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WKF CEO Sara Wolff Highlights Impact of Karate at The World Games in Crucial IWGA Annual Meeting
2024-05-06

The International World Games Association (IWGA) held its Annual General Meeting in Esslingen, Germany, on May 1, 2024. A hundred delegates and representatives from 29 International Member Federations attended, with World Karate Federation (WKF) CEO Sara Wolff representing karate.
The meeting covered several key topics, including the financial report and approval of the revised 2024 IWGA budget and the provisional budget for 2025. The Assembly also saw Max Bishop, who served as IWGA Vice-President from 2006 to 2023, named as a Life Honorary Member. In addition, representatives from the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), and the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) accepted awards for their respective athletes who were named the IWGA Athletes of the Year. A new program to promote and drive diversity and equity among decision-making positions within IWGA's member federations was also presented.
Preparations for the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China, were reviewed during the meeting. The positive progress of the planning for the event was highlighted as the “One Year to Go” celebration plans and the promotional activities around the landmark event were unveiled. With the qualification process still ongoing, the IWGA announced the new Competition Managers Meeting, to be held on October 23-24, 2024.
The Assembly also addressed plans for future editions of The World Games, appointing Karlsruhe, Germany, as the host city for the 2029 event. This announcement was met with enthusiasm, as Karlsruhe will be hosting the multi-sport event for the second time after welcoming The World Games in 1989.
WKF CEO Sara Wolff poses with the delegation of the Chengdu 2025 Organising Committee including the Director of Chengdu Sports Bureau Wang Yi and the Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu Municipal People’s Government Wang Guangliang.
The participation of WKF CEO Sara Wolff in the activities in Esslingen highlights karate's active involvement in the IWGA and its continued commitment to fostering growth and inclusivity within the global sports community. As the countdown for the 2025 edition of The World Games in Chengdu intensifies, Karate is looking forward to making an impact once again in the anticipated multi-sport event.
Top picture: WKF CEO Sara Wolff (left) with IWGA President José Perurena.
The Annual General Meeting of the International World Games Association saw over 100 representatives from different sports organisations.