in 1936. The first European federation was formed in 1976. Since then, the sport has experienced a significant
expansion, especially in Europe, culminating in the founding of the European Federation of American Football in 1993. Five years
later (1998), the International Federation of American Football was officially formed. The IFAF became a pro-visionary member ofSportAccord in 2003, and became a full SportAccord member in 2005.
In 2013 IFAF was granted provisional recognition to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In 2014, IFAF became a member of Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federation (ARISF).

TriviaAmerican Football grew out of English sports such as rugby and soccer and became popular on American college campuses in thelate 1800s.

The first game of football was played in 1869 when McGill University played Yale. McGill won the game, 6-4.

In 1876, a coach named Walter Camp, who is considered the “Father of American Football,” helped produce the first rules ofAmerican Football. Among important changes were the introduction of line scrimmages and down-and-distance rules.

Helmets weren’t mandatory for football players until 1939.
The 'huddle' in football was formed due to a deaf football player who used sign language to communicate and his team didn't
want the opposition to see the signals he used and in turn huddled around him.

The most watched television event in the United States is the Super Bowl.
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page 5 of 52

World Archery Federation (WA)
Number of national federations: 162
Website: http://worldarchery.org/

Media contact: Chris Wells (cwells@archery.org)

Archery
Most successful nations
Target archery: COL, DEN, USA, FRA, ITA, NED, CAN, RUS, IRI, CAN
Field archery: USA, GBR, FRA, GER, ITA, SWE, SLO, FIN

Most important athletes
Target archery
Compound men: Reo Wilde (USA), Mike Schloesser (NED), Stephan Hansen (DEN)
Compound women: Sara Lopez (COL), Sarah Sonnichsen (DEN), Marcella Tonioli (ITA)
Field Archery
Recurve men: Brady Ellison (USA), Jean-Charles Valladont (FRA), Alan Wills (GBR)
Recurve women: Naomi Folkard (GBR), Lisa Unruh (GER), Amy Oliver (GBR)
Barebow men: Guiseppe Seimandi (ITA), Martin Ottoson (SWE), Erik Jonssson (SWE)
Barebow women: Chantal Porte (FRA), Lina Bjorklund (SWE), Eleonora Strobbe (ITA)
Historic overview
Archery is one of the oldest arts still practised. This history will not only take you through a journey on the evolution of archery,
but also through the history of mankind. Evidence of ancient archery has been found throughout the world.
Although archery probably dates to the Stone Age (around 20,000 BC), the earliest people known to have used bows and arrows
were the ancient Egyptians, who adopted archery at least 5,000 years ago for purposes of hunting and warfare.
In China, archery dates back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1027 BC). A war chariot of that time carried a three-man team: driver,lancer and archer. During the ensuing Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1027-256 BC) nobles at court attended sport archery tournamentsthat were accompanied by music and interspersed with elegant salutations.
The popularity of archery is reflected in the many ballads and folklore, such as for instance Robin Hood, to name the most famousone.
The first known organised competition in archery was held at Finsbury, England in 1583 and included 3,000 participants! By thetime of the 30 Years War (1618-1648) it was clear that, due to the introduction of gunpowder, the bow as weapon belonged in
the past.
Since then, archery has developed as a recreational and competitive sport.
TriviaIn field archery competitions ...
The field archery competitions are
Shot from "marked" (known) and "unmarked" (unknown) distances ranging between 5 and 60 metres (depending on division) attarget faces with six scoring zones with target sizes and positions to be recognised by the archer requiring him/her to shoot uphill
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and downhill, from varying shooting positions.
Since the arrow flight differs over any given distance subject to the angle of the shot, the archer must know by experience howmuch to add or subtract in order to counteract the effects of gravity.The archer needs to be prepared for all eventualities, carefully
preparing his/her equipment and clothing, as he/she is to carry everything over the course.

Field versus Olympic target ...
In field archery, the shots are generally made more challenging through the clever use of the intervening terrain, forcing theathletes to not only estimate the distance but to allow for the slope of the ground - or to make accommodations for the incline ofa tree. Other factors increasing the difficulty of the shots include the lighting: in the woods this may well imply shooting from thedark to the light or the other way round.
The variety of the ever changing shooting conditions are the true challenge of field archery.
While field archery demands the same high levels of concentration from the athletes as does target archery, it is far more physicaland requires an even wider spectrum of skills than the latter.

Finals round ...
In the "Finals Round" the top four athletes in each division shoot two matches consisting of four marked targets. The first-ranked
athletes shoots against the fourth-ranked, and the second shoots against the third. Thereafter, the losers advance to the Bronze
Medal Match, and the winners advance to the Gold Medal Match. Both matches consist of additional four marked targets. The
four-minute limit is strictly imposed, and any arrow shot after the deadline is withdrawn by the judge.

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World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS)
Number of national federations:Website: http://www.wcbs-billiards.org

Media contact: Matt Huart (matt.huart@wpbsa.com)

Billiards Sports
Most successful nations
Carom
BEL, NED, FRA, GER, ESP, GRE, TUR, KOR, VIE, JPN, MEX, COL, ECU
Pool
PHI, CHN, ENG, GER, FIN, SWE, DEN, NOR, TPE
Snooker
THA, CHN, ENG, IND, SCO, NIR, WAL, IRE, CAN, AUS, BEL, FIN, THA, HKG, NOR, IRA, PAK, BRA
Most important athletes

Carom

Dick Jaspers (NED)
Frédéric Caudron (BEL)
Kim Kyung-Roul (KOR)
Eddy Merckx (BEL)
Martin Horn (GER)
Daniel Sanchez (ESP)
Torbjorn Blomdahl (SWE)
Filipos Kasidokostas (GRE)
Tayfun Tasdemir (TUR)
Jeremy Bury (FRA)
Choi Sung-Won (KOR)
Marco Zanetti (lTA)

Pool
Men
Chang, Jung Lin (TPE)
Ko, Pin-Yi (TPE)
Cheng, Yu Hsuan (TPE)
Wu, Jiaqing (CHN)
Ouschan, Albin (AUT)
Shaw, Jayson (GBR)
Pagulayan, Alex (CAN)
Van Boening, Shane (USA)Dang, Jin Hu (CHN)
Kazakis, Alexander (GRE)
Women
Liu, Sha Sha (CHN)
Chen Siming (CHN)
Yu, Han (CHN)
Chou, Chieh-Yu (TPE)
Kim, Ga Young (KOR)
Chen Ho-Yun (TPE)
Amit, Rubilen (PHI)
Fisher, Kelly (GBR)
Chezka, Centeno (PHI)
Kawahara, Chichiro (JPN)

Snookerpage 8 of 52

MenMark Selby (ENG)
Stuart Bingham (ENG)
John Higgins (SCO)
Judd Trump (ENG)
Ding Junhui (CHN)
Soheil Vahedi (IRA)
Xu Si (CHN)
Dharminder Lilly (IND)
Jak Jones (WAL)
Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn (THA)
Women
Reanne Evans (ENG)
Ng On Yee (HKG)
Tatjana Vasiljeva (LAT)Maria Catalano (ENG)
Jaique Ip Wan In (HKG)
Wendy Jans (BEL)
Amee Kamani (IND)
Daria Sirotina (RUS)
Vidya Pillai (IND)
Arantxa Sanchis (IND)
Historic overview
Billiards originates from a lawn game similar to the croquet played sometime during the 15th century in Northern Europe andprobably in France. The game moved indoors to a wooden table with green cloth to simulate grass and a simple border was placedaround the edges.
The balls were pushed, rather than struck, with a wooden stick called a "mace." The mace became a cue in the late 1600, whichdeveloped into what we know today.
From the many disciplines of billiards around the world, the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) was formed in 1992
and subsequently was recognised by the IOC in 1996. The WCBS remains to date a member of ARISF and was granted IWGA
membership in 1998.
TriviaHow it all began ...
The game of billiards has a rich history, evolving from a lawn game quite similar to what is known as croquet today, and dating as
far back as the 1300s. Over the centuries it developed from a popular pastime into three highly competitive disciplines.
Play began outdoors ... with a single ball and a crooked still! Only much later was it moved indoors, to a wooden table covered ingreen cloth simulating the grass. Initially, the balls were shoved rather than struck with the mace, the blunt instrument that could
have been at the origin of the game's contemporary name: the French "billart" is a mace. But etymologists are in dispute: "lesbilles", balls in French, could have influenced the name too.
In any case, the proper cue was developed in the late 1600s. And the equipment became increasingly sophisticated in the 1800s
due to the industrial revolution. By 1850 billiards had essentially evolved into the current forms.
Carom, pool and snooker ...
Carom, pool and snooker have three pieces of basic equipment in common. Each is played on a table, with or without pockets,
which is covered in cloth. Each discipline uses a cue which varies in length and a determined number of different colored balls. The
skill lies in moving the balls around the table, and points are scored by either potting the balls or deflecting them off as manyedges as possible.
Even though carom, pool and snooker are derived from the same game, they have developed distinct identities, each creating its
own rules and world governing body. Today, all billiards sports collaborate harmoniously for the future of the game and its
continued expansion through the World Confederation of Billiards Sports.
Billiards sports at The World Games ...
Only on very rare occasions feature all three disciplines together in a top-level tournament. It does happen at least once every
four years: during The World Games. In participation too, it is always a premier line-up for billiards sports! The professional stars
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come out for the carom, pool and snooker events. And emerging stars go up against the most established champions. Even if
there is no cash purse at stake for the winners, The World Games titles are among the most coveted for billiards sports.

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World Confederation of Boules Sports (CMSB)
Number of national federations: 162
Website: http://www.cmsboules.org

Media contact: Claude Azema (c.azema@cmsboules.com)

Boules Sports
Most successful nations
Lyonnaise
Men : France - Italy - Serbia - Croatia
Women : China - Italy - France - Slovenia
PetanqueMen : France - Thailand - Madagascar - Cambodia - Benin - Belgium
Women : Thailand - Cambodia - Vietnam - Spain - France - Tunisia
Raffa
Men: Italy - Swizerland - Brazil - Austria - Argentina
Women: Italy -Swizerland - Turkey - China - Argentina

Most important athletes

LyonnaiseMenMatteo Mana (ITA)
Giannni Bresciano (MON)Nicolas Pretto (ARG)
Bruno Kraljic (CRO)
Davor Janzik (SLO)
Ales Borcnik (SLO)
Luigi Grattapaglia (ITA)
Gregory Chirat
Alexandre Chirat
Guillaume Abelfo
Leo Brnic (CRO)
Women
Wang Yang (CHN)
Xiping Cheng (CHN)
Xiaomin Guo (CHN)
Barbara Barthet (FRA)
Suzy Marie (FRA)
Sabrina Polito (CHI)
Catérina Venturini (ITA)
Sara Jencic (SLO)
Inci Ece Ozturk
Serena Traversa
Nina Volcina

PetanqueMenPhilippe Suchaud (FRA)
Dylan Rocher (FRA)
Henri Lacroix (FRA)
Claudy Weibel (BEL)
Diego Rizzi (ITA)
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Carlos Rakotoarivelo (MAD)
WomenThomgsri Thamakord (THA)
Angélique Papon (FRA)
Orchan Daren (CAM)
Yolanda Mataranz (ESP)

Raffa
Men
Natale Nicola (AUT)
Formicone Gianluca (ITA)
Basual Raul (ARG)
Borges Raffael Vanz (BRA)
Davide Bianchi (SUI)
Savoretti Mirko (ITA)
Women
Lea Morano (ITA)
Limardo Natalia (ARG)
Geridomnmez Seda (TUR)
Wei Fei (CHN)
Corti Sefora (ITA)
Historic overview
Boules sports struggle to get over their tie-ins with Gaulish culture. The smoking and beret-totting players in town squares allover France hardly portray the modern and athletic games that have evolved over recent years. Exceptional concentration andphysical fitness are paramount in today’s boules sports. And both are found outside of the Mediterranean basin too. National
teams from Madagascar, Thailand, China and Brazil each won medals in Pétanque, Boule Lyonnaise and Raffa at The WorldGames already.
Countries around the northwestern Mediterranean basin – the area which saw the emergence and the early development ofboules sports – feature still the highest density of people practicing boules sports: 20 millions in France and Italy alone. Well overtwo million players are licensed in 150 other countries on all continents, with the most significant growth rates currently recorded
in South America and Asia.
TriviaPrecision and stamina ...
In Boule Lyonnaise's Progressive Shuttle Throw, the most physically exerting of all events, the athletes run from one end of the27,5-meter court to the other, each time picking up a bowl, taking aim and delivering a precision throw at the target on the
opposite end. Again and again – over five gruelling minutes!

