The Paris 2024 Olympics, held to the usual fanfare in the French capital across late July and August last year, featured 32 sports in total.
While that is, of course, a substantial number, it is two fewer than the total that will feature at another multi-sport event, which is set to take place in Chengdu, China, next month.
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That event is The World Games 2025, which will incorporate 34 sports, 60 disciplines, and 253 medal events between August 7 and 17. In total, around 4,000 athletes from 118 nations will take part.
The 12th edition of The World Games, this year’s iteration marks the first time the event is staged by China, which is now a key target market for the organizing International World Games Association (IWGA) governing body.
Sponsors for the games include the likes of Tissot and Swiss Timing, Sichuan Airlines, and Chinese apparel firm Xtep, while the list of broadcast partners features the likes of Abu Dhabi Sports TV in the UAE, Polsat in Poland, and Elta in Chinese Taipei.
In the build up to the Chengdu event – which will be hosted across 27 venues – Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) speaks to Joachim Gossow, chief executive at the IWGA since 2010, and Ursula Romero, chief executive at the International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) production company that will fulfill host broadcasting duties for the World Games, with a deal to that effect having been struck in 2022.
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By GlobalDataThe conversation starts by looking into the importance of The World Games’ coverage strategy, with a new global streaming platform, The World Games Live, launching this month, in time for the Chengdu event, before turning to how the IWGA is attempting to reach a new, younger, audience, and the body's hopes for global expansion.
How important is the broadcast element, and ISB's involvement, to the success of The World Games, and what new features are being put in place for this edition, with that in mind?
Gossow: “It's very important that we have first-class coverage of the event. We are delighted that we can work again with ISB on the production, definitely their general experience is a huge help for us. They will be responsible for the whole production for the third time, so they know the product, they know how to handle the event, and they know what the details are that they have to look into to make it even better than the last time.”
Romero: “We are implementing some innovation, so we've got something called Strobe Motion, which was also in the Olympics in Paris, which is a new software where, when there's a jump or there's a leap, the camera finds it easier to follow, and viewers can see everything.”
Explain how necessary it is that the World Games keeps growing its broadcast presence, and how this provides a better experience to viewers with each edition?
Gossow: “It's among the most important criteria that we have to follow when we later on analyze an event, to make sure that we had better coverage – and we track that in terms of quality, not just quantity. We had 900 hours of broadcasting in 2022, we are now up to 1,600, and we are convinced that we will break that number of hours in Chengdu. For us, it's important that the pictures that we present really showcase the sport and attract people to follow this event and the different sports. We think we can use our variety of sports being shown to attract a non-sport-specific audience, to engage with a broader event.”
What are some of the ideas behind this new streaming platform, The World Games Live, and what do you think it can achieve?
Launching this month, The World Games Live represents the first streaming site run by the IWGA. The platform will provide free live and on-demand access to event coverage, highlights, and real-time results.
Romero: “There is a lot of data showing that streaming platforms will continue to grow because fewer and fewer people are watching TV and are consuming sports over phones, other devices, especially the youth. So it's clear that that's how people are going to be consuming sports, and even more so niche sports, such as those in The World Games, that are growing. We thought it was very important that we have everything together under one roof, so people can consume whenever they want. They can watch it live, or they can watch it as video-on-demand – stopping, sharing, and clipping.
“We can promote each of the sports and hopefully also the athletes, and give the athletes a platform, which is what they need. So I think it's just a logical step forward. And for now, it's going to be available everywhere, except for one country that has asked for exclusivity, but the rest of the world will be able to see it, including in China.”
Gossow: “This is our first ever streaming platform that we have in place, and it's a great opportunity that ISB is presenting for us. All parties are convinced that this platform will be a tremendous step forward, especially as a tool to try and reach out to all the different communities in sports, and to reach out and get hold of a global audience, which is very important for us.”
Where is the balance between linear and streaming coverage, and what is your opinion of the ‘reach versus revenue’ debate?
Gossow: “In my opinion, [the debate] has changed tremendously, everywhere. Even in the NBA, for example, every team has its streaming platform now. I think the public broadcasters, for one reason or another, don't have enough budget for most sports, and then private channels are over-bidding in some cases, and then having to split the rights with over-the-top platforms. So people are getting very confused about how they’ll be able to watch live sport, in general. We think launching a platform like this is, therefore, the only direction for us to go.”
What is the overall strategy for this edition of The World Games, and for future editions, in terms of attracting new fans?
Gossow: “We must have a program that attracts especially the non-sport-specific audience. This event is a showcase – people can go around, and if they are not interested in, for instance, martial arts, okay. Then go to the board sports. If they’re also boring, okay, then go to the water sports. So we have clusters. And we have, in these clusters, sports that are very different.
“It’s key that we have variety, and that means we must have a competition schedule that people can go around and look at as many sports as possible. At the end, they can say, ‘hey, that was fun, I’d like to go there again, I'd never seen it before.’”
Romero: “The streaming platform will help, for sure. But also, we’re adding vertical production to the event in Chengdu, so hopefully that can provide other types of content that can be shared on social media. The cool thing about these sports – and about the World Games in general, is that in the Olympics, because the venues are so big and we're placed so far away, you sometimes really struggle as a producer to get close to the athletes, because of all the security.
“The good thing with The World Games is that a lot of the venues are not huge. That means we can get closer to the sport, which is ideal both for production and for the viewers, and not just have 40 cameras far away in a massive stadium. That's our philosophy for this coverage.”
Are there any particular new markets the IWGA is looking at in terms of growing its presence in?
Gossow: “China’s always a key market, especially for Asia. But we also have to go global, and therefore we need to look at other markets as well, for example, South America, and also in Europe – because most of our sports are Europe-based. It would disappoint the communities in those markets not to give them also a chance to be close to the games. That wouldn't be fair, and would not be a good strategy for promoting our products. So we have to balance it out, and we have to look at the different opportunities that are provided by interested cities who would like to host events from the ‘road to Karlsruhe’ series, in advance of the 2029 World Games."
Turning, finally, to the sponsorship deals struck for this event, how crucial are they?
Gossow: “That’s the second main part of getting this event off the ground. For our future, sponsorships are vital.
"For these games, we have an agreement in place with the host city through which they really have a chance to earn money with their sponsorships and seriously finance the event through those deals.
"When you start discussions with potential hosts, they can identify with this agreement we have in place – they can approach their preferred sponsors and have them come on board. This is a huge opportunity for brands to be presented at venues, and in the media covering the games.
"Most interest in the Chengdu event is naturally – so far – domestic, from a brand perspective. Out of those, the Sichuan Airlines deal is for the benefit of all participants, they will provide offers to all those who have to fly to Chengdu.
"There are industries that we would like to be represented more in our portfolio, for sure, it would be great if we could convince companies that provide other services, the equivalent of Sichuan Airlines in other industries, to come on board.
"Especially with our World Games Series, not just The World Games, we now have more and more opportunities for exposure to offer potential sponsors. We’re looking for value in kind – the experience the sponsors bring to these events can be very helpful.
"Also, with the help of the new platform we are launching, we’re in a situation where sponsors can be presented and receive exposure in more ways than before."
