The Polish city of Wrocław was chosen as the host of the 2017 World Games during an awarding ceremony at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on January 12.

The capital of the Dolnośląskie voivodship was picked ahead of Cape Town and Budapest to become the host of one of the biggest sports tournaments in the world. And organizers predict more than 400,000 spectators, will come to the event to watch some 3,500 athletes compete in a host of non-Olympic disciplines.

“We are happy to present our sports in Wrocław in the summer of 2017, and we are sure that we will be offered optimal conditions for our sportsmen and -women there. All the bids we received were of very high quality, and it was not easy for us to reach a decision,” Ron Froehlich, president of the International World Games Association.

The World Games, which have taken place every four years since 1981, sees athletes compete in sports including squash, water skiing, body building 10-pin bowling and rugby sevens, among many more. Each host city has the opportunity to choose five events that will be part of the games, but the full list for 2017 is not set to be announced until March this year.

Marcin Łojewski