The common denominator ...
All boules sports have in common that bowls, "boules" in French, are being used to play. These are either made of metal, small(diameter of 8 cm, 800 grams) in size for Pétanque and somewhat bigger for Boule, or of a synthetic material for Raffa. They also
share that a considerably smaller bowl – the but, the jack or "cochonnet", French for piglet – is used as the target. Some otherfundamentals are common to all games too.
The Point , the throwing action in placing one's bowl as close as possible to the jack, is performed from a poised position, withboth feet firmly placed inside a small circle in Pétanque or in a wider stance in Boule and Raffa.
The Shot, the action of hurtling one's bowl at that of an opponent in order to clear it out of the way, is performed after a few
running strides in Boule and Raffa – or from a stationary position within the thrower's circle in Pétanque.
The Terrain, sport bowls' field of play, is flat, smooth and clearly marked for Boule and Raffa, while in Pétanque it tends to be lesspage 12 of 52

defined, shorter and more uneven.

Competitive history ...
Despite the game's popularity throughout the the Middle Ages, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that diverse
rules began to emerge and govern the different bowling games: Boule Lyonnaise, Pétanque, Raffa and even Lawn Bowls.The
governing bodies for the altogether four different disciplines boules sports are gathered in the World Confederation of Boules
Sports - CMSB.
In Boule Lyonnaise alone, over 300 World and Continental Championships have been staged in men's, women's and juniordivisions to date. And there is continuous evolution. The traditional events in singles, doubles and triples have been
complemented with newer events such as the Precision Throw, the ultimate test of a player's qualities in accuracy, and theProgressive Shuttle Throw, the most athletic variation to the game.

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World Bowling (WB)
Number of national federations: 117

Website: http://www.worldbowling.org

Media contact: Megan Tidbury (megan@worldbowling.org)

Bowling
Most successful nations
USA, COL, KOR, DEN, SWE, FIN, SIN
Most important athletes
Men
Chris Barnes (USA)Jason Belmonte (AUS)
Osku Palermaa (FIN)
Dominic Barrett (ENG)
Park-Jong Woo (KOR)
Women
Clara Juliana Guerrero (COL)
Yun-Hee Son (KOR)
Shayna NG (SGP)
Kelly Kulick (USA)Mai Ginge-Jensen (DEN)
Historic overview
Bowling must be one of the most popular sports in terms of participation. Hundreds of millions around the globe bowl regularly.
An estimated ten million take part in leagues, competing an average of 40 times per year. But only the best among those making
an elite sport of it match up against each other in The World Games. Seemingly tumbling the pins at will, the top athletes strike forgold with every ball they deliver. Their mastery shows in the way the ball rolls, the path it takes down the lane, and in how thepins go down behind its force or spin. The athletes' talent is palpable, their results are inspiring, and the show is electric when they
best are at their best.

World BowlingWorld Bowling (known as the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs between 1952 and 2014) was founded in 1952 in Hamburg,
Germany by officials of the International Bowling Association (founded 1926) to foster worldwide interest in ten-pin and nine-pin
bowling, as well as encouraging global tournaments and zone championships.
Starting with just five member federations in 1952, World Bowling grew to 110 member federations in 2010. World Bowling has
member federations located in all five Olympic regions and with more than 100 million participants, 5 million competitors and
250,000 bowling lanes, it is one of the world’s largest organized sports.
World Bowling has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee since 1979 as the governing body for bowling sports.
In 1988 Bowling was one of the demonstration sports at the Olympics in Seoul Korea and in 2015 bowling was short listed for
Olympic inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but did not make the final list.
In 2015 World Bowling moved its headquarters to the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, Switzerland where it currently remains under
the Presidency of HRH Sheikh Talal Mohammed Al Sabah.
TriviaThe history ...
The sport dates back some 7,000 years, to a time when Egyptians buried some remnants of the earliest known form of bowling intheir tombs. By 1650 bowling encompassed nine pins set in a diamond pattern toward the end of a 90-foot lane. Ten-pin bowling,which features a 60-foot lane and pins set in a triangle pattern, is believed to have derived from a Dutch version of the game. The
scoring for strikes and spares came about when heavier bottle-shaped pins replaced the earlier tall and slender version.
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Based on accuracy ...
Bowling is another true precision sport according to a comprehensive study completed by Dr. Ben Johnson, former Director of theCenter for Sports Medicine, Science and Technology at Georgia State University. The study concludes that bowling is much likearchery, shooting, baseball/softball pitching or other sports based on accuracy, and physically demanding like tennis, table tennis,basketball for the top athletes, and to all who participate for social, recreation or health/fitness reasons.

Physically and mentally taxing ...
During an elite tournament, a bowler must possess physical and mental attributes to consistently deliver a seven kilogram ballapproximately 900 times over the three days. A successful delivery requires the ball to be released within one centimeter of achosen mark and to strike a four centimeter target 18.3 meters away. Championship performances require medal winners to do
this well over 90% of the time.

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International Canoe Federation (ICF)
Number of national federations: 164
Website: http://www.canoeicf.com

Media contact: Ross Solly (media@canoeicf.com)

Canoe
Most successful nations
In the history of the World Championships of the sport, the Netherlands and France sit equally on top of the men's leader board
with three gold, two silver and a bronze, whilst Australia sits in third with three gold. Germany dominates the leader board in thewomen's competitions with a medal in every World Championships bar one, including five gold. Great Britain has put up a goodfight, sitting in second place with four gold. Other medallists across the two genders include Italy, Spain and New Zealand.
Most important athletes

Historic overview
Canoe ball games have been played in Great Britain since the late 19th century and early forms of canoe polo were played in
United States of America and parts of Europe into the first half of the 20th century. A national championships in canoe polo was
first held in England in 1971, but it was not until 1986 that the International Canoe Federation (ICF) published its first set ofuniversal playing rules for the discipline. The following year canoe polo was demonstrated at the canoe sprint world
championships in Duisburg, Germany, and in 1990 the ICF finalised their international rules for canoe polo.
Canoe polo made its debut at the World Games at the 2005 edition in Duisburg, Germany, 18 years after the modern version of
the discipline had been demonstrated at the canoe sprint world championships in the very same city. Germany and United
Kingdom have contested all three women’s finals at the World Games, while in the men’s competition Germany achieved in 2013
what they have failed to do at the world championships, win the gold medal.
TriviaAmidst flashing paddles and crashing water, the ten canoe polo players in face guard helmets and body armours look like aquatic
gladiators. But the hard-hitting action justifies every piece of protective gear that they wear. From the first blow of the referee’s
whistle the two teams of five fight over possession of the ball, no player being allowed to keep it for more than five seconds
before passing it to a team mate with hands or paddles, ... or before scoring a goal. Tackling a ball-holding player including his or
her high-tech kayak is permitted!
Naval battles with a ball ...
The thrills and spills of the fast-paced ball game convinces everyone taking in the action. The sleek kayak hulls clash relentlessly.
At times, the scenes bear strong resemblance to those in a naval battle. And all spectators concur that canoe polo is certainly nota sport for wusses or athletes squeamish about getting their hair wet. There are good reasons for the players to wear helmets
with a facemask and a body protection.
Rules in a nutshell ...
The game is played on an area of 35 by 23 meters, with goals of 1.5 by 1 meter hanging 2 meters above the water. Playing time
for a game is twice 10 minutes, it can be interrupted by a referee for a time-out. Play starts with the players, 5 on each team, intheir kayaks at their own goal line and the ball in the center of the field of play. The players of both teams seek to get possessionof the ball which can be played by hand or by striking it with the paddles.
The opponent is allowed to tackle the player in possession of the ball. And this explicitly includes the player's boat. To make thesport interesting and fast, a player is not allowed to keep the ball for more than five seconds, after which he must surrender it to ateammate.
It all started when ...
The roots of canoe polo are found in the other disciplines of canoeing. In the early thirties, canoeists from a number of European
countries sat in their kayaks and started to toss balls to each other. Inevitably, a new game was born!
But having its roots in different countries meant that the sport developed in quite a few different directions. It took until 1986 tohave the International Canoe Federation's (ICF) Canoe Polo Committee come to life. Official ICF rules governing international
canoe polo were introduced in 1990. And in 1994 Great Britain had the honor to host the first world championships. Since thenpage 16 of 52

ICF Canoe Polo World Championships have been held biennially.

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World DanceSport Federation (WDSF)
Number of national federations: 92

Website: http://www.worlddancesport.org/

Media contact: Roland Hilfiker (roland-hilfiker@wdsf.org)

DanceSport
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview
DanceSport is all about balancing the artistry of dance with the athleticism of a physically taxing sport. What needs to comeacross as an effortless succession of steps or moves to music is, in fact, a hard aerobic workout. And athletic prowess mustcombine with artistry in order to produce a truly captivating performance on the parquet.
DanceSport calls for the athletes to use a prescribed technique together with their rhythmic interpretation. However, technicalcompetence in itself does not automatically constitute quality in DanceSport. All athletes are challenged to demonstrate a perfectsynthesis between their proper technique, artistic skills and athleticism. Physical conditioning, hard work, stern discipline, mental
training and, above all, imagination are the prerequisites for athletes to achieve excellence in DanceSport. The biographies of the
top competitive couples tell the stories of inspired people in permanent search of perfection.
TriviaWhen dance turned sport ...
Dance turned into genuine sport at the beginning of the twentieth century, when French entrepreneur Camille de Rhynal and agroup of superb dancers added the competitive to the social, and when they converted ballrooms into the venue for theircontests.
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) coined the term "DanceSport" in the 1980s. While “Sport” in the composite aspires tobe consistent with the generally accepted definitions, “Dance” is to remain the distinguishing artistic mark.
Tradition and trend ...
DanceSport takes pride in upholding some of the traditions and panache of what was previously known as competitive ballroom
dancing. But it has long abandoned the latter's narrow confines. Today, the most diverse dance styles that have adopted a sportsbased culture, and that have established bona fide competition structures, fall under the genus name.
As DanceSport is constantly evolving, the judging systems employed to determine the winners of any competition are among themost important focus areas. WDS, its world governing body, is committed to continually upgrade and improve the methods andsystems used for judging, to make them more transparent, and to eliminate any possible bias and subjectivity from the process.

