2022 World Games
The 2022 World Games, officially The World Games 2022 Birmingham, USA, was an international sporting competition held in Birmingham in from July 7–17, 2022. The event was postponed from July 2021 after the Olympic Games in Tokyo were delayed for a year due to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
The event, which debuted in 1981, brings together thousands of athletes every four years to compete in dozens of international sports events which are not contested at the Olympic Games. This was the first World Games held in the United States since the inaugural games hosted in Santa Clara, California.
The Birmingham World Games welcomed a total of 2,721 competitors from 63 countries. As many as 3,440 athletes from 103 countries qualified for the event. Russia and Belarus were barred from participating. The largest contingents were sent by Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and Great Britain— each with more than 100 athletes.
History
Proposal
The International World Games Association (IWGA) was founded in 1980. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland and acts under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. Birmingham resident Ron Froehlich was one of the founders, and served as IWGA's president from 1992 to 2014. Froehlich invited a delegation of Birmingham leaders to the 2013 World Games hosted in Cali, Colombia.
The delegation supported the idea of forming a local committee to bid for the games. Scott Myers and Edgar Weldon of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame led the group, which submitted a 350-page proposal in June 2014. The bid was supported by the City of Birmingham, the State of Alabama and the United States Olympic Committee. An IWGA delegation toured Birmingham that October. Myers and Weldon were accompanied by David Benck of Hibbett Sports and Birmingham City Council president Johnathan Austin when they made the final pitch at IWGA headquarters. The other finalists were Lima, Peru and Ufa, Russia. IWGA president José Perurena announced Birmingham as the selection on January 22, 2015.
Planning
Alabama Power executive Jonathan Porter succeeded Weldon as chair of the organizing committee in July 2016. Porter's committee met with IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow and media coordinator Hagan Bossdorf in September of that year, acknowledging that a lot of work would be required to get the plans on schedule. Local organizers project an overall budget of less than the $75 million originally discussed. Because of limited availability of public funds, planners expect to house athletes in university dormitories rather than in hotels.
Mokovets expects overall attendance of around 100,000, with a "conservative" estimate of local revenues at $5.1 million, or $20.5 million statewide. The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau has estimated that the event could provide an overall economic impact to the region of between $224.4 and $288.6 million.
In March 2017 veteran event organizer D. J. Mackovets was hired as CEO of the Birmingham World Games. In December of that year the Committee announced a proposed budget of $48 million, more than half of which would be raised privately through corporate sponsorships. The event would require 2,200 volunteers to assist with 3,600 expected athletes from 100 countries, as well as around 1,000 members of the press.
In July 2019 "World Games Vulcan" was announced as the event's official mascot, along with the addition of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama as a foundation sponsor for the event and title sponsor for a "Live Healthy, Play Global" education program. Other foundation sponsors include Alabama Power, ICON Health, Protective Life, Regions and Shipt. BBVA signed on as sponsor of the event's volunteer program in September 2020. In August 2021 Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United was announced as title sponsor for the closing ceremonies.
Mackovets resigned from the Birmingham World Games in late 2019 and was succeeded by Alabama Power Company executive and Alabama Sports Council chair Nick Sellers. LRY Media Group was contracted to produce the opening and closing ceremonies, and to program the "World Games Plaza" at Railroad Park.
The design for the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded at the 2022 World Games was commissioned from artist Bill Hoffman. The medals have the overall shape of the World Games logo and incorporate images of Vulcan,Sloss Furnaces, and a Dart bus, among other landmarks.
Postponement
After the Tokyo Olympic games were postponed, a decision to postpone the World Games followed. The announcement was made during a video conference with members of the International World Games Association and the Birmingham Organizing Committee of The World Games on April 1, 2020. Soon later the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced that they would recognize the World Games as the top women’s international softball competition for 2022, taking the place of the Women’s Softball World Cup.
The event was the first competition in which the Iroquois Confederacy, which competes in lacrosse, was allowed to participate in an international sporting event under its own flag. With the addition of wheelchair basketball and rugby, the Birmingham World Games claims to be, "the first major international multi-sport event with sport competitions for athletes with and without disabilities on the same program." (Nick Sellers, qtd in Wood-August 26, 2021)
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the International World Games Association followed the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee to bar Russian and Belorussian competitors from international competitions.
Charles Barkley, Vonetta Flowers and Noah Galloway were named as an honorary co-chairs of the event. Henry Panion was announced in December as the artistic director for the games' opening and closing ceremonies. Bootsy Collins was invited to serve as master of ceremonies.
Events
Sports to be included within the event were announced in April 2018 at the SportAccord Convention in Bangkok, Thailand. Softball and racquetball were returned to the event after eight- and 36-year absences, respectively. A total of 35 events will be contested at the 2021 World Games, including 30 selected by the IWGA and five "invitational" events selected by the Birmingham Organizing Committee.
