The Olympic movement seems to be afraid of heights. A new multisport event will soon see the light of day, to fit into an already abundant calendar. It targets a young audience. He will set up his decor in the street.
The Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) announced last week in Bangkok, during SportAccord 2018: the World Urban Games, the first of their kind, will be launched in 2019. When? The date doesn't seem to matter. All that counts is the product, designed and built to appeal to young people less fascinated than their elders by the Olympic rings.
The concept, therefore. Resolutely urban, in every sense of the word. The event will take over the heart of the city, for 5 days, in a unique location. “ An urban cluster comparable to what the Youth Games in Buenos Aires will offer next October.”, details Patrick Baumann, president of GAISF.
The street, only the street. For the host city, there is no need to break the bank. The World Urban Games are intended to be very “New Normal”, the cost reduction plan presented by the IOC during the PyeongChang Winter Games. They will do the disassembly. They will chase gigantism, with only 700 athletes and 300 other members of the delegations. A few thousand participants. Reasonable.
Same concern for measurement in the forecast program. The first edition could include up to 14 disciplines, Olympic or not, from at least 4 sports. To date, the project has already accepted 3×3 basketball, freestyle BMX, breakdancing, flying disc, parkour, freestyle roller skating, skateboarding and Boulder climbing. Motley but very trendy.
The covering respects the same line. The content promises to be sporty, but without denying an opening towards urban culture. Music and arts will be featured, just to give the event the feel of a festival. We will talk about street art there. In certain disciplines, athletes will be called riders. Officials will be asked to drop their jackets.
There remains one step, not the least: attracting applications. In Bangkok, the project was presented to the cities present via two sessions. A poster was unveiled (photo above).
At the helm, Essar Gabriel, the former general director of the World Athletics Championships in Paris-Saint-Denis in 2003, familiar with the rules of youth and urbanity through his time at the IOC, where he supervised the YOG. Patrick Baumann explains: “ We already have half a dozen cities interested. We are at the very beginning of the process. »
The call for tenders was launched through a first consultation phase. It should end in September or October 2018. It will then remain to designate the host city. Obviously, its conditions will be listened to with the greatest attention. Patrick Baumann specifies: “ We are planning a first edition in 2019, but perhaps we will wait until 2020. »Young people can wait. She has her whole life ahead of her.