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International Fistball Association (IFA)
Number of national federations: 56

Website: http://www.ifa-fistball.com

Media contact: Peter Schierl, Sönke Spille (media@ifa-fistball.com)

Fistball
Most successful nations
AUT, BRA, GER, SUI
Most important athletes
Dietmar Weiss (AUT)
Jean Andrioli (AUT)
Patrick Thomas (GER)
Fabian Sagstetter (GER)
Patrick Piermann (BRA)
Dao Schmidt (BRA)
Ueli Rebsamen (SUI)
Lukas Lässer (SUI)
Alvaro Mödinger (CHI)
Martin Vazquez (ARG)
Historic overview
Mainly through The World Games, the game became popular in the Asian region and all around the world.
Yes, there is “striking” similarity between volleyball and fistball: the object of both games is to place the ball in the opponents’ halfof the field in such a way that it cannot get returned. The crucial difference in fistball: the ball is struck with either fist or arm –never with open hands – and it is allowed to bounce after each contact. The game was first mentioned in 240 A.D. by the Romanemperor Gordianus. In 1786 it was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who wrote about fistball being played between “four noblemen from
Verona and four Venetians.” Today’s game has five players per side jettisoning the ball over the ribbon – at speeds much beyond
the 100 km/h – and making spectacular dives to avoid that it bounces more than three times in their half.
TriviaThree hits, three bounces ...
Fistball belongs to the group of games where a ball gets hit across a net, or a ribbon in this case, from one half of the field of play
to the other. Like in tennis or volleyball, the aim is to place the ball in the opponents' half in such a way as not allowing them toreach it, even after a bounce. The ball is hit with fists or arms. After passing the net, the ball may be made contact with up to threetimes by the five players on each team, with a bounce being permissible after every contact.
The field of play, best of three ...
The men's outdoor game, which is featured in The World Games, is played on a field of 20 by 50 meters. The center line divides
the field in two halves; 2 meters above the center line a 6 cm wide net or tape is strung across the field. Service lines are marked
at three meters from the center line in each of the halves. The ball is made of leather, has a circumference of maximum 68
centimeters, weighs up to 380 grams, and it is inflated at 0,75 bar. The matches are generally played to a system of "best of threesets". A team has won a set as soon as it scored 11 points (at a difference of at least 2 points). In case the difference of 2 points is
not given at 11, the set is extended until a team is in the lead by 2 points. A set is finished as soon as a team scored 15 points regardless of the difference.
Perennial champions ...
In the 2005 Duisburg fistball final Austria won the first set rather convincingly, 20:11, but Brazil fought back by taking the next
two 20:15 and 20:14. All of a sudden it looked as if the "Carinha" around standout player George Schuch would be able to revenge
the loss in the 2001 Akita final. But no, Austria prevailed in the "best of five" match against the two-time world champions.
Brazil returned to the final in 2009 Kaohsiung. Playing a strong Switzerland, the Brazilians turned this match again into a clash
between different ways of interpreting the same ball game. One only needs to look to soccer to find a similar dividing line
between a Teutonically disciplined and a more playful ball handling "do Brasil." This time the round leather bounced in favor of theplayful!

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International Floorball Federation (IFF)
Number of national federations: 64
Website: http://www.floorball.org

Media contact: Minna Nurminen (nurminen@floorball.org)

Floorball
Most successful nations
Sweden is the most successful nation, followed by Finland, Switzerland and Czech Republic.
Most important athletes
From the teams participating at TWG 2017....
CZE: Matej Jendrisak, Martin Tokos, Daniel Sebek, Milan Tomasik, Tom Ondrusek
FIN: Mika Kohonen, Peter Kotilainen, Jani Kukkola, Nico Salo, Tatu Väänänen, Eero Kosonen
SWE: Alexander Galante Carlström, Robin Nilsberth, Johan Samuelsson, Kim Nilsson, Rasmus Enström
SUI: Matthias Hofbauer, Nico Scalvinoni, Manuel Maurer, Luca Graf
POL: Mateusz Antoniak, Lukasz Chlebda, Wojciech Malajka, Michal Sienko
USA: Robin Brown, Terence Frank, Stefan Zimmerman
Historic overview
Floorball has its origin in the Michigan lake district in the 1960’s where a sport called Cosom Hockey was invented. The present
type of Floorball was created in Sweden in the 1970’s and has since then spread first in Europe, but also in Asia, Australia andNorth America. The International Floorball Federation (IFF) was founded in 1985 by Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. IFF gainedSportAccord provisional membership in 2000 and IOC recognition in 2008 and the IOC 123 session gave full recognition in 2011.
IFF started the WFC’s in 1996 after two European Championships.
TriviaHit, lift and block ...
The sport is a very fast and dynamic team sport, where the five field players are changing places on the field and the ball moves
from player to player. The situations change very fast and a lot of goals are usually scored. The player can play the ball with the
stick, body or foot - not the arms or head, and you are not allowed to hit, lift or block the opponent's stick.
The main rules are:
- The player can’t play the ball above the knee level with the stick.
- You are not allowed to tackle, but can play shoulder to shoulder.
- The field players are not allowed to enter the small goalkeeper area in front of the goal.
- The goalkeeper plays without a stick and can play the ball with their hands inside the large goal area only
MIddle distance runners ...
In Floorball a two goal lead can be turned in a number of seconds, since it is quite usual that the ball travels from one end of the
field to the other in a number of seconds. The average player runs between 3500 – 4500m during a game, but in intervals of an
average of 7 meters and in all directions.
The disciplines ...
Floorball: Five field players plus a goalie a side plays in a 20 x 40 m rink with a plastic ball trying to score goals. No off sides. The
game is played with effective time, stopping the clock always when the referee whistles for goals, penalties or when the ball goesout of the rink. The game is played in three periods of 20 minutes with a 10 minute intermission between the periods.
At The World Games 2017, the game will be played with 3 period of 15 minutes each.
3 v 3 or 4 v 4: Is a format used for recreational Floorball and outdoor competitions. Can be played with or without goalies on asmaller sized court
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World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)
Number of national federations: 76
Website: http://www.wfdf.org

Media contact: Volker Bernardi (ed@wfdf.org)

Flying Disc
Most successful nations
USA, CAN, JPN, GBR, AUS, GER, COL, FRA
Most important athletes
The Flying Disc competition in the 2017 World Games will feature six mixed gender teams, comprised of seven men and seven
women: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Japan, host nation Poland and the USA. Based on the results from the 2016 World Ultimate
Championships (WUGC), team USA is heavily favoured, with Australia, Canada and Colombia expected to be in a tight battle for thesilver medal. Due to some late-arising personnel issues, Team Japan is expected to finish out of medal contention and will likely
be battling Poland for the 5th spot. Although the best Ultimate players across the globe will be competing for the honour of being
crowned the top team, there are definitely players to watch out for from each team.
Australia: On the men’s side, Brendan Ashcroft will be one to watch due to his speed – he can run a sub 11 second 100 metre –and his experience in big games (he won bronze at WUGC 2016 with Australia). On the women’s side, Cat Phillips is definitely oneof the Aussie’s key players, having successfully crossed over into the sport of Aussie Rules football with great success. In themixed game, women can make a huge difference, so we’ll see what role Cat plays for Australia.
Canada: On the women’s side, Catherine Hui has been called by some as one of the best Ultimate players in the world. She can set
up the offense, play D, huck deep, and causes teams to adjust their strategy just to stop her from getting the disc, so plan to keep
an eye on her. On the men’s side, Kevin Underhill is on the roster again, having played for Canada at WUGC 2016. In the men’s
bronze medal game, Kevin was the highest scoring player on team Canada so we’ll see what he can do in Poland against the best
defenders in the world.
Colombia: On the men’s side, Julio Duque will be the player to watch. He was the leading scoring for the Colombian men’s team at
WUGC 2016 and will be counted on again to make some big plays for goals. On the women’s side, Yina Munoz is a standout. At
the WUGC 2016, she threw an incredible 16 assists for the Colombian women’s team. It will be exciting to see how many goals
Julio and Yina will connect on as teammates.
Japan: Not much is known about the Japanese men due to some last minute roster changes. A notable absence is Matsuno, one of
the top men’s Ultimate players in the world, so it will be interesting to see how the team adjusts without him there. On thewomen’s side, the usual suspects are on the roster so we can be sure that the Japanese women will play a huge factor in thegames – Shimada, Tamura and Kobayash will be the ones to watch for.
Poland: As the host nation, Poland automatically earned a spot from WFDF. Although they’re currently ranked 24th in the world,
anything can happen, especially since they will have the advantage of playing in front of the home crowd. On the men’s side, keep
an eye on Filip Stepniak, as he was the leading scorer on the Polish mixed team at the WUGC 2016. Although Poland did not senda women’s team, Alexsandra Dysko has the experience and the physical talent to be a threat. As a team, Poland has been training
hard for two years for this summer so don’t be surprised if there are some upsets.
USA: Although it’s hard to name only two players to watch, on the women’s side Lien Hoffman certainly merits attention. Lien
was the leading scorer for the USA women’s team at WUGC 2016 and will absolutely be a force again in Poland. On the men’sside, Jimmy Mickle continues to be one of their featured players. With his size, speed and throwing skills, Jimmy is incredibly
difficult to defend and as a result scores a lot of points. Last year, he tied as the leading scorer for the USA men’s team.
Historic overview
It was a saucer’s flight to ultimate fame! From the “Frisbie Baking Company” to the tables of New England colleges – and fromthere to open fields on university campuses everywhere: a pie tin started a spectacular flight around the world, most likely on afling by Ivy League students in the late 19th century. It continues aloft, albeit as a more sophisticated piece of sporting equipment.
The flying discis the focus of a field game which combines some of the best elements found in American football, soccer,
basketball and hockey.
The World Flying Disc Federation, or WFDF, is the international sports federation responsible for world governance of flying disc(frisbee) sports, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Guts, and Individual Events. WFDF is a federation of member associations
which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in more than 75 countries. WFDF is an international federation recognised by
the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IPC and FISU and a member of ARISF, SportAccord and the International WorldGames Association, and it is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, USA.
Ultimate, which is one of the fastest growing team sports on the planet, combines demanding athleticism with relentless
intensity - imagine the nonstop energy of a hockey game played on the surface of a football field. Two teams of seven athletes
battle for the disc, each athlete trying to out-cut, out-throw, out-run, out-jump, and outsmart their opponents to advance the disc
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to the opposing end zone. Each athlete's position is relative to the disc, and the disc is always moving, so the game is always
moving. Athletes must be lightning quick with marathon-like endurance.
While Ultimate is played by both men’s and women’s teams in over 100 countries around the world, the most popular form ismixed-gender. The promotion of gender equality within the sport has been paramount to its extraordinary popularity and growth,
perfectly in line with one of the most important goals on the Olympic Agenda 2020.
Since 2001, mixed-gender Ultimate teams have participated in the IWGA World Games, and will do so again in the 2017 WorldGames in Wroclaw, Poland. During The World Games in 2013, Ultimate was one of the most viewed spectator sports, selling morethan 40,000 tickets over three days of competition, and received the highest rating among all sports televised on the world feed.
Since 1983, WFDF has organized the Ultimate World Championships in locations around the world, featuring numerous age
categories and divisions. In 2016, the World Championships in London featured 2,400 athletes representing 38 countries, and theWorld Junior Championships in Wroclav featured 975 young athletes from 29 countries.
Trivia
The World Flying Disc Federation, or WFDF, is the international sports federation responsible for world governance of flying disc(frisbee) sports, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Guts, and Individual Events. WFDF is a federation of member associations
which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in more than 75 countries. WFDF is an international federation recognised by
the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IPC and FISU and a member of ARISF, SportAccord and the International WorldGames Association, and it is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, USA.
Ultimate, which is one of the fastest growing team sports on the planet, combines demanding athleticism with relentless
intensity - imagine the nonstop energy of a hockey game played on the surface of a football field. Two teams of seven athletes
battle for the disc, each athlete trying to out-cut, out-throw, out-run, out-jump, and outsmart their opponents to advance the discto the opposing end zone. Each athlete's position is relative to the disc, and the disc is always moving, so the game is always
moving. Athletes must be lightning quick with marathon-like endurance.
While Ultimate is played by both men’s and women’s teams in over 100 countries around the world, the most popular form ismixed-gender. The promotion of gender equality within the sport has been paramount to its extraordinary popularity and growth,
perfectly in line with one of the most important goals on the Olympic Agenda 2020.
Since 2001, mixed-gender Ultimate teams have participated in the IWGA World Games, and will do so again in the 2017 WorldGames in Wroclaw, Poland. During the World Games in 2013, Ultimate was one of the most viewed spectator sports, selling morethan 40,000 tickets over three days of competition, and received the highest rating among all sports televised on the world feed.
Since 1983, WFDF has organized the Ultimate World Championships in locations around the world, featuring numerous age
categories and divisions. In 2016, the World Championships in London featured 2,400 athletes representing 38 countries, and theWorld Junior Championships in Wroclav featured 975 young athletes from 29 countries.

