It’s official! Karlsruhe (GER) will host The World Games 2029, becoming the first city to organise the multi-sport event twice since its inception. A proven host with a strong track record, Germany has hosted the 3rd edition of The World Games in 1989 in Karlsruhe and the 7th edition in 2005 in Duisburg, as well as countless other major international sporting events.
After nomination by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), the south-western German city, located at the heart of Europe near the French border, will host the IWGA flagship event in the summer of 2029, 40 years after it organised TWG 1989.
Following a bidding process and careful consideration by the IWGA Executive Committee, the delegates ratified the Executive Committee’s recommendation. The announcement was made in Esslingen (GER) at the International World Games Association (IWGA) Annual General Meeting on 1 May 2024.
IWGA President José Perurena noted the significance of the announcement:
"Germany has demonstrated a strong commitment towards The World Games and provided excellent conditions for our athletes to perform at their best in the past in Karlsruhe and Duisburg. We are deeply grateful for this, and we are excited to be returning to Karlsruhe again."
"Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with our friends in Germany, we know that the global community of The World Games can look forward to world-class sporting action and entertainment in one of the most dynamic cities in the middle of Europe," he said.
“The IWGA was very pleased to learn that more than one German city was keen to host TWG 2029. We are delighted that the DOSB has decided to fully support Karlsruhe’s application,” he concluded.
Karlsruhe’s Lord Mayor, OB Dr. Frank Mentrup, said:
"The World Games are coming back! We are delighted that the IWGA has placed its trust in us. After 1989, Karlsruhe will once again host a top-class international sporting event in our region in the heart of Europe. It is with immense pleasure that we seize the opportunity to host a cosmopolitan and exciting Games."
President of Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg, Mr. Jürgen Scholz, said:
“The fact that The World Games 2029 will take place in Karlsruhe is fantastic. First of all, my thanks go to the delegates of the International World Games Association: you have made a good choice. My warmest congratulations and thanks go to all those who participated in Karlsruhe's application and who will support the event as sponsors. Karlsruhe is a sports city with sports-loving citizens. They prove this, for example, every year at the indoor athletics meeting and did so in 1989 at the first World Games in Karlsruhe. I am sure that the athletes will receive a warm welcome in the city and the surrounding area at The World Games, and that the spectators from Baden-Württemberg and the surrounding regions will ensure an impressive atmosphere in all the competition venues.”
The 13th edition of The World Games will welcome around 4,000 world-class athletes from more than 100 countries and regions to compete in about 35 sports.
The International World Games Association (IWGA) is a non-profit-making international sports organisation recognised and supported by the International Olympic Committee. The IWGA comprises 38 International Member Sports Federations. It administers and promotes The World Games (TWG), a multi-sport event held every four years that features around 35 sports on its programme. The next edition of TWG will be in Chengdu (CHN) from 7-17 August 2025. 5,000 participants from more than 100 countries are expected to take part in this 12th edition. The latest Games were hosted by Birmingham, Alabama (USA).
For more information, please contact the IWGA Media and Communication team: [email protected], Tel: +41 21 311 12 97, or visit our website.