- Opening ceremony
- Artistic & Dance sports (Dance, Gymnastics, Parkour)
- Ball sports (Beach Handball, Canoe Polo, Fistball, Floorball, Handball, Korfball, Racquetball, Softball, Squash)
- Martial Arts (Ju-Jitsu, Karate, Kickboxing, Muaythai, Sumo)
- Precision sports (Archery, Billiards, Boules Sports, Bowling)
- Roller sports (Figure Skating, Inline Hockey, Speed Skating)
- Speedway
- Strength sports (Tug of War, Powerlifting)
- Trend sports (Air Sports, Finswimming, Flying Disc, Lifesaving, Orienteering, Sport Climbing, Waterski & Wakeboard)
- Invitational sports (Flag football, Duathlon, Lacrosse, Wheelchair rugby, Wheelchair basketball)
Venues
- Avondale Park (target and field archery)
- Birmingham CrossPlex (inline roller hockey, artistic rollerskate, wheelchair rugby, canoe polo, lifesaving, underwater fin swimming)
- Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Legacy Arena
- Birmingham-Southern College
- Bill Battle Coliseum (ju-jitsu, karate, wushu and orienteering)
- Goldfarb Field at Berylson Soccer Park (fistball)
- Boutwell Auditorium (kickboxing, muay thai, sumo)
- Bessie Estelle Park (boules)
- Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (softball)
- Legion Field (flag football)
- Powell Steam Plant (roller speed skating)
- Protective Stadium (opening and closing ceremonies, drone racing)
- Oak Mountain State Park
- Sloss Furnaces (breakdance, parkour, beach handball, bouldering, speed climbing, lead climbing)
- UAB
- BBVA Field (lacrosse)
- UAB Recreation Center (racquetball, squash)
- UAB Track and Field Complex (tug of war)
World Games Plaza
During the event, a "World Games Plaza" gathering place hosted musical acts, interactive exhibits, demonstration games, merchants and food trucks. Originally planned for Railroad Park, the Plaza was relocated to City Walk, which opened just prior to the World Games. Acts appearing on the Plaza's "Main Stage" included DJ Stormy, Trevor Lee, Big Head Todd, Lupe Fiasco, and Big Boi & Sleepy Brown.
Transportation
- The Birmingham Xpress bus rapid transit system was completed in anticipation of the World Games. Additional "Ride the Line" services from BJCTA were implemented to enable park-and-ride from points west, south and east of the "Regions World Games Plaza" between Protective Stadium and the Uptown entertainment district. The Blue Line ran west to Legion Field. The Red Line to downtown Homewood, and the Green Line to Avondale Park.
Security
Because of the scale and international nature of the event, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave it an assessment rating of "Level 1", requiring "extensive federal interagency support" for security. Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Secret Service Birmingham Field Office coordinated those efforts. Extensive street closures were announced in order to establish perimeters which would be maintained from late June until the closing of the games.
As part of the effort to martial additional resources for security, the City of Birmingham entered into an agreement with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, under the auspices of a "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force", for the state agency to furnish 91 State Troopers, 4 bomb technicians, three K9 teams and associated vehicles to Birmingham during the event. Other agreements were reached with Center Point, Clay, Florence, Fultondale, Gadsden, Gardendale, Jefferson County, Homewood, Hoover, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Mountain Brook, Pinson, the University of Alabama, and Vestavia Hills for additional law enforcement personnel and equipment, as well as for bicycle racks and light towers. Support from Irondale was delayed because council member Cindy Cuellar objected to Birmingham's non-discrimination policy.
As part of the establishment of secure perimeters, unhoused persons were displaced. Coordination of services for such persons was centered around Faith Chapel Care Center at 921 2nd Avenue North. A "Project Compassion" initiated by City Council member Crystal Smitherman proposed to construct and distribute "micro-shelters" for displaced persons, but was was largely scrapped as implementation fell short of the project's goals. Mayor Woodfin later asserted that no persons would be displaced, and that in addition to other shelter provisions, the city would operate a cooling shelter near Parker High School.
Sponsors and partners
In August 2020 the National Football League, through its NFL Flag Football division headed by Izell Reese, was announced as a "premier partner", and presenting sponsor of the event's flag football competition. In March 2021 Brasfield & Gorrie was announced as the event's "official construction partner", with HPM as "official program management partner." Executives Brian Barr and Ryan Austin joined the games' board of directors.
An extensive partnership with UAB was announced in May 2021. The university will host several competitive events, as well as the athlete village in on-campus residence halls, and will serve as "founding sponsor" of the event's "Legacy Memorial". UAB is also providing medical services to athletes and spectators at all World Games venues. Drummond Company signed on as presenting sponsor of event's disability and inclusion initiative.
Media
CBS Sports signed on televise the games in the U.S. market. The CBS Sports Network plans to air a 60-minute highlight show on each night of the 10-day event. CBS TV will air two one-hour specials. Additional coverage will be available on the Paramount+ Premium streaming service.