page 22 of 52

International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
Number of national federations: 148

Website: http://www.fig-gymnastics.com

Media contact: Ms Blythe Lawrence (blawrence@fig-gymnastics.org)

Aerobic Gymnastics
Most successful nations
RUS, ROU, FRA, CHN, ESP, BRA
Most important athletes

Historic overview
Aerobic Gymnastics has not only been a great form of physical training for the general public since the end of the 1980s, but also
a top-level competitive sport.
In 1994, the Fédération Internationale des Gymnastique (FIQ) decided to organise World Championships and began to structure
Aerobic Gymnastics in a similar way to its other competitive sports disciplines. The first Official World Championships were held
1995 in Paris with 34 participating countries. In 1997, the International World Games Association included Aerobic Gymnastics inthe programme of the 5th World Games in Lahti, Finland.
TriviaThe word aerobic literally means with oxygen or in presence of oxygen.

Rhythmic Gymnastics
Most successful nations
RUS, UKR, BUL, ESP, GRE, BRA, AZE
Most important athletes

Historic overview
This graceful form of gymnastics first developed at the end of the 19th and early 20th century as a mean of movement
expression. It consists of aesthetic expression and gracefulness combined with musicality and rhythm. As a competitive discipline,
Rhythmic Gymnastics started in the former Soviet Union, where National Championships have been held since 1942. The
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) recognised the discipline in 1961. The first World Individual Championships took
place in 1963 in Budapest with 28 participating gymnasts from ten European countries.
TriviaRhythmic Gymnastics is a typically female sport, though a handful of men’s groups practice the discipline in Japan.

Acrobatic Gymnastics
Most successful nations
RUS, UKR, GBR, POR, CHN

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Most important athletesPair, men
MISHEV Igor
SUPRUNOV Nikolay (RUS)
Pair, women
GUREYEVA Daria
KALININA Daria (RUS)
Mixed pair
PATARAYA Georgy
CHERNOVA Marina (RUS)
Group, women
BELKINA Valeriia
NIKITINA Yulia
PARKHOMETS Zhanna (RUS)
Group, men
LI Zheng
RUI Liuming
ZHANG TengZHOU Jiahuai (CHN)
Historic overview
Practiced by both men and women, Acrobatic Gymnastics is among the oldest known disciplines since already practiced in theancient Egyptian period, as evidenced by certain frescos.
The discipline is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) since 1999.
TriviaThe name of this discipline comes from the Greek acrobateo, meaning to rise or go forth.

Trampoline
Most successful nations
RUS, UKR, BLR, FRA, JPN, CHN, CAN
Most important athletes
Men
TU Xiao (CHN)
DONG Dong (CHN)
WHITE Austin (USA)Women
LI Dan (CHN)ZHONG Xinping (CHN)
JAUCH Erin (USA)Historic overview
It was the safety net used by trapeze artists that made engineer inventor George Nissen (USA) think, back in the year 1934. A
professor of Physical Education, this diving and tumbling champion build the first folding trampoline prototype in his garage by
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attaching a piece of canvas to a hinged metallic frame using elastic cords. Thereby, the Trampoline was born! The
sportcontributes in an originally playful way to the improvement of an athlete’s physical and psychological well-being. It
particularly leads to a better understanding of one’s body in space.
Success within the United States was immediate. The first national championships of the USA were held in 1948. In 1955
Trampoline makes its way to the Pan-American Games and finally to Europe. In 1964, the Fédération Internationale deTrampoline (FIT) was established in Germany.
In 1985, the discipline becomes part of the World Games. From the dissolution of the FIT in 1999 onwards ,Trampoline has been a
discipline of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG).
TriviaTumbling
Most successful nations
RUS, GBR, BLR, FRA, CHN, POR
Most important athletes
Men
YANG Song (CHN)Women
JIA Fangfang (CHN)
Historic overview
It was the safety net used by trapeze artists that made engineer inventor George Nissen (USA) think, back in the year 1934. A
professor of Physical Education, this diving and tumbling champion build the first folding trampoline prototype in his garage by
attaching a piece of canvas to a hinged metallic frame using elastic cords. Thereby, the Trampoline was born! The
sportcontributes in an originally playful way to the improvement of an athlete’s physical and psychological well-being. It
particularly leads to a better understanding of one’s body in space.
Success within the United States was immediate. The first national championships of the USA were held in 1948. In 1955
Trampoline makes its way to the Pan-American Games and finally to Europe. In 1964, the Fédération Internationale deTrampoline (FIT) was established in Germany.
In 1985, the discipline becomes part of The World Games. From the dissolution of the FIT in 1999 onwards, Trampoline has beena discipline of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG).
Triviapage 25 of 52

International Handball Federation (IHF)
Number of national federations: 204
Website: http://www.ihf.info

Media contact: Jessica Rockstroh (jessica.rockstroh@ihf.info)

Beach
Most successful nations
Men
Qatar, Brazil, Qatar, Russia, Croatia, Spain
Women
Brazil, Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Denmark, Norway, Spain
Most important athletes
Men
Bruno Oliveira (BRA), Nailson Amaral (BRA), Claudio Tiago (BRA), Gil Pires (BRA), Igor Totic (CRO), Ivan Juric (CRO), Zvonimir Dikic(CRO), Luka Bumbak (CRO), Martin Andersen (DEN), Eslam Emam (EGY), Andras John (HUN), Attila Kun (HUN), Mohsin Yafai (QAT),
Annis Zouai (QAT), Aleksander Tatarintsev (RUS), Roman Kalashnikov (RUS), Marko Pavlovic (SRB), Rastko Anicic (SRB), Juan
Vazquez Diz (ESP), Hagi Toure (ESP), Miguel Angel Corral (ESP), Viktor Ladyko (UKR), Igor Kopyshynskyi (UKR), Ebiye-Udo Udoma
(USA)
Women
Celeste Meccia (ARG), Camila Ramos (BRA), Renata Santiago (BRA), Patricia Scheppa (BRA), Nathalie Sena (BRA), Josiba Grebenar(CRO), Vlatka Samarinec (CRO), Maj Thornoe Johansen (DEN), Lamprini Tsakalou (GRE), Renata Csiki (HUN), Bozsana Fekete (HUN),
Kitti Groz (HUN), Fruzsina Kretz (HUN), Agnes Gyori (HUN), Cristina Gheorghe (ITA), Anika Niederwieser (ITA), Cathrine Kornvald(NOR), Regina Gulbrandsen (NOR), Raquel Caño (ESP), Maria Luisa Garcia (ESP), Patricia Encinas (ESP), Yeliz Ozel (TUR), Olga Laiuk(UKR), Viktoria Belmas (UKR)
Historic overview
Beach Handball developed in the 1990s in Italy in order to adapt the indoor version to the beach environment.
By 1994 it has become an official competition form of the International Handball Federation (IHF), recognized and approved a few
years later by major sport agencies and organisations (IOC, IWGA, SportAccord). The popularity of the sport has expanded fast andtoday Beach Handball is played all around the world.
Triviapage 26 of 52

Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF)
Number of national federations: 121
Website: http://www.jjif.org

Media contact: Joachim Thumfart (joe@jjif.org)

Ju-Jitsu
Most successful nations
FRA, RUS, GER, POL, COL
Most important athletes
Men
Polok, Maciej (POL)
Apolonov, Roman ( GER)
Lah, Benjamin (SLO)
Alketbi, Faisal (UAE)
Women
Bieronska, Martyna (POL)
Yuasa, Rikako (JPN)
Becirovic, Mirnesa / Becirovic, Mirneta (AUT)
Nebie, Severinne (FRA)
Historic overview
Ju-jitsu spread among the samurai as a way to neutralize an opponent in the Japan of the 17th century. Ju-jitsu absorbs an attackand uses its energy against the attacker. Thus the "Gentle Art" or “Art of Suppleness”, for this is the meaning of the Japanesename, does not neutralize power with power but aims to rationally absorb an attack and convert that energy to the opponent’s
detriment.
In today's “Fighting System”, two athletes have two times two minutes to defeat the opponent on points or by surrender. The
sparring bouts are divided into distance combat, grounding techniques and the final phase on the tatami mat.
In the “Duo System”, two collaborative jutsukas demonstrate rehearsed self-defence techniques against a series of attacks
randomly called by the mat referee. These attacks cover specific scenarios: grip attack, embrace attack, hit attack, and armed
attack with stick or knife.
The Ne-Waza System became famous under the name Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is called human cess as well. Srategies and tactics aredesingned to make your opponent waste his energy to submitt him/her later in the fight. Most of this competition happens on
the ground.
TriviaLike the branches of a tree ...
Ju-jitsu is an ancient Japanese martial art. Its origins date back to the 16th century, when legend has it that Shirobei Akiyama
witnessed how the branches of most trees broke under the heavy loads of snow and ice during a blizzard, while the elastic
branches of the willow bent and efficiently freed themselves from the destructive weights.
The spread and influence of ju-jitsu ...
The golden age of ju-jitsu lasted until 1869, the year when the Emperor’s return to Japan and the subsequent abolition of
feudalism caused the samurai to lose their privileged status. Samurai tradition nevertheless kept ju-jitsu alive and travelers
brought the martial art to all four corners of the world.
In more recent years, the essence of other martial arts, such as judo and aikido, has developed from ju-jitsu, extracting specificaspects of its techniques.
Stages in a fight ...
The actual combat in the “Fighting System” is divided into three parts: Part I sees the jutsukas involved in distance combat andcontrolled attacks with arms and legs. Once a grab has been made, the fight enters Part II and hits are no longer allowed. The
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jutsukas try to bring one another down with various throwing techniques. Points are given according to how clean and effective
the actions are judged. Once down on the tatami mats, the match enters its Part III. Here points are given for immobilization
techniques, controlled strangulations or levers on body joints that bring the opponent to yield. The winner is the jutsuka who has
accumulated most points during the fight. This type of competition requires timing, agility, strength and endurance.
World Games medalist Carsten Ettrup, DEN, sums up the essence of fighting in ju-jitsu. "In these combats you are simply trying tooutsmart your opponent. After all, he knows the same techniques you do!"page 28 of 52

