The World Games 2025 are underway in Chengdu, and 134 gold medals have already been handed out. If you’re asking, “What are The World Games?”—think of them as the Olympics’ eccentric cousin. They happen every four years, the summer after the Summer Olympics, and debuted in 1981 in Santa Clara, California.

For many sports, this is their biggest stage—the equivalent of the Olympics—though some Olympic events sneak in too, like karate, taekwondo, speed climbing, and archery. This year’s edition features 35 sports and will award a total of 253 gold medals by the end.

Unexpected Highlights
Men’s softball is back for the first time since the inaugural Games. But the real charm lies in events you’ve probably never seen—korfball, drone racing, and wushu.

Korfball is the ultimate “this feels familiar but… what is happening?” sport. Invented in the Netherlands in 1902, it blends basketball and netball, but with its own odd rules. The hoop—called a korf—is a big yellow cylinder atop an 11.5-foot pole. Players shoot what looks like a soccer ball into it for points. Teams have two men and two women on each end, and defenders can only guard the same gender. Every two goals, players switch ends so everyone plays both offense and defense. And here’s the kicker—no dribbling, so we have found Klay Thompson’s retirement sport. With no dribbling, the ball is in constant motion for all four 10-minute quarters.

In the bronze medal match, Chinese Taipei beat Czechia 19–15, while Belgium and the Netherlands were still battling for gold at the time of writing. The beach version kicks off soon, so keep an eye out.

Martial Arts Meets Acrobatics
Wushu is part martial art, part dance, part aerial stunt show. I’ve watched plenty, and while I couldn’t pretend to explain the scoring, it’s mesmerizing.

Beach handball also delivers pure chaos and style points—literally. A goal after a full 360° spin is worth two points instead of one, which means players are constantly launching themselves into twirling shots that look like highlight reels waiting to happen.

Archery Perfection
One of the Games’ jaw-dropping moments came in the men’s compound archery final. Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands took on Curtis Lee Broadnax of the USA and delivered a flawless performance—fifteen arrows, fifteen bullseyes, a perfect 150.

The Most Entertaining Call of the Games
The women’s 55 kg karate final gave us a name the announcers will never forget—Germany’s Mia Bitsch. Yes, it’s pronounced exactly as you think, and yes, we got to hear “Bitsch wins gold!”

What’s Next
I’m counting down to the women’s flag football medal rounds on Sunday, August 17. And speed climbing—Wednesday through Friday—is must-watch madness. I’ll be back next week to recap the rest of the action from the wonderfully weird world of The World Games.