Our History

In June 2019 the United World Games celebrated their 15 year anniversary, reason enough to take a look into the past and on the eventful history of our Games. With pride and joy we can reminisce about 15 years UWG, one and a half decade full of exciting competitions, continously growing popularity and interest, countless unique stories und unforgettable memories.

We are grateful that you, our fantastic and beloved participants, have gone on this breathtaking journey with us, and we can’t wait for the start of the next UWG. Our community is growing with each year and yet we still have big plans. We want to keep on building bridges and celebrate the positive and unifying power of sports, promoting respect and fairplay.

How it all started…
In the year 2004 a team of young and sports enthusiastic people decided to take a rather small regional sports event, which was primarily designed for Austrians, to a whole new international level. It took an entire year to prepare and organise this international event and even more time was spent on the phone just to call and invite teams from all over Europe. The concept of Youth Games with an Olympic atmosphere and a strong focus on fun and personal intercultural encounters even off the fields, seemed to appeal to everyone right away.

2005 – The success story begins
The first edition of the UWG in 2005 brought together 500 athletes from 12 different nations in Klagenfurt right away. Four wonderful days were spent and the citizens of Klagenfurt just couldn’t believe their eyes when the city centre was transformed into a big open-air disco by a crowd of happy and smiling athletes. All participants agreed: It had been a successful festival with a lot of new friends, which should not be missed in the years to come.

2006 – Here come the Americans
No sooner said than done: 90% of the first edition’s participants showed up again at the UWG 2006 and many new faces joined them. In total more than 2.500 athletes from 17 different nations (including the USA) took part this time. No longer could the city centre hold that many people and so Klagenfurt’s exhibition centre had to serve as Players Town. Once again the big international UWG family spent four exciting and action packed days together.

2007 – Two locations
Due to the massive interest and demand the United World Games 2007 were held in two Austrian cities – Klagenfurt and Vienna. Basketball, Soccer and Volleyball tournaments were played in Klagenfurt, whereas 5 more disciplines were featured at the Vienna edition (Baseball, Bowling, Swimming, Tennis and Wrestling). 2007 saw a turnout of over 5.000 participating athletes.

2008 – Under the sign of the EURO 2008
In 2008 the United World Games returned to Klagenfurt as its sole host city and the date was set from the 19th to the 22nd of June – right in the middle of the EURO 2008 Soccer Championship. After the three group matches of the UEFA competition in the brandnew Wörthersee Stadium, it was mainly the UWG participants who brought international flair to the capital of Carinthia. The date was perfect as it allowed the UWG athletes to experience both events first hand.

2009 – Doping? No way! Handball? All the way!
The United World Games 2009 spotlighted doping prevention. Even though most of our participants are quite young to be confronted with the subject, one can’t start early enough to teach athletes awareness and inform them about prevention measures. Informative age-based brochures provided by our partner UNESCO were handed out to all participating teams in order to point out the dangers of doping. Additionally, Handball was introduced as the fourth official sport and the first international Handball tournament in the history of the Games turned out to be a huge success right away.

2010 – New attendance record – new nations
Months before the start of the Games there were already many signs that indicated that 2010 should bring a new attendance record. And sure enough, in 2010 more young athletes than ever joined our event at the beautiful lake Wörthersee. And there were even new participating countries – such as India, which sent two Basketball teams to the UWG 2010. Another very special highlight were the official UWG cheerleaders who did not just rock our venues but also broke one or two hearts. The new main location of the Games – Klagenfurt’s EURO Stadium – turned out to be the ideal venue just as everyone had hoped.

2011 – Even more sports with the introduction of Fistball and Tennis
2011 had many suprises in store for the participants. For the first time in the history of the Games an international Fistball tournament was held and many young talents  took part. It turned out to be an ideal showcase opportunity for the sport, which is played in many countries, but not yet known to many people. Overall more than 4.000 athletes participated in the United World Games 2011.

2012 – Welcome Palestine, Canada and Indonesia
More than 4.500 participants joined the United World Games 2012, held from June 21 – 24. With Indonesia, Canada and Palestine there were three newcomers among the starting countries. A memorable highlight was the appearance of Austrian singer and Idol winner Conny Mooswalder at the Opening Ceremony.