World Karate Federation (WKF)
Number of national federations: 191
Website: http://www.wkf.net/

Media contact: Sergio Aguilera (press@wkf.net)

KarateMost successful nations
Japan, France, Spain, USA, Italy
Most important athletesMen
Antonio Diaz (VEN)
Rafael Aghayev (AZE)
Douglas Brose (BRA)
Ryo Kiyuna (JPN)
Ryutaro Araga (JPN)
Damian Quintero (ESP)
Thomas Scott (USA)
Women
Kiyou Shimizu (JPN)
Giana Lotfy (EGY)Alexandra Recchia (FRA)
Sara Cardin (ITA)
Sandra Sanchez (ESP)
Historic overview
Karate is a martial art developed on the Ryuku Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in
the early 20th century, and by the early 1930s many major Japanese universities adopted this discipline in their teachings. The
popularity of martial arts movies in the 1960s and 1970s increased the recognition of the discipline worldwide and the martial art
spread around the world. The first Karate World Championships took place in Tokyo in 1970, and 23 editions of the biggest Karate
event have been held ever since. The last World Championships were celebrated in Linz (Austria) in October 2016.
Competitive Karate is formed by two modalities: Kata and Kumite. Kata referrers to a choreagraphed pattern of movements, while
Kumite defines the confrontation of two competitors in a sparring mode.
TriviaWith empty hands ...
The literal meaning of the two characters that make up the word karate in Japanese is "empty hands", making reference to thefact that karate originated as a method of self-defense that relied solely on the effective use of the unarmed body. The original
karate was made up of elaborate techniques of blocking or thwarting an attack, and of counter-attacking an opponent bypunching, striking or kicking.
The Shinto roots ...
Karate, like many of the other martial arts, upholds its ties to Shinto and Buddhist roots by striving to go much beyond thetechnical aspects of combat. Besides defending against and defeating an opponent, the techniques and the training also aim forthe karateka to develop human qualities and values.
Kumite and Kata...
The Karate tournament comprises Kumite competition and Kata competition. In Kumite, competitors – who are divided intoweight divisions – spar in bouts three minutes long for Male categories and two minutes long for Female categories. The karateka
scoring a higher number of points at the end of the bout will be declared winner.
Kata - the Japanese word for forms- are highly detailed patterns of movements that adhere to the traditional values andprinciples of the discipline. In competitions, the karatekas perform a kata in each bout, and their performance is evaluated based
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on conformance, technical presentation and athletic appearance. After the completion of both Kata, the Chief Judge will call for adecision (HANTEI) and the Judges will cast their votes. The competitor who receives the majority of votes will be declared winner.
Ippon...
The scoring in Kumite is distributed as follows: Ippon, three points; Waza-Ari, two-points and Yuko, one point. A score is awarded
when a technique is performed with good form, sporting attitude, vigorous application, awareness (ZANSHIN), good timing andcorrect distance.
IPPON is awarded for Jodan kicks or any scoring technique delivered on a thrown or fallen opponent.
Kata...
There are some 100 kata across the various forms of karate, each with many minor variations. However, only 75 of them areincluded in the official kata list at competitions. The name of the kata to be performed is clearly announced by the competitor at
the beginning of his/her performance.
Aka and Ao...
In both Kata and Kumite, the two competitors in a bout are identified by the colour of their belts: aka (red) and ao (blue)

page 30 of 52

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO)
Number of national federations: 127
Website: http://www.wakoweb.com

Media contact: Marijana Pelevic (marijana.pelevic@wakoweb.com)

Kickboxing
Most successful nations
RUS, POL, SRB, BLR, BRA, MAR, IRI, UKR, TUR, ITA
Most important athletesMen
Datsi Datsiev (RUS)
Aleksandar Konovalov (SRB)
Antoine Habash (HUN)
Dawid Kasperski (POL)
Ramankevic Piotr (BLR)
Women
Dymus Malgorzata (POL)
Tatiana Ponomareva (RUS)
Lucia Cmarova (SVK)
Caruso Cristina (ITA)
Kaitlin Young (USA)
Teodora Manic (SRB)
Historic overview
WAKO started its activity in Europe in 1976. The founder was Mr. Georg Bruckner from Berlin, who promoted the first ever WorldChampionships in semi and full contact karate (as initially the discipline was called in those days) back in 1978 with 110
competitors representing 18 countries. WAKO immediately created the rules and regulations for the new fighting sports including
punches (hand techniques) and kicks (leg techniques) for amateur fights with maximum use of safety equipment, the new term
KICKBOXING was officially adopted to define the sport and WAKO started to act, since the very beginning, as the authentic
Kickboxing Federation in the world. From 1984, WAKO was leaded by Italian Ennio Falsoni. He organized and consolidated WAKO
as respectable International Sports Organization. World Championships were held every two years in different parts of the World.
Now, after decades of passionate work, Ennio Falsoni is honorable President of WAKO.
TriviaWAKO Kickboxing today
Kickboxing is a modern contact fighting sport created on the basis of many traditional combat sports and martial arts. Kickboxing
is a unique Western response to many Eastern martial arts. It can be practiced on competitive or recreational level depends on theaspirations of the kickboxer, but for sure it is a sport designed to improve your overall health, strength and endurance.
Today WAKO counts on 128 affiliated nations in the 5 continents, which are officially recognized by either National Olympic
Committee or relevant National Government Sports Authority.
Actual WAKO President is Prof. Dr. Borislav Pelević (Serbia).
Globally WAKO
Today WAKO counts more than 4.000.000 practitioners in more than 40.000 clubs all over the globe. WAKO is promoting Bi
Annually Continental and World Championships (in all seven disciplines) and organizes World and Continental Cups and Open
tournaments.
WAKO is officially recognized by: GAISF - former SportAccord (Global Association of International Sports Federations), OCA(Olympic Council of Asia), WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), IWGA (International World Games Association), Peace and Sport,
International Fair Play Organization, AIMS (Alliance of International Recognized Members of Sport) IWG (International Working
Group of Women in Sport).
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WAKO and The World Games
WAKO became a part of The World Games family as the 37th member of the IWGA in 2014. Kickboxing will be a part of the The
World Games 2017 in Wroclaw as Invitational sport. WAKO kickboxing will be represented by one of its seven disciplines: K-1
Rules.
The main facts:
WAKO kickboxing has 7 competitive disciplines, three ring and four tatami disciplines.
Ring disciplines: Full contact, Low kick, K-1 Rules.
Fighting area is the ring. Each bout consists of three two minute rounds with a minute break between each round. The intention of
kickboxer is to defeat his opponent with legal techniques which must be delivered with full power.
Tatami disciplines: Point fighting, Light contact, Kick light and Musical forms (with and without weapons).
Fighting area is the tatami. The intention of kickboxer is to defeat his opponent with legal techniques which must be delivered
with controlled power. Each round is two minutes with a minute break between the rounds but number of rounds is different andit depends of the discipline.
K-1 Rules
K-1 Rules is a kickboxing discipline where intention of kickboxer is to defeat his opponent using legal techniques – punches, kicks
and knee strikes with full power and strength. Strikes must be delivered to legal target areas with focus, speed, anddetermination, creating solid contact.
A win can be reached either by points (collecting more points than the opponent) or by knockout.
Legal target areas:
Head: front (face and forehead), side and top.
Torso: front and side.
Legs: any part.
Foot: for sweeps ankle level only.
Legal techniques:
Hand: All boxing punches, back fist and spinning back fist
Leg: Front, side, roundhouse, heel, crescent, axe, jump kick; shin kick to any part of the leg (except knee), body, and head; knee kickis allowed to the leg (except front side of the tight and knee), body and head; foot sweeps.
It is allowed to hold opponents neck or shoulders with hands in order to deliver only one knee strike
Prohibited techniques:
Elbow techniques are forbidden
Grabbing and holding the opponent's leg and performing the punch and kick at the same time
Any wrestling techniques and performance of the fight on the floor.
All punching and kicking techniques have the same judging value.
SUMMARYAs the World Kickboxing governing body responsible for creating, interpretation, managing, coordinating, improving andorganizing activities in all 5 Continents, WAKO has to fulfill the goal of hundred thousand kickboxers in the World, to be recognizedby the International Olympic Committee and integrated into the IOC movement. WAKO ensured development in-line with theOlympic Movement and its various Charters, whose principles are integrated into all documents of WAKO organization.

page 32 of 52

International Korfball Federation (IKF)
Number of national federations: 67
Website: http://www.ikf.org/

Media contact: Tilbert La Haye (Tilbert.la.haye@ikf.org)

Korfball
Most successful nations
NED (they have won all The World Games editions so far), BEL, TPE

Most important athletes
MenRichard Kunst (NL)
Chun-Hsien Wu (TPE)
Nick Janssens (BEL)
Women
Ya-Wen Lin (TPE)
Shiara Driesen (BEL)
Suzanne Struik (NL)Historic overview
Korfball is the world's only dedicated mixed gender team sport. Developed in 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen, an Amsterdam school
teacher, for the pupils of his coeducational school, korfball has developed into an international competitive sport. With a strong
Dutch and Belgium base, the International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in Antwerp (Belgium) on the 11 June 1933 as acontinuation of the International Korfball Bureau established in 1924 by the Dutch and Belgian Associations. At the moment there
are 67 affiliated member countries spread over all continents around the world.
TriviaObject of the game ...
The goal of the game is to throw a ball through a korf. This has to be achieved by cooperative play; passing the ball from one toanother. The ball has the same size as a football, but has more grip and bounce. The korf is a synthetic basket fixed at the top of a
3.5 meter high post. The posts are fixed at 1/6 of either end of a 40 x 20 meter pitch, allowing also to shoot and approach the korf
from the rear side. Uncontrolled contact is not allowed, as is dribbling or running with the ball. The game requires all-round skilledathletes, as the players must alternate between attacking and defending positions after every two goals. A game lasts 4 x 10
minutes real playing time.
Tournament preview
The Netherlands duly took the korfball gold at The World Games 2013 in Cali. For the eighth consecutive time already, the Dutch
defeated their eternal opponents from Belgium in an exciting high level final. And yes, there is a good chance that both teams will
match up again in the game for gold at The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw. But in the 2017 IKF Ranking Belgium is number 3
behind Chinese Taipei and the Asian team will try seriously to reach the final as well. The Netherlands and Belgium are drawn inthe same pool, so they meet already in the pool phase. Behind these three contenders the race will be wide open between GreatBritain, China, Germany, Australia and Poland. The other 5 contenders are close to each other and exciting matches can be
expected.

