The eighth edition of The World Games takes place in Kaohsiung City, TPE, located in the south-western part of the island, from 16 to 26 July 2009. This time the games involve 37 sports and as many as 5,000 athletes and officials from 100 nations. Kaohsiung has reinvented and transformed itself to become their perfect host. Even if the city is still best known for its heavy industry and the world’s sixth-largest container seaport, it has metamorphosed into a showcase of modern and eco-friendly architecture, and into a top destination for sports as well as tourism.
“Ever since we won the right to host the games five years ago, their influence became more and more visible in our city,” says Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu in January 2009.