Birmingham Prepared for World Games Visit

(ATR) Officials from Birmingham, Alabama tell Around the Ringsthe city is ready today to host the 2021 World Games.

An evaluation commission from the International World Games Association is visiting Birmingham this week. Commission members include Max Bishop, vice president of the executive committee of the IWGA;Joachim Gossow, CEO of the IWGA; and Co Koren, a member of the executive committee of the IWGA.

ATRreporter Nicole Bennett will be on the scene in Birmingham to cover the IWGA's evaluation. The agenda on Thursday begins with a welcome reception at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

The IWGA evaluation commission and Birmingham's bid committee will hold a joint press conference on Friday, also at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, at 2 p.m. CT.

Edgar Welden, chairman of Birmingham's bid committee; David Benck, corporate counsel at Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc.; and Scott Myers, executive director of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame all spoke withATRon Tuesday.All three toldATRthe city's existingsports venues, support from local universities and southern hospitality will hopefully impress the IWGA evaluation commission.

Birmingham is bidding for the World Games alongside Lima, Peru and Ufa, Russia. If selected, Birmingham would be the first U.S. city to host the event since the inaugural World Games in 1981.

The IWGA started its on-site visits to the three candidate cities in Ufa at the beginning of this month. Following its stop in Birmingham, the selection committee will visit Lima Oct. 27-31.

The World Games are held every four years following the Summer Olympics. Cali, Colombia hosted the last edition of the Games in 2013 and Wroclaw, Poland will host the event in 2017.

The program for the 2013 World Games included 31 official sports and five invitational sports. Over 2,000 athletes from 98 countries competed at the World Games that year.Organizers in Wroclaw expect its program for the 2017 World Games will include some 40 individual and team disciplines.

Written byNicole Bennett

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