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Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL)
Number of national federations: 56
Website: http://filacrosse.com

Media contact: Timothy Morgan (tmorganpmd@icloud.com)

Lacrosse
Most successful nations
Traditionally, United States, Australia, Canada, and England have battled for the World Cup title, but recent years have seen theemergence of high-quality teams from Asia and Europe. There also has been an expansion of the game in Europe, Central Americaand Africa.
Most important athletes
Devon Wills; Sarah Bullard; Jen Russel – USA
Sue McSolvin; Hannah Nielson-AUS
Dana Dobbie;Selena Lasota; Katie Guy – CAN
Rei Ikeda; Narumi Nukui; Auska Noo - JPN
Marta Neumann, Karolina Białowąs, Alicja Ogorzałek - POL
Historic overview
Women’s Field Rules: Two teams of twelve players each play women’s field lacrosse. The two teams attempt to score by causing
the ball to enter the goal of its opponent, while preventing the other team from securing the ball and scoring. The ball is kept inplay by being carried, thrown, or batted with the crosse, rolled or kicked in any direction, subject to the restrictions laid down in
the FIL Rules. The hand may not touch the ball, except by a goalkeeper who is within his goal crease.
Difference between Men’s Field Lacrosse Rules and the Women’s discipline: Two teams of ten players each play men’s fieldlacrosse.
TriviaLacros was born ...
Lacrosse was started by the Native American Indians and was originally known as stickball. The game was initially played in the
St. Lawrence Valley area by the Algonquian tribe and they were followed by other tribes in the eastern half of North America, andaround the western Great Lakes. The French Jesuit, Jean de Brébeuf, wrote about the game being played by the Huron Indians in1636 and it was he who named the game “lacrosse”.
Olympic ...
Lacrosse was contested as a demonstration sport in the 1928 (Amsterdam) and 1932 (Los Angeles) Olympics.
World Games ...
FIL, founded in 2008, became part of The World Games Family in 2013. Lacrosse (Women) will make its debut in the official
competition programme of the World Games 2017 in Worclaw/Poland.

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International Life Saving Federation (ILS)
Number of national federations: 140
Website: http://www.ilsf.org/

Media contact: Harald Vervaecke (ils.hq@telenet.be)Life Saving
Most successful nations
AUS, RSA, NZL, GER, GBR, ITA, ESP, FRA, NED, JPN, USA, CHN, BEL
Most important athletes
Men
Federico Pinoti (ITA)
Shannon Eckstein (AUS)
Chris Allum (AUS)
Rafael Tamaral (ESP)
Women
Marcella Prandi (ITA)
Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (NZL)
Ying Lu (CHN)
Katrin Altmann (GER)
Historic overview
Lifesaving is an utterly purposeful sport as it aims to encourage rescuers – pool and ocean lifeguards – to maintain, develop andimprove the physical and mental skills needed to save lives in the aquatic environment. A variety of different events test thetechnique, fitness and motivation of the athletes in situations not unlike those they encounter in their daily rescue work.
Stillwater events are generally held in a pool. They require technical skills as well as speed. Ocean events comprise races that areoften unpredictable as currents and waves play a major role. Experience, tactics and endurance is called for in the athletes.
TriviaCompetitive lifesaving ....
Lifesaving competitions consist of a variety of competitions to demonstrate and develop lifesaving skills, fitness and motivation.
The lifesaving competitions are held in pools, in the ocean and on the beach.Here are just some of the competitive events
featured regularly in The World Games: Beach: Ocean Man and Ocean Woman; Rescue Board (M, W); Surf Race (M, W); Pool:
Combined Rescue 100 M (M, W); 200 m Obstacle Race (M, W); 50 m Manikin (M, W); 100 m Saving a Manikin with Fins (M, W) andrelay races.
The history of the sport ....
Organised international lifesaving activities date back to 1878, when the first World Congress was held in Marseille, France. A
need for an international forum to exchange ideas was soon recognized. This led firstly to the establishment of the Fédération
Internationale de Sauvetage Aquatique (FIS) in 1910 and then to the formation of World Life Saving (WLS). Both organisations
were established to promote lifesaving throughout the world. Lifesaving as a sport was primarily intended to encourage
lifeguards to develop, maintain and improve the essential physical and mental skills needed to save lives in the aquatic
environment.
In 1993, in Leuven, Belgium, FIS and WLS were merged into a single, worldwide lifesaving organisation known as the InternationalLife Saving Federation (ILS).
Since then, ILS has provided the single uniting force of lifesaving around the world. ILS is the world governing body that oversees
lifesaving sport as well as lifeguarding, for over 33 million members in over 140 organisations.

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International Motorcycling Federation (FIM)
Number of national federations: 7 Federations for this event - 113 Federations members to FIM
Website: http://www.fim-live.com

Media contact: Isabelle Larivière (isabelle.lariviere@fim.ch)Motorcyling
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview

Triviapage 36 of 52

International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA)
Number of national federations:Website: http://www.ifmamuaythai.org/

Media contact: Niamh Griffin (press.ifma@gmail.com)

Muaythai
Most successful nations
THA, BLR, UKR, FRA, MAR, RUS, USA
Most important athletes
Men
Suppachai 'Superbon' Meunsang (THA)
Igor Liubchenko (UKR)
Gabriel Mazzetti (PER)
Vital Hurkou (BLR)
Women
Svetlana Vinnikova (RUS)
Apasara Kosorn (THA)
Sofia Olofsson (SWE) (IWGA Athlete of the Year 2016)
Nili Blok (ISR)
Historic overview
Muaythai was a martial art used by soldiers in South East Asia particularly what is now Thailand and is accepted as being at least
one thousand years old. References to muaythai as a sport can be found in the Three Seals Laws dating from the Ayuttaya period(1351–1767) in Thailand. Today’s athletes compete in a sport developed under monarchs like King Prachao Sua / The Tiger King
(1697-1709). They participate in the spirit of Nai Khanom Tom who, according to legend, defeated 10 opponents to win his
freedom following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.
In early 1900s rules were imposed creating a modern sport recognisable in today's events. IFMA was founded in 1993, andamateur bouts were adapted to include the wearing of protective gear and competing in 3-rounds instead of five. Women
compete under the same rules as the men at IFMA events.
TriviaWai Khru...
Muaythai athletes do a ritual dance at the start of each bout called the 'Wai Khru'. It's origins lie in showing respect to yourteacher, and the dance can vary slightly from person to person. The music played for this dance is different to that played during
the fighting rounds. Athletes wear a cloth headgear called 'Mongkhon' during this dance, athletes sometimes have this blessed bya religious person for good luck. Or they may roll a lucky emblem into the cloth. They sometimes wear colourful armbands called'prajiet' during this dance.
Drinking of water
At the end of each bout athletes cross the ring to his or her opponent's corner, and the coaches share water with him or her in asign of respect for a battle well-fought.
Live Music - Samara
Athletes compete to live music called 'Sarama' played with traditional instruments as in times past by a 4-person orchestra.
During fast-paced intense bouts, the musicians play faster and correspondingly slower for more technical bouts. They work as
hard as the athletes!

page 37 of 52

International Orienteering Federation (IOF)
Number of national federations: 70

Website: http://www.orienteering.org/

Media contact: Malin Fuhr (malin.fuhr@orienteering.org)

Orienteering
Most successful nations
DEN, FRA, NOR, SUI, SWE, RUS
Most important athletes
MenMatthias Kyburz, Switzerland
Frederic Tranchand, France
Jerker Lysell, Sweden
Tim Robertson, New Zealand
Women
Natalia Gemperle, Russia
Maja Alm, Denmark
Emily Kemp, Canada
Tove Alexandersson, Sweden

Historic overview
Orienteering is the also called the “thinking sport”, because navigating through open country challenges the mind as well as the
body. While running, the athletes consult the map and use a compass to decide in split seconds which route is best to get fromone control point to the next. The detailed map shows the controls and indicates the types of terrain the athletes have to contend
with. Rough ground, dense forest, steep hills – it is cross country in the true sense of the word. In orienteering, the clock is thejudge. Fastest time wins! And electronic equipment verifies that the athletes have passed all control points.
TriviaThe object ...
Orienteering demands advanced skills in reading a highly detailed map and in choosing the best route over complex terrain, all thewhile moving at high speed. The courses are designed to test both the orienteers' physical strength and navigation skills.
Orienteering is a sport that uses no fixed structures, the natural environment is the arena.
In 1897, the first ever public orienteering competition…
... was held in Norway. During its first century orienteering developed from an activity invented in a small corner of northern
Europe to a modern, high-technology sport practiced by over one million athletes in countries all over the world. World
Orienteering Championships have been organized since 1966. Teams from more than 60 countries participated in the most recent
editions. The program includes four competitions for both women and men: a sprint race, a middle distance event, a long distancecompetition and a relay event for teams of three.
Environmentally sound ...
Orienteers are keenly interested in environmental protection. The sport is conducted to minimize or eliminate environmental
impact at its events. In doing so, the sport has gained respect in conservation circles.

page 38 of 52

International Powerlifting Federation (IPF)
Number of national federations: 101

Website: http://www.powerlifting-ipf.com

Media contact: Christina Chamley (christina.chamley@powerlifting-ipf.com)

Powerlifting
Most successful nations
Russia, USA, Ukraine, Taiwan
Most important athletes
Jaroslaw Olech - POL - currently best lifter in the World
Laryssa Soloviova - UKR - currently best female lifter in the World
Wei-Ling Chen - TPE - 2 x The World Games Powerlifting Champion and also Gold Medallist at the 2008 Olympic Games,
weightlifting
Blain Sumner - USA - Best Total in Powerlifting (Squat 500kg)
Historic overview
Powerlifting athletes compete in a grueling triathlon of human strength. Three disciplines challenge men and women to lift
multiples of their body weight to a prescribed sequence. Lowering themselves from a loaded and erect position to a squat andgetting back! Or, lying on a bench, bringing the load from arm extension down to the chest and back up! Or raising the weights off
the floor and assuming an erect position! It is the ultimate test of strength for athletes of all sizes. Some of the strongest
weighing in at just over 44 kg.
Strength counts certainly among the key ingredients of some athletic performances. And powerlifting’s lifts are the definitive
measure of strength.
TriviaSquat ...
The lift starts with the lifter standing erect and the bar loaded with weights resting on the lifter's shoulders. At the referee's
command the lift begins. The lifters bends their knees and lowers themselves into a squatting position with the hips slightly
below parallel position. The lifters return to an erect position. At the referees command the bar is returned to the rack and the lift
is completed.
Bench press ...
With his or her back resting on the bench, the lifter takes the loaded bar at arm's length. At the referee's command the powerlifter
lowers the bar to the chest. On the chest there must be a visible pause. Afterwards the powerlifter pushes the weight up until thearms are straight and the elbows locked. Then the referee will call "Rack!" and the lift is completed as the weight is retuned to therack.
Deadlift ...
In the deadlift the athlete grasps the loaded bar which is resting on the platform floor. The powerlifter pulls the weights off thefloor and assumes an erect position. The knees must be locked and the shoulders back, with the weight held in the lifters's grip. At
the referees command the bar will be returned to the floor under the control of the lifter.

page 39 of 52

International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS)
Number of national federations:Website: http://www.rollersports.org/
Media contact: ()Inline Hockey
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview
Inline hockey is similar to ice hockey, from which it is derived in the late 1980s. The game is played by two teams consisting offour skaters and one goalie on a dry rink divided into two halves by a center line, and with one protective net at each end of therink. Beyond the obvious differences between ice and inline skates, there are a few other things setting inline apart from thegame on ice. Inline hockey is played as a non-checking sport. Contact is allowed, but only when aiming to play the puck. Players
tend to have more time on the puck, and the game is more free flowing.
TriviaSpectacular and ...
Roller inline hockey's speed and spectacle make it successful by any standard. It is played on skates that have generally four
wheels attached in an "in-line" configuration, with a stick and with a puck. The game goes over two periods of 20 minutes. Fourskaters and a goalie per team on a smooth surface that could be wooden, asphalt or cement. The field of play's dimensions mayvary between 20 and 30 meters in width and 40 and 60 meters in length.
It is not inline roller ...
The order in which the first two words are arranged in the sport's official denomination, roller inline hockey, stakes out alegitimate claim by the International Roller Sports Federation, FIRS. Inline skating is a roller sport, inline hockey should therefore
be considered as one too.
FIRS sanctioned the first World Inline Hockey Championships ever in Chicago, USA, in 1995. And even though FIRS National
Federations around the world have perpetuated annual inline world championships for men, women and juniors, the International
Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) launched its own world championships in 1996.
The authority over the young sport has been in dispute between FIRS and IIHF ever since. Only now have some of the leading
inline hockey nations, the USA among them, started to fully subscribe to what appeared sound logic from day one: "Where's theice? It is played on wheels and they roll!" Roller inline hockey!

