1981 World Games

The World Games Council was formed independently of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and adopted policies designed to avoid problems that had plagued the Olympic Games for several decades. Kim Un-yong, president of the World Games executive committee, opened the Games with a brief address. “Our theme is sport for the sake of sport and a total disregard for where an athlete comes from,” said Kim. Casey Conrad, executive director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, represented U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who had survived an assassination attempt four months earlier, in greeting the athletes. In the morning after the close of these Games, U.S. air traffic controllers went on a nationwide strike, leaving some athletes temporarily stranded. The executive director of World Games I, John Bragg, envisioned more than 50 sports participating in future events. "[H]opefully we will set the trend for many World Games to come. ... ," he said. "People here are beginning to realize that this is not just another competition. We could really revolutionize and clean out some of the negative aspects of international sports." At the time, the World Games Council planned to hold the Games every two years and received presentations during the 1981 Games from prospective cities to host the 1983 edition, with London said to be the front-runner. ==Participants==

58 nations sent athletes to the first World Games. The People’s Republic of China was the only communist country represented. (Poland was expected but evidently did not show.) Mainland China had not participated in a summer international multi-sport competition since one athlete competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. China participated only in badminton, capturing four of the five gold medals. World records in waterskiing and powerlifting highlighted the first weekend of competition. Ana Maria Carrasco of Venezuela broke her own world record in waterskiing tricks. In the 100 kg class in powerlifting, Jim Cash of the U.S. set world records in both dead lift and total lift. Two athletes each won four individual gold medals in these games: Steve Rajeff of the U.S. in casting and Juergen Kolenda of West Germany in finswimming. Tom Peterson of the U.S., in roller speed skating, and Anne-Marie Rouchon of France, in finswimming, won three each. } • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (host) • • • ==Sports==

For seven World Games sports, according to their federation presidents at the time, the strongest competition ever held in those individual events was fielded at these Games. 104 titles were awarded in 16 sports, including one belatedly designated an "invitational" or demonstration sport. An invitational sport program did not exist at the time. An agreement was reached with FINA in the lead-up to the games not to allow women's water polo athletes to march in the opening ceremony, to assuage the displeasure of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its being included in the program. as invitational sport ==Medal table==

The medal tally during the first World Games follows. The United States was at the top of the final medal table. • Two bronze medals were awarded in each badminton (5), karate kumite (7) and taekwondo (10) event. No bronze medals were awarded in 8 of the 9 powerlifting events and the women's synchronized trampoline event. No silver medal was awarded in one powerlifting event. In women's individual trampoline, Canada and USA tied for the silver medal; thus no bronze medal was awarded. • The mixed badminton title was won by a pair of players from Sweden and Great Britain. Both nations are counted as having won a gold medal. ==Calendar==

:IWGA World Games I gallery of photos here. Image:WG Kim Opening 7-24-1981.jpg|Dr. Kim Un-yong of South Korea opens World Games I. Image:WG Arnold S Bodybuilding OC 7-24-1981.jpg|Arnold Schwarzenegger, winner of seven consecutive world championships, carries the flag of the International Federation of Bodybuilders in the opening ceremony of World Games I in 1981 at Santa Clara University, California. Image:WG OC Panorama done.jpg|World Games I athletes grouped by sport at the inaugural opening ceremony; tug of war pulling area marked on foreground for first ever World Games event, which followed the ceremony Image:WG 720kg tug of war 7-24-1981.jpg|Men's 720 kg tug of war final scoreboard at World Games I Image:WG Ladies Singles Artistic Skating July 1981.jpg|Artistic skating ladies singles gold, silver and bronze medalists (l to r) Anna Conklin (USA), Elena Bonati (ITA) and Tina Kneisley (USA) acknowledge the crowd at the medal ceremony. Image:WG Artistic Skating Pairs July 1981.jpg|Artistic roller skating pairs gold medalists, Tina Kneisley and Paul Price (USA) Image:WG Artistic Skating Pairs bronze medalists July 1981.jpg|Sylvia Gingras and Guy Aubin (CAN), bronze medalists in pairs artistic roller skating at the 1981 World Games Image:WG Australia Baseball July 1981.jpg|Australia's baseball team at World Games I in 1981 at San Jose Municipal Stadium Image:WG Korean Baseball fans July 1981.jpg|Korean baseball fans cheer for their team at World Games I. Image:WG Canada Softball team July 1981.jpg|Canada's men's softball team at the 1981 World Games Image:WG Casting 2 in August 1981.jpg|Casting athlete at World Games I Image:WG Casting August 1981.jpg|Casting - Multiplier Distance Single Handed gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively – Steve Rajeff (USA), Chris Korich (USA) and Zack Willson (USA) Image:WG Casting competition August 1981.jpg|Casting competition at San Jose, California, during World Games I Image:WG Casting medal podium 2a August 1981.jpg|Casting - Multiplier Distance Double Handed gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively: Chris Korich (USA), Art Walker (CAN) and Keith Pryor (USA) Image:WG Finswimming July 1981.jpg|Finswimming competition at World Games I Image:WG Finswimming medal podium July 1981.jpg|Medals podium for the unofficial men's finswimming 4x200m relay, with Italy II on top (time 6:30.16) and Sweden, the next single-nationality team, in third place. Other swimmers stood in for the second-place team of two West German and two French athletes. Image:WG Roller Hockey 2 July 1981.jpg|World Games I action in roller hockey Image:WG W Softball.jpg|Women's softball at World Games I Image:WG Water Polo.jpg|Women's water polo at World Games I Image:World Games I Pairs Artistic skating medalists after podium ceremony July 1981.jpg|World Games I Pairs Artistic Skating medalists after podium ceremony, July 1981 Image:World Games I Pairs Artistic Skating medals podium July 1981.jpg|World Games I Pairs Artistic Skating medals podium, July 1981 Image:1981 World Games ladies artistic skating medals podium (July 1981).jpg|World Games I Ladies Artistic Skating medals podium, July 1981 Image:World Games I USA-Australia baseball July 1981.jpg|World Games I USA-Australia baseball game, July 1981 Image:World Games I Women's Softball Bahamas post-game celebration August 1981.jpg|World Games I Women's Softball, Bahamas post-game celebration, August 1981. After the bronze-medal clinching women's softball game, Bahamian fans staged an impromptu celebration that wound its way around the perimeter of the field, with continual singing, dancing, music and Caribbean beats. ==References==