Sculptures
A series of bright orange-painted anamorphic sheet-metal sculptures were commissioned for the World Games. The sculptures were designed by bDot Architecture appear broken into abstract shapes when seen from the side, but resolve into graphic silhouettes depicting various events when seen from the front. The sculptures were fabricated by O'Neal Industries, painted by Altec Inc., and installed at various locations by Brasfield & Gorrie. The installations are intended to remain after the end of the games as, "a positive reminder of what everybody experienced during the Games," according to 2022 World Games COO Jay Kasten.
References
- Tomberlin, Michael (June 8, 2014) "Birmingham making bid to host 2021 World Games with projected $256.5 million economic impact" The Birmingham News
- Tomberlin, Michael (June 8, 2014) "Where would the World Games take place in Birmingham in 2021?" The Birmingham News
- Natta, Andre (June 9, 2014) "Still dreaming big dreams for Birmingham in 2021" The Terminal
- Bryant, Joseph D. (January 22, 2014) "Birmingham wins! City chosen as site for 2021 World Games." The Birmingham News
- Poe, Kelly (January 22, 2015) "Economist: Birmingham is probably going to lose money hosting the World Games, and that's OK." The Birmingham News
- Johnson, Roy S. (September 27, 2016) "World Games CEO visits Birmingham, meets board, says there's 'a lot to do'." The Birmingham News
- Poe, Kelly (March 12, 2017) "Five questions with the new head of Birmingham's World Games." The Birmingham News
- Edgemon, Erin (December 6, 2017) "Birmingham World Games 2021 will cost estimated $50 million, most from corporate sponsors." The Birmingham News
- Patchen, Tyler (April 16, 2018) "International World Games Association presents the sports for the 2021 Games." Birmingham Business Journal
- Patchen, Tyler (October 19, 2018) "Three big Birmingham entities sign on to sponsor World Games 2021." Birmingham Business Journal
- Archibald, Ramsey (May 22, 2019) "What can Birmingham expect from the World Games?" The Birmingham News
- Beahm, Anna (July 21, 2019) "21 things you need to know about the 2021 World Games in Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Beahm, Anna (July 24, 2019) "Vulcan to be 2021 Birmingham World Games mascot." The Birmingham News
- Estes, Cary (September 2019) "How Birmingham is prepping to host the 2021 World Games." Birmingham magazine
- Johnson, Roy S. (December 4, 2019) "DJ Mackovets out as World Games 2021 CEO, replaced by Alabama Power exec Nick Sellers." The Birmingham News
- Patchen, Tyler (December 6, 2019) "New World Games CEO Nick Sellers on vision for the games, plans and more." Birmingham Business Journal
- Patchen, Tyler (March 2, 2020) "The World Games 2021 secures new sponsors, awards contract to Bham firm." Birmingham Business Journal
- Beahm, Anna (March 5, 2020) "It’s less than 500 days away; World Games exec says halfway to $50 million goal." The Birmingham News
- Patchen, Tyler (April 2, 2020) "World Games in Birmingham postponed to 2022." Birmingham Business Journal
- Chambers, Jesse (May 27, 2020) "World Games in Birmingham renamed, delayed until 2022." Iron City Ink
- Johnson, Roy S. (July 15, 2020) "NFL joins World Games 2022 as partner, will sponsor newest sport." The Birmingham News
- Anderson, Jon (February 17, 2021) "Hoover council OKs using Hoover Met for 2022 World Games softball." Hoover Sun
- Patchen, Tyler (March 22, 2021) "The World Games selects more event locations." Birmingham Business Journal
- Patchen, Tyler (May 18, 2021) "UAB to host World Games events." Birmingham Business Journal
- Patchen, Tyler (July 19, 2021) "CBS Sports to broadcast The World Games 2022." Birmingham Business Journal
- Wood, Cecilia (August 26, 2021) "'This is the new generation of sports.' Meet Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games 2022." Bham Now
- Wright, Barnett (January 6, 2022) "How The World Games 2022 Will Forever Change Birmingham, AL" The Birmingham Times
- Garrison, Greg (Feburary 23, 2022) "World Games medals revealed, featuring Vulcan, Sloss Furnace." The Birmingham News
- "The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organizing Committee Bans Russian And Belarusian Athletes And Officials From Competition." (February 28, 2022) twg2022.com
- Wood, Cecilia (May 20, 2022) "20th Street reopens + will welcome the world this summer!" Bham Now
- Michaels, Ryan (May 24, 2022) "Officials Announce New Transit Line in Birmingham for TWG2022." The Birmingham Times
- "Birmingham City Council approves series of agreements on statewide resources, equipment for The 2022 World Games." (June 14, 2022) WBRC.com
- Crenshaw, Solomon Jr (June 21, 2022) "Sheriff Requests More Money for World Games Security." BirminghamWatch
- Garrison, Greg (June 23, 2022) "Shelter plan not ready as World Games displaces Birmingham homeless in security zone." The Birmingham News
- Koplowitz, Howard & Jeremy Gray (July 7, 2022) "Irondale allows police to support World Games after councilor’s objection to trans discrimination ban." The Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (July 11, 2022) "Which World Games countries have the most athletes in Birmingham?" The Birmingham News