Speed Skating Track
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

page 40 of 52

Historic overview
Speed skating is pure racing! The gold goes to those who skate fastest. Few other sports can match the excitement of the headto-head fights for positions between skaters hurtling themselves through the curves. Or the photo-finish drama that unfolds
once they cross the finish line. To win, the skaters need not only sprinting abilities and stamina, they also have to grasp the race
situation quickly and use all advantages to beat their opponents on the home stretch.
TriviaSpeed plus ...
With the introduction of inline skates in 1992, the pace of the races has increased tremendously over the ones contested withquads – and new techniques and tactics have emerged to make them even more compelling. Regardless whether it is a sprint
over 500 metres or an elimination race over 20 kilometers! Speed skating is fun, exciting, healthy and even socially rewarding.
Skaters learn the importance of teamwork, of being disciplined and organized, and of setting and reaching goals.Since only rollerskates are required, speed skating is an affordable sport which can be practiced by everyone.
Popular ...
Speed skating is obviously "racing on skates", but it is also what millions of skaters worldwide do regularly: skating on roads andsquares, in parks and alleys. Over longer distances, it is an alternative to jogging.
At present, in-line skates are used at all the speed races and the quad skates have all but disappeared. There annual FIRS World
Speed Skating Championships, both Track and Road, Junior and Senior. But there are also races staged everywhere for everyone
to enter.
The history and the future ...
Organized roller skating sports developed as the popularity of roller skates increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The first World Speed Championships were staged in Monza, Italy, in 1937.
For a second time, speed skating made the shortlist of candidate sports for inclusion into the Olympic Sports Program in July
2011. In its previous bid for Rio 2016, the sport came up short against golf and rugby. "I proudly claim the right of roller sports to
be part of the Olympics in 2020: we have the numbers, we have the sporting spirit, and we have the values," says FIRS President
Sabatino Aracu.

Speed Skating Road
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview
Speed skating is pure racing! The gold goes to those who skate fastest. Few other sports can match the excitement of the headto-head fights for positions between skaters hurtling themselves through the curves. Or the photo-finish drama that unfolds
once they cross the finish line. To win, the skaters need not only sprinting abilities and stamina, they also have to grasp the race
situation quickly and use all advantages to beat their opponents on the home stretch.
TriviaSpeed plus ...
With the introduction of inline skates in 1992, the pace of the races has increased tremendously over the ones contested withquads – and new techniques and tactics have emerged to make them even more compelling. Regardless whether it is a sprint
over 500 metres or an elimination race over 20 kilometers! Speed skating is fun, exciting, healthy and even socially rewarding.
page 41 of 52

Skaters learn the importance of teamwork, of being disciplined and organized, and of setting and reaching goals.Since only rollerskates are required, speed skating is an affordable sport which can be practiced by everyone.
Popular ...
Speed skating is obviously "racing on skates", but it is also what millions of skaters worldwide do regularly: skating on roads andsquares, in parks and alleys. Over longer distances, it is an alternative to jogging.
At present, in-line skates are used at all the speed races and the quad skates have all but disappeared. There annual FIRS World
Speed Skating Championships, both Track and Road, Junior and Senior. But there are also races staged everywhere for everyone
to enter.
The history and the future ...
Organized roller skating sports developed as the popularity of roller skates increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The first World Speed Championships were staged in Monza, Italy, in 1937.
For a second time, speed skating made the shortlist of candidate sports for inclusion into the Olympic Sports Program in July
2011. In its previous bid for Rio 2016, the sport came up short against golf and rugby. "I proudly claim the right of roller sports to
be part of the Olympics in 2020: we have the numbers, we have the sporting spirit, and we have the values," says FIRS President
Sabatino Aracu.

Artistic
Most successful nations

Most important athletes

Historic overview
Combining grace, speed and an astonishing levels of control, the skaters show breathtaking jumps that transition smoothly into
dance elements. Like their peers on ice, the athletes first perform a number of compulsory figures and set sequences in the shortprogram that is scored on technical merit. In the long program, their elaborate choreographies are accompanied by music of theirchoice and judged on artistic impression as well as technical merit.
Artistic skating demands a perfect balance between strength, precision and artistry.
TriviaAn 18th century roll-out ...
No one is really sure when roller skates were used for the first time. It is likely that early models were an adaptation of ice skates,
used for transportation rather than recreation. The first recognized inventor of roller skates was a Belgian manufacturer named
Joseph Merlin. He produced the first roller skates with metal wheels in 1760.
One, two or more ...
Skaters enter the artistic events as singles, pairs and entire teams in figure or dance skating. They are judged on content andmanner of performance. This includes the skaters’ ability to perform identifiable, difficult content items – such as jumps, spinsand footwork – while utilizing movement in an artistic interpretation of the accompanying music.
Arranging wheels differently ...
At the 2002 FIRS World Championships, inline artistic skating has been included for the first time, breaking with the traditionalquad configuration of the wheels.

page 42 of 52

World Rowing Federation (FISA)
Number of national federations: 150

Website: http://www.worldrowing.com

Media contact: Melissa Bray (melissa.bray@fisa.org)

RowingMost successful nations
Poland, Lithuania, Great Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, United States, Netherlands
Most important athletes
For indoor rowers competing at the World Games: Olena Buryak (UKR), Graham Benton (GBR), Pavel Shurmei (BLR), Justine
Reston (GBR)
Historic overview
Rowing encompasses a variety of disciplines, including the traditional Olympic style rowing, coastal rowing and para Rowing. The
different people that practice the sport are divided into the categories Masters, Juniors, U23 Senior, Recreational, Club andUniversity. One of the growing areas of rowing, is indoor rowing.
The indoor rowing machine was originally developed as a training tool for competitive on-water rowers as early as the 1950s. Asa sport, its modern origins started in 1981 when the `Concept2 Indoor Rower` was created by Peter and Dick Dreissigacker in the
United States. The sophisticated performance monitor meant it was possible to accurately compare results on one machine withthose achieved on another. The `Concept2 Indoor Rower` has since become the standard tool for judging a rower’s speed over the2000 metre regatta race distance.
The first ever indoor rowing race took place in early 1982, when the CRASH -Bs, a loose organisation of former national teamrowers in Boston, Massachusetts, USA hosted an indoor rowing competition for around 20 rowers to interrupt the winter training.
The CRASH-Bs has run every year since then and is now known as the World Indoor Rowing Championship, with over 2000
entries each year.
Indoor rowing has developed from the rowing community into a community of its own. Many competitive indoor rowers train andrace exclusively on the indoor rowing machine and it is also used extensively in cross-training for other sports especially as a
CrossFit training tool.
Trivia2017 is the 125th anniversary of FISA, the World Rowing Federation. It is the oldest Olympic federation.
Indoor Rowing is one of the best ways to burn calories and stay fit.

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International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)
Number of national federations: 87

Website: http://www.ifsc-climbing.org/

Media contact: Anne Fuynel (anne.fuynel@ifsc-climbing.org)

Sport Climbing
Most successful nations
Lead
FRA, SLO, AUT, JPN, ITA, KOR, BEL, SUI, RUS, CAN
Speed
RUS, FRA, POL, UKR, CHN, ITA, IRI, CZE, AUT, INA
Boulder
JPN, FRA, GBR, RUS, AUT, GER, KOR, USA, CAN, SLO
Most important athletes

Men
Lead

Domen Skofic (SLO)
Jakob Schubert (AUT)
Roman Desgranges (FRA)
Speed
Marcin Dzienski (POL)
Stanislav Kokorin (RUS)
Danyl Boldyrev (UKR)
Boulder
Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
Kokoro Fuji (JPN)
Alexey Rubtsov (RUS)

Women
Lead
Janja Garnbret (SLO)
Anak Verhoven (BEL)
Jain Kim (KOR)
Speed
Iuliia Kaplina (RUS)
Anouck Jaubert (FRA)
Klaudia Buczek (POL)
BoulderShauna Coxsey (GBR)
Miho Nonaka (JPN)
Melissa Le Neve (FRA)

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Historic overview
Whether it is a matter of fighting fatigue to ascend towering walls – in Lead – powering through complex sequences of
movements – in Bouldering – or outright racing to the top – in Speed – Sport Climbing challenges athletes physically andmentally on a vertical playing field. This youthful and dynamic sport, newly added to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Youth
Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, makes its third appearance in The World Games at TWG Wroclaw 2017. Witness the inspiring
endurance, strength and speed of the world’s best Sport Climbers on July 21st-23rd!
TriviaSport climbing's history ...
Sport Climbing has obviously had a long history. Nevertheless, competitive Sport Climbing only started in the 1960s with Speed
events in the former USSR, continuing in the 1980s with Leed events in other parts of Europe, and in 1989 with the first ever
Climbing World Cup.
Today, ...
Today's Sport Climbing competitions are held in three different disciplines: Bouldering, where athletes conquer the greatest
number of obstacles without rope, Lead, where athletes seek to climb highest on the wall, and finally Speed, where the fastest
climber is declared the winner. The relatively young sport has not only added to the popularity of climbing walls everywhere, it has
greatly improved rock climbing standards too.
Champions and records ...
Climbing champions have set new and stunning world records in Yosemite National Park, USA, climbing the almost 900 meters of
El Capitan's nose in under three hours, a climb which had taken several days in the past.
Higher, faster! In Lead, athletes from European countries such as Austria, France, Slovenia and Spain were nearly unbeatable forthe past decade. In Speed, Russians and Chinese simply appeared to climb faster than their peers for just as long.

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World Squash Federation (WSF)
Number of national federations: 143

Website: http://www.worldsquash.org/

Media contact: Howard Harding (Howard@hhpr.co.uk)

SquashMost successful nations
Men
EGY, FRA, ENG, AUS, PAK
WomenMAS, ENG, AUS, EGY, NZL
Most important athletes
Men
Ramy Ashour (EGY)
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)Greg Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women
Nicol David (MAS)
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Camille Serme (FRA)

Historic overview
Anticipating the multitude of trajectories that a squash ball can take is immensely challenging. Locked in combat on an enclosed
glass court, the players strike the ball either directly onto the front wall or use the side or rear walls to create subtle winningshots, impossible for the opponent to return. A finely tuned spatial sense is imperative just to avoid collisions with the otheropponent on the court. To win demands power, precision, instant tactical analysis – and the stamina to bring it all together. Toplevel squash is like playing chess with a racquet.
TriviaSquash in a nutshell ...
Squash is played by two players on an enclosed court with a floor area of 9.75 by 6.4 meters. The players strike the ballalternately on to the front wall, which is 4.57 meters high and has an "out of bounds" board measuring 480 mm across thebottom. Players can hit the ball directly to the front wall or use the sidewalls and rear wall to create subtle winning shots. Playstarts with a service and continues until one player cannot return the ball correctly before it has bounced twice on the floor. The
winner of a rally scores 1 point and serves to begin the next rally. Each game is played to 11 points, except that if the scorereaches 10-all, the game continues until one player leads by 2 points.
Slow means fast ...
The reason why squash is so different and exciting is that the ball is very slow. This characteristic means that as the ball bounces
slowly off the floor, the players have to run faster and hit the ball harder in order to return it to the front wall. Squash requires
fitness and intelligence. It is a sport where two novices can have long and energetic rallies to build fitness in a fun way, while
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expert players demonstrate that to really succeed in the sport you need the speed of a sprinter and the endurance of a marathon
runner combined with exceptional agility and supreme coordination.
Squash around the world ...
Squash is now played in 150 countries worldwide. Over 15 million players compete regularly on over 50'000 dedicated courts.
Squash is played in The World Games, Asian Games, All Africa Games, Pan-American Games and Commonwealth Games.
Applications to have squash included in the Olympic Games have been submitted to the International Olympic Committee. It waslast voted upon by the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, where it narrowly failed to make it onto the program of the London 2012
Olympics. Since then Squash was on the shortlist for the 2016 Olympics and one of the final three shortlisted sports for the 2020
Olympics in Tokyo, as voted upon at the 2013 Session in Buenos Aires.
Squash has annual World Championships for men, women and juniors in both individual and team formats.