2013 – Two new sports, the UWG family keeps growing
It’s another record! As in all the years before, the United World Games grew even bigger in 2013 as well, almost 6.000 participants travelled to Klagenfurt from near and far to be part of the 9th edition of the Games. 2013 witnessed the introduction of Rugby and Fieldhockey as two new sports, both being major hits and enriching the UWG with exciting tournaments. But also offside the playing fields there were novelties, such as the Gala Evening for parents, sponsors and partners of the Games.

2014 – The Games grow bigger and more professional
Once again the organizers were able to enter a new record into the books as participant numbers broke through the 6.000 barrier at the UWG 2014. Several new nations could be welcomed at the Games, among them South Africa and Luxembourg. Both at the various sports tournaments and off the field as well there were numerous innovations and improvements. The tournament coordination and side events such as the big Opening Ceremony were optimised and expanded.

2015 – More sports, more side events, more nations, more UWG
Alongside the continuously rising participant numbers, the 11th edition of the United World Games also saw further additions to the range of featured sports. The introduction of Orienteering and Swimming meant that no less than 9 different sports were on show, with both of the new competitions being a huge success and drawing new members from Russia, Pakistan, Mexico and Portugal into the UWG family. Additionally, the side program of the Games grew once more as well, with the advent of the Basketball Scouting Clinics with coaches from the US or the Soccer Coaching Exchange Workshop. 6.500 participants celebrated another festival of sports and exchange on the shores of lake Wörthersee.

2016 – Kenya, Brazil and Mongolia enter the Games, Athletics is introduced
For the first time the United World Games welcomed over 8.000 participants in Klagenfurt. Besides the new participation record the organizers were excited to host three new nations at the Games. Soccer teams from Brazil, the U16 Basketball national teams from Mongolia, as well as teams from Kenya travelled to Austria in June.
Like in the years before a new sport was added to the UWG. Hundreds of athletes participated in various Athletics competitions.

2017 – Hello Chile, Hello Denmark, Hello Morocco, Hello Floorball
The 13th edition of the Games saw the 13th participant record with more than 9.000 people from 35 nations taking part. A UWG fanzone in the city centre of Klagenfurt was introduced, where a mobile open air Basketball court was set up right next to the “Lindwurm” (Klagenfurt’s landmark and symbol) to host a large number of games. Another new sport was featured: Floorball premiered successfully and got its own centre in Villach. Once more, new nations were welcomed at the Games: Chile, Denmark and Morocco.

2018 – 1 new nation, 2 new sports and 10.000 participants
For the first time in the history of the United World Games multiple delegations from China participated in the event. No less than 250 Chinese athletes competed in Klagenfurt. With Ice Hockey and Ice Stock Sport the first winter sports were successfully introduced at the Games. Futhermore, a long aspired goal was finally reached: 10.000 participants!

2019 – 15 years UWG: anniversary Games a huge success
To fit the occasion of our 15 year anniversary the number of featured sports matched the years of the event’s existence, with the debutants Ultimate Frisbee, Beachvolleyball and Bouldering not only appealing to athletes and spectators alike but also adding exciting locations such as the newly opened climbing hall of the Naturfreunde Kärnten or the Beachvolleyball courts of the University of Klagenfurt to our venues. Colombia, Estonia and the Republic of Moldova joined the list of participating nations, a list which had grown to an impressive size over the years. Together with 30 other nations they celebrated the 15th birthday of the United World Games, a splendid festivity very much in line with the official event motto “One world – a thousand friends”.

2020 – Cancellation of the United World Games
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic UWG 2020 had to be cancelled. In March it became clear that an event of this magnitude would not be able to happen. Thanks to the support of partners, sponsors and the whole UWG family, the survival of the event could be secured though and so in 2021 the UWG will unite young people from all over the world again in Klagenfurt, Austria.

2021 – Cancellation of the United World Games
Also in 2021 the UWG had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a wide variety of event plans, a safe event could not be guaranteed for the 2nd year in a row. Signs are growing, however, that UWG will return next year.

2022 – Comeback: Perseverance pays off
After the 2-year break, the United World Games finally took place again in 2022. 6,000 participants from 25 nations celebrated the great comeback of youth sports. Bright faces, new friendships, high-class and fair competitions as well as an impressive opening ceremony will be remembered for a long time. 3 new nations could be welcomed in Klagenfurt: Israel, Denmark & Liechtenstein.