The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 days. The World Games are governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
The 2022 World Games, commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event held from July 7 to 17, 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. They were the 11th World Games, a multi-sport event featuring disciplines of Olympic sports and other competitions that are not currently contested at the Olympic Games; the Games featured 3,457 athletes competing in 223 medal events over 34 total sports.
The fistball competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Birmingham Southern College. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time when women's tournament in fistball took place as part of the World Games.
The lacrosse competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The women's tournament was played as an official event and the men's tournament as an invitational event. This was the first time that men's and women's field lacrosse were played in a six-a-side format in a multi-sport competition. This was also an absolute debut of a men's tournament in a World Games programme, as in 2017 women played the traditional lacrosse discipline for the first time in the history of the World Games. The games in 2022 were played in the sixes format, with teams of six players per side, reduced field size, and shorter games as compared to the parent field lacrosse format, which was conducive to daily tournament play. The game was played in eight-minute quarters and emphasized speed and efficiency.
The squash competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The racquetball competition at the 2022 World Games took place from July 10 to 13 in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Racquetball returns to The World Games programme after nine years of absence.
The kickboxing competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Boutwell Auditorium. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time, when kickboxing was an official discipline in The World Games programme. The competition was held on K1 rules.
The ju-jitsu competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Birmingham Southern College. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tug of war competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time when mixed event in tug of war took place as part of the World Games.
The dancesport competition at the 2022 World Games took place from 8 to 10 July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at Sloss Furnaces and the Legacy Arena. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time when breaking, which is set to be an official event to be contested at the 2024 Summer Olympics, was a part of the World Games programme.
The flag football competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States.
The canoe marathon competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Oak Mountain State Park. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games have been rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time, when canoe marathon was an official discipline in The World Games programme.
The wheelchair rugby competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama in United States. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wheelchair rugby competition made its debut as invitational sport of The World Games programme and also was the first paralympic sport at the World Games program. As happening at the Paralympics, wheelchair rugby is a mixed team sport for male and female quadriplegic athletes.
The beach handball competition at the 2022 World Games took place 11–15 July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Sloss Furnaces. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aerobic gymnastics competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games have been rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The artistic roller skating competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The wushu (taolu) competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Bill Battle Coliseum. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The air sports competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, at the Barber Motorsports Park. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games have been rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drone racing was included in the World Games programme as an exhibition, and the results could be included in the medal table.
The acrobatic gymnastics competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Legacy Arena. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games have been rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The duathlon competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham in United States, at the Railroad Park. Originally scheduled to take place in July 2021, the Games were rescheduled for July 2022 as a result of the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