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International Sumo Federation (IFS)
Number of national federations: 84

Website: http://www.ifs-sumo.org/

Media contact: Hidetoshi Tanaka (office2@ifs-sumo.org)

Sumo
Most successful nations
JPN, RUS, MGL, UKR, BRA, GEO,POL, BUL, HUN, USA,THA

Most important athletes
Men
Batyr Altyev (RUS)
Fathy Mail Abou el Rokb (EGY)
Giorgi Meshvildishvili (GEO)
Hayato Miwa (JPN)
Vasilii Margiev (RUS)
Atsamaz Kaziev (RUS)
Soichiro Kurokawa (JPN)
Byambajav Ulambayar (MGL)
Women
Alina Boykova (UKR)
Luciana Watanabe (BRA)
Asano Ota (JPN)
Maryna Maksymenko (UKR)
Munkhtsetseg Otgon (MGL)
Olimpia Robakowska (POL)
Anna Poliakova (RUS)
Viparat Vituteerasan (THA)
Historic overview
Prior to starting their bout in the ring – the “dohyo” made of sand and clay – both sumo wrestlers, or “rikishi”, go through ancientceremonial preparations. They clap their hands to “awaken the gods”, they toss salt into the ring for its purification, and theystamp their feet to “crush all that's evil”. Dressed only in tightly wound silken loincloths, they then crouch and prepare for the
opening charge – both hands are out in front of them, knuckles down on the ground. A bout may last anywhere from a few
seconds to several minutes. Whatever the duration, the athletes combine power and technique to force their opponents out of
the ring or force them to the ground – with any part of the body other than the soles.
TriviaWhatever the outcome ...
Whatever the outcome of the bout, the winner is honored as much as the loser is respected. During The World Games in 2005 and2009, a few athletes were warned and asked by the referee to repeat their bows to each other at the conclusion of their fights.
The first ones could not be considered "genuinely respectful".
Around the world ...
Sumo is a Japanese wrestling sport. It enjoyed immense popularity there throughout many centuries and only spread to the restof the world in more recent years. Close to 100 countries are currently affiliated to the world governing body, the International
Sumo Federation (ISF). While sumo is considered to be all Japanese, similar forms of wrestling are still contested in some of thecountries of the former Soviet Union as well as in North and South Korea.
Sumo traces its origins back to ancient times. It is said to have made its first appearance in Japanese mythology as a simple trial ofstrength. Eventually it came to be practiced throughout the country as part of Shinto ritual and thus achieved its full expression:
one tied in strongly with the national spirit of Japan. Nevertheless, references to virtually identical wrestling can also be found in
the historical chronicles of countries such as China and India, and even in some murals of ancient Greece.

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Sumo today ...
Amateurs and professionals participate in modern sumo, both preserving their own spheres but working together in perfectharmony and contributing to the overall development of the sport. Professional sumo underwent various organizational changes
until the Japan Sumo Association was constituted, in 1925, as a body with juridical status. It has striven to raise the level oftechnique and the ethical standards of all those engaged in sumo.
Amateur sumo, which is placed under the auspices of the ISF, features different weight classes for all rikishi, regardless of theirsize, to compete on an equal footing. And only amateur sumo has a women's division too.

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Tug of War International Federation (TWIF)
Number of national federations: 69

Website: http://www.tugofwar-twif.org

Media contact: Maaike Hornstra (10cc@hetnet.nl)

Tug of War
Most successful nations
NED, SUI, GBR, GER, SWE, RSA, USA, IRL, CHN, JPN, TPE
Most important athletes
In Tug of War all athletes are part of the team, the latter being more important than the individual athlete.
Historic overview
This sport represents a concept so classic that in many languages its name is used in everyday language. Tug of war's long history
as the purest contest of human strength provides glorious moments. In the Olympics from Paris 1900 through Antwerp 1920, in
The World Games from 1981, and in Tug of War International Federation World Championships held outdoors and indoors ...
When the referee commands “Pick up the rope!” – “Take the strain!” – “Pull!”, adrenalin pushes eight athletes on each side tomuster every ounce of strength in their bodies.
TriviaThe technique and the equipment ...
The teams of eight members are captained by the lead person, the first in line, and the anchor, the last man or woman who may
wrap the rope around his or her body once.The key is for the rope to be pulled in a straight line from the lead to the anchor. The
team pulling the centre of the rope four metres from the starting position is declared the winner. The rope is between 33,5 and 36
metres in length, 10 to 12,5 cm in diameter, and it is made of hemp.
The highlight of outdoor tug of war is the clash of sheer power between the two teams. Athletes seek an optimal foothold in the
ground by digging in their heels and, using that as their pivot, pull the rope with all the strength they are capable of mustering.
For obvious reasons, this technique doesn't work for the indoor event. Leaning too far back would cause the athletes to slip, evenon the specially designed rubber mats. Hence they try to steadily move back, step by step, in order to avoid loss of pulling power.
Indoor matches require much more clomplex techniques and tactics than those in the outdoor tug of war.
From B.C. to today ...
Tug of war as a competitive match of strength between two teams was practiced as early as 500 B.C. by Greek athletes. It wasalso considered an ideal physical training and a perfect workout as basis for many other sports.
Today, while still being a sport of almost unequalled simplicity in terms of its object, tug of war competitions are governed by fairand sensible rules authored by TWIF. The "pulling" in men's and women's divisions is classified based on the total body weight ofthe eight athletes on each of the two opposing teams, ensuring that they are evenly matched in that respect.
Traditional sporting spirit ...
During The World Games 1989 Karlsruhe German sports philosopher Prof. Dr. Hans Lenk had observed the tug of war
competition. In an article with the news magazine DER SPIEGEL he later reflected upon an incident he had witnessed then.
"With heavy boots, bulging biceps, and with looks of determination on everyone's face, both teams lined up. Particularly stout the
Swiss, somewhat lankier the Brits. All of a sudden there was a delay! The Swiss were one athlete short. The poor lad had injured
himself during training. The two teams and the referee conferred for a moment. Voluntarily, the Brits dropped one athlete fromtheir team ... The spirit of fairness continued alive where not only the victor's purse and the must-win-at-all-cost attitudes count... Below the excessively marketed top-level sport with all its temptations to unfairness – doping, etc. – the traditional sporting
spirit still exists."
20 years later, in The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung, the Swiss dropped one member from their team in the final against
Germans. They, too, had one man down with a back injury.

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World Underwater Federation (CMAS)
Number of national federations: 77 for Finswimming
Website: http://www.cmas.org/

Media contact: Mrs. Maha Mougou - Mr. Stefano Testini (cmaspress@gmail.com)

Finswimming
Most successful nations
RUS, CHN, KOR, HUN, COL, GRE, GER, UKR, ITA, FRA, CRO, POL
Most important athletes
Men
Juan Fernando OCAMPO LOZADA (COL)
Pavel KABANOV (RUS)
Loukas KARETZOPOULOS (GRE)Kwanho LEE (KOR)
Mauricio FERNÁNDEZ CASTILLO (COL)
Andrey ARBUZOV (RUS)
Dmitry SERYAKOV (RUS)
Women
Ye Sol JANG (KOR)
Shu CHEN JING (CHN)
Valeriya BARANOVSKAYA (RUS)
Petra SENANSZKY (HUN)

Historic overview
The first fins were imagined and drawn by Leonardo da Vinci in the 17th century. It was organized as a sporting practice during
the beginning of the 1960s. The first European Championship was organized in Italy in 1967. The fins were still made out ofrubber. Very quickly the need appeared for replacing them by more sophisticated material. The Russians were the first to use
glass fiber in 1970. In 1972 the mono-fin makes its appearance at the European Championships in Moscow. Within a few years, it
supplanted the traditional bi-palms in the majority of competitions and opened new chronometric views for the athletes whoreach speeds of more than 13km/h.
TriviaThe world record in 50 Apnoea is 13 second 85/100.

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International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF)
Number of national federations: 90
Website: http://www.iwwfed.com

Media contact: Des Burke-Kennedy (des@burke-kennedy.com)

Waterski & Wakeboard
Most successful nations
USA, CAN, FRA, ITA, GBR
Most important athletes
Men
Bojan Schipner (GER)
Will Asher (GBR)
Nate Smith (USA)
Aliaksei Zharnasek (BLR)
Freddy Krueger (USA)
Ryan Dodd (CAN)
Thomas Degasperi (ITA)
Zack Worden (USA)
WomenRegina Jaquess (USA)
Whitney McClintock (CAN)
Natallia Berdnikova (BLR)
Clementine Lucine (FRA)
Erika Lang (USA)Jacinta Carroll (AUS)
Anna Gay (USA)Giannina Bonnemann (GER)
Historic overview
Gathering the international elite in nearly all of the sport’s different disciplines is not that common an occurrence, even though
they share common ground: the water. Basically, it only happens once every four years, in The World Games. Equipment aside,
there are some similarities between the tournament (water ski) and the barefoot competitions: both include slalom, tricks andjumps events. But wakeboarding, the most recent addition to the sport, has developed in a different direction: equipment,
bindings and moves are quite similar to those in half-pipe snowboarding. With marks given for expression and intensity, thejudges are looking for big air performances here too!
TriviaWater ski ...
The sport goes much beyond of what most people have enjoyed at one time or another, as they were trying to get out of thewater on two skis. Water ski proper comprises Slalom, Tricks, Jump, Wakeboard, Barefoot, Cable, Racing and Disabled. In The
World Games, the featured disciplines were Tournament (Slalom, Tricks and Jump), Barefoot and Wakeboard until now.
Global sport ...
Few sports are as global as water skiing. With over 30 million active participants, 100,000 competitors and close to 100 National
Federations, major international competitions have a United Nations feel to them. The bi-annual Tournament WorldChampionships for instance attract athletes from well over 50 countries and the number is still increasing.
Aerial action ...
Top-level wakeboarders spend nearly as much time in the air as they do on the water. In Jump, water ski's loftiest discipline, itgets even more dramatic! A ramp is the center stage object. Scoring is simple too. The athlete who lands the furthest from theramp and skis away is the winner. Here are the parameters. The jump ramp is only 4.2 meters wide. It's height varies: up to 1.65
meters high for women and 1.8 meters high for men. Maximum boat speeds also vary, all the way up to 57 kph for men. While
this is the computer controlled speed of the boat, the athlete, by cutting diagonally across the wake, can increase his or her actual
approach speed to over 100 kph! When kicking off the ramp, athletes absorb up to 3 Gs for 0.2 of a second and still get perfecttiming on when to kick!
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