International World Games Association (IWGA)
The International Life Saving Federation is a Full Member with voting rights in the IWGA.
History
Since the Summer Olympic Games comprises only 26 International Federations, some member federations of the General Association of International Sports Federations decided at the GAISF Congress in 1980 in Monte Carlo (Monaco) to organise World Games for non Olympic sports.
For that purpose, the International World Games Association (IWGA) was created. The World Games are organised every four years (one year after the Olympic Games) in sports or sports disciplines, which are not (yet) in the Olympic programme.
The World Games (summer only) are held every four years and include over 30 sports.
Sports on the programme of the World Games include: Air sports (parachuting), Billiards Sports (snooker, pool), Boules Sports, Bowling, Dance Sports, Gymnastics (acrobatic gymnastics, trampoline, tumbling), Handball (beach handball), Karate, Korfball, Mountaineering (rock climbing), Netball, Orienteering, Pelote Basque, Roller Skating, Rugby, Surfing, Squash, Tug of War, Underwater Sports (fin swimming), Waterski, Wushu, Lifesaving Sport (pool and beach), etc....
At the first edition, east-block countries were not very much in favour of the organisation of the World Games and the IOC was rather neutral. Now the World Games are more and more recognised and a part of the World of Sport and the Olympic Movement.
Pool lifesaving was included on the programme since the second edition in 1985 and surf lifesaving became part of the World Games in 2001.
The Games
The World Games were successively held in:
- Santa Clara - United States (1981)
- London - United Kingdom (1985)
- Karlsruhe - Germany (1989)
- Den Haag - The Netherlands (1993)
- Lahti - Finland (1997)
- Akita - Japan (2001)
- Duisburg - Germany (2005)
The next World Games will be held in Kaohsiung - Taiwan in 2009 and lifesaving sport (both pool and surf) are included on the programme.