Flag football as a sport in World Games 2022
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World games that happen every four years are like the Olympics Games, but slightly different. Since their first edition in Santa Clara in 1981, The World Games have become one of the most important global multi-sport events globally. Thousands of the World's best athletes compete for gold. With the event happening only every four years, the 11-day event aspires to equal and exceed the importance of World Championships for the represented sports and disciplines. For many athletes, The World Games is the pinnacle event of their sporting career. There is no higher goal to achieve than to become The World Games Champion.
In mutual collaboration with the International World Games Association (IWGA), the Member Federations and the Host City, the best possible experience for both athletes and fans is delivered at every edition.
For The World Games 2022, about 3'600 world-class athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 223 medal events for gold.
Participating sports showcase innovative formats and attractive presentations at the Games to innovate and modernise the Games. Every Sports Programme is fully adapted to the identity, characteristics and existing infrastructure in and around the host city. Therefore, the sports programme changes from one edition to the next. Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is in it.
Up to and including The World Games 2022, invitational sports selected and invited by the host city have been able to feature on the Games programme. To promote sport for all, the IWGA also encourages grassroots events around the official and display programmes.
The maximum permitted participants (including athletes and technical officials) for The World Games 2022 is 3'800 plus invitational sports programme (up to 800), defined in consultation between the IWGA and the Host City.
From TWG 2025 onwards, the total number of participants will increase to 5000. The official programme will include sports selected in consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC – up to 400) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC – up to 200).
While many sports and disciplines of The World Games have joined the Olympic Games, only events feature at The World Games that are not on the entire programme of the immediately preceding Summer or Winter Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.
One of the five invitational sports of The World Games 2022, Flag Football is the non-contact discipline of American Football, where tackles are made by pulling off a flag that all players wear. Competitors wear tightly-fixed flag belts with sockets and two pop flags on either side of their hips. The game's objective is to advance the ball down the field by running it or passing it, to score a touchdown by crossing the opponent's goal line. Teams score 6 points for a touchdown and, after a touchdown, can gain an extra 1 or 2 points for a set play from 5- or 10-yard lines.
Teams have four series of 'downs' to cross the midfield line to keep possession and earn a new set of 4 downs. If they do not, they have to surrender the ball to their opponents, who start at their 5-yard line. The play ends when the ball carrier's flag is removed, the space goes out of bounds, or a forward pass hits the ground. The team with the higher score at the end of the game is the winner. Games are split into two halves of 20 minutes, and teams are comprised of 15 players each (5 on the field, ten as substitutes). Teams compete on a rectangular 23 meters by 46 meters field, with an additional 9-meter end zone.
Eight national teams qualified for the inaugural World games. USA (gold medalists in Flag football World championship in Israel), Mexico (2nd place), Panama 3rd, Italy 4th, France, Austria, Denmark and Germany in male teams.
USA, Mexico, Austria, Brazil, Panama, Japan, France and Italy females.
Slovenia is yet waiting for the opportunity to be a part of a big stage. World games are just a step away to become an Olympic sport.
