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World Games 2001 to start within fortnight
There are only fourteen days before the official
opening of the sixth World Games takes place on Thursday August 16 at
the Yabase Stadium in Akita City in north-west Japan.
The World Games is a quadrennial multi-sports
event for those sports or disciplines not yet included in the program
of the Summer Olympic Games.
The World Games has been established by the
International World Games Association (WGA) by its then President Dr
Un Yong King in the early 80s when at that time the Olympic Games were
not yet regarded as highly as it is at present.
Earlier editions of the World Games were organised
in 1981 in Santa Clara (USA); in 1984 in London (GBR); in 1989
Karlsruhe (GER); in 1993 in The Hague (NED) and in 1997 in Lahti
(FIN).
The seventh World Games will be organised in the
German City of Duisburg, 14-24 July 2005.
At present the IWGA has 31 Member Federations.
Twenty-four of them are involved in the World Games 2001 in Akita. For
the first time in the rather short history of the World Games the
Akita program includes, among other newcomers, three disciplines of
Billiards: Carom, Pool for Men and Women and Snooker, and Seven-a-side
Rugby Union. To name only a few sports of the many included in the
program: Bowling, DanceSport, Gymnastics, Karate, Parachuting, Roller
Sports and Water Ski.
The total number of athletes and officials the
Akita Organising Committee (AOC) is arranging free board and lodging
for will be approximately 2.500. To date the total number of nations
to be represented in the various sports event is over 80, divided over
five continents.
The World Games 2001 in Akita will officially be
declared open by the Japanese Minister of Education. On behalf of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President R. Kevan Gosper
will officiate as the newly elected IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge is
unfortunately unable to be present.
Besides Australian IOC Member Gosper, the following
IOC Members will be present at the Opening Ceremony: Chikaru Igaya in
his function as IOC Representative to the WG 2001 Akita as well as
IOC Member in Japan; Dr Un Yong Kim as Hon. Founder Life IWGA
President as well as IOC Member in Korea and also President of AGFIS/GAISF;
Anton Geesink, IOC Member in The Netherlands and representative of the
Executive Board of the Dutch NOC*NSF; Mr Ching-Kuo Wu, IOC Member in
Chinese Taipei; Mr Nat Indrapanda, IOC Member in Thailand; Mr Seyed
Shalid Ali, IOC Member in Pakistan; Mr S.M. Ng, IOC Member in
Singapore and Mr Timothy T.T. Fok, IOC Member in Hong Kong.
IOC Members Dr Tams Ajn and Bruno Grandi will
attend the World Games 2001 in Akta later.
x.x.x.
For further information about the IWGA and World
Games, please contact the IWGA Press Officer Mrs Trukie Albarda. She
can be reached by e-mail iwga@hetnet.nl, by telephone number + 31 70
3512774 and by fax number +31 70 3509911.
The IWGA web site, although still under
construction, can be reached at
www.worldgames-iwga.org.
The web site of the Akita Organising Committee
can be reached at
www.wg2001.or.jp |
