Saudi Arabia confirmed as host of 2023 World Combat Games

The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2023 World Combat Games on Monday. The I’s were dotted and t’s crossed during a special signing ceremony signifying the kingdom as host of the Games.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee President, stated, “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is honoured to have been presented with the opportunity of hosting the world’s best athletes in Riyadh. I would like to express our gratitude to GAISF for their trust in selecting us to host the World Combat Games 2023, which celebrates unity and champions diversity.”

The World Combat Games will feature competitions across 15 combat sports, as well as sport demonstrations, educational conferences, and martial arts workshops. A World Martial Arts Gala, honouring the legends of martial arts and combat sports, will be held in conjunction with the event. The World Combat Games were last held in 2013.

“GAISF is looking forward to this incredible celebration of combat sports and martial arts in the beautiful city of Riyadh,” said GAISF and SportAccord President Ivo Ferriani. “There is no better host for this major multi-sport games, bringing together the best athletes and their respective International Federations in a festival celebratory atmosphere.”

The organization and staging of the World Combat Games could soon hit a road bump, however, with the internal politics of GAISF at the forefront.

As reported by Around the Rings last year, GAISF President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board member Ivo Ferriani has confirmed his intention to submit a motion to dissolve the umbrella organization during its next general assembly.

His reasoning for doing so remains a mystery, though it has cast serious doubt around the viability of multi-sport competitions organized by the body.

A GAISF spokesman told Around the Rings, “The GAISF is going through a period of transition, and is considering a range of options for its future.” There was no further insight given on the fate of multi-sport competitions organized by the umbrella body.

Nonetheless, GAISF has continued to move forward with plans to stage the 2023 World Combat Games in Saudi Arabia. A delegation composed of representatives from GAISF, SportAccord, and the 15 combat sports due to be contested at the Games visited the Saudi capital in November 2021 to hold discussions around the preparation of the Games.

At the conclusion of the visit, GAISF Multi-Sport Games Chairman and Vice President Stephan Fox commented, “it was clear from the beginning that Saudi Arabia had a clear and strong vision for the 2023 edition of the World Combat Games.”

“Being able to visit the venues really showcased how the city will bring a festival atmosphere of combat sports and martial arts to the event, and we are very excited for preparations to progress even further over the next year.”

The signing ceremony was the latest step in the organization of the World Combat Games. The fate of the Games following the potential dissolution of GAISF remains uncertain and there has been no explicit dates given for the potential staging of the 2023 World Combat Games.

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