The Executive Committee of the International World Games Association has chosen Birmingham, Alabama as the host city of the 2021 World Games.

The decision was announced on Thursday at a press conference in the Mövenpick Hotel in Lausanne, 

Birmingham beat off competition from Lima in Peru and the Russian city of Ufa. 

The decision was made after the delegations’ final presentations to the IWGA Executive Committee at the International Olympic Committee headquarters. 

"All the bids we received were of very high quality, and it was not easy for us to reach a decision,” said José Perurena, President of the International World Games Association. 

“We have to deliver nothing less than outstanding World Games. We are convinced that Birmingham will exceed these expectations.

“We are happy to showcase our sports in Birmingham in July 2021, and we are sure that we will be offered optimal conditions for our sportsmen and women there.”

Perurena also hailed Birmingham’s organisational skills and the support of the city administration and the National Olympic Committee.

Birmingham Council President Johnathan Austin said "The city of Birmingham will make the World Games 2021 the best World Games that you all have seen."

The decision is subject to “successful negotiation of contractual conditions” and the agreement with the host city will not be signed until the close of the Annual General Meeting in April 2015. 

Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama, has never hosted an international multi-sports event before. 

The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau is anticipating that hosting the 2021 World Games will bring an economic benefit of more than US$250m from visitors to the city. 

The cost of hosting the Games has been forecast to be US$75m, which will raised from public and private sources.

The World Games is a quadrennial and multidisciplinary sports event under the patronage of the IOC, showcasing more than 25 sports including Gymnastics, Squash, Tug of War, Sumo and Roller Sports. About 4,500 athletes and officials from approximately 100 countries take part.

The 2021 World Games will the 11th edition, following the 10th World Games in July 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.

The World Games has not been to the USA since the inaugural edition in 1981 in Santa Clara, California. 

The bidding process for the 2021 World Games began in early 2014. The host city selection process is restricted to Executive Committee members, according to Inside the Games. The IWGA is reported to be reviewing the bidding process going forward to engage sports federations in the evaluation and selection processes.

[Source: SportAccord] GAISF has launched the host city selection process for future editions of various world multi-sport events, including the World Urban Games, World Combat Games and World Mind Games.

The world multi-sport events bring the best of sport to host cities, driving global exposure and creating the perfect bridge between elite sport and local communities.

GAISF and SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli said:

“We are delighted to open the host city selection process for future multi-sport Games. All of these events bring the best of sport to the heart of a city, while engaging with youth communities through inspiring initiatives to encourage greater participation in physical activity.

“We are also excited to be working with SportAccord from an operational perspective on the delivery of these various events. SportAccord has extensive experience in the organisation of world-class events and a thorough understanding of the global sports community and multi-sport event landscape.”

Following the successful inaugural 2019 edition of the GAISF World Urban Games in Budapest, GAISF has scheduled a second edition for 2023. The initial version included BMX freestyle, inline roller freestyle, parkour, breaking, 3x3 basketball and freestyle flying disc, together with laser run and indoor rowing. The World Urban Games places sport at the heart of a family-friendly city-centre festival that also includes music and art.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was recently selected as the next host of the World Combat Games with Riyadh set to become the beating heart of martial arts combat sports in 2023. Finally, the World Mind Games are a multi-sport event centred on the gymnasium of the mind and highlighting the great value of the mind sports.

City representatives who want to learn more should not hesitate to contact GAISF Director and SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt at nis.hatt@sportaccord.com.