International Children's Games

International Children's Games
Status active
Genre sporting event
Frequency annual (summer)
Location(s) various
Inaugurated 1968 (summer)
Organised by ICGC
Website http://international-childrens-games.org/icg/

The International Children's Games (ICG) is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports and cultural activities.

History

The Slovenian sports instructor Metod Klemenc founded the International Children's Games in 1968 with the aim of promoting peace and friendship through sports to the world's youth. He organised the first International Children's Games and Cultural Festival in 1968 with the participation of teams from nine European cities.

Since that time, 37,000 children aged 12 to 15 have been in competition at 47 Summer Games and 6 Winter Games. 411 different cities, 86 countries and all 5 continents have participated. The International Children's Games and Cultural Festival has become the world's largest international multi-sport youth games, and is a recognised member of the International Olympic Committee.

The International School Games were born in 1968 in Yugoslavia, thanks to the impulse of the Slovenian sports promoter Metod Klemenc, with the aim of promoting peace and friendship among young people through sport. Since 1990 they have been protected by the International Olympic Committee.

1,600 boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 15 from 70 cities in 37 countries, such as the US, China, Australia or Germany participate in this competition every year.

The most recent edition of the International Children's Games was held in Coventry, England from 11 to 16 August 2022.

Locations

Summer Games

Games Year Host City Host Nation
1 1968 Celje Yugoslavia
2 1970 Udine Italy
3 1972 Graz Austria
4 1974 Murska Sobota Yugoslavia
5 1974 Darmstadt West Germany
6 1976 Murska Sobota Yugoslavia
7 1976 Geneva Switzerland
8 1978 Ravne na Koroskem Yugoslavia
9 1980 Lausanne Switzerland
10 1982 Darmstadt West Germany
11 1983 Troyes France
12 1983 Murska Sobota Yugoslavia
13 1984 Geneva Switzerland
14 1985 Granollers Spain
15 1986 Lausanne Switzerland
16 1987 Graz Austria
17 1988 Szombathely Hungary
18 1989 Andorra Andorra
19 1990 Uzgorod Soviet Union (Ukraine)
20 1991 Bratislava Slovakia
21 1992 Geneva Switzerland
22 1993 Darmstadt Germany
23 1994 Hamilton, Ontario Canada
24 1994 Slovenj Gradec Slovenia
25 1995 Celje Slovenia
26 1996 Sopron Hungary
27 1997 Sparta Greece
28 1998 Logroño Spain
29 1999 Mediaș Romania
30 1999 Velenje Slovenia
31 1999 Český Krumlov Czech Republic
32 2000 Hamilton Canada
33 2001 Szombathely Hungary
34 2002 Płock Poland
35 2002 Taipei Taiwan
36 2003 Graz Austria
37 2003 Patras Greece
38 2004 Cleveland United States
39 2005 Coventry United Kingdom
40 2006 Bangkok Thailand
41 2007 Reykjavík Iceland
42 2008 San Francisco United States
43 2009 Athens Greece
44 2010 Manama Bahrain
45 2011 Lanarkshire United Kingdom
46 2012 Daegu South Korea
47 2013 Windsor, Ontario Canada
48 2014 Lake Macquarie Australia
49 2015 Alkmaar Netherlands
50 2016 New Taipei Taiwan
51 2017 Kaunas Lithuania
52 2018 Jerusalem Israel
53 2019 Ufa Russia
54 2022 Coventry United Kingdom
55 2023 Daegu South Korea
56 2024 León, Guanajuato Mexico
57 2025 Eilat Israel
  1. Originally scheduled to be held in Kecskemét, Hungary from 30 June–5 July 2020 but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Originally scheduled to be held in 2021 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winter Games

Games Year Host City Host Nation
1 1994 Ravne na Koroškem Slovenia
2 1995 Prakovce and Helcmanovce Slovakia
3 1999 Maribor Slovenia
4 2009 Montreux and Vevey Switzerland
5 2011 Kelowna Canada
6 2013 Ufa Russia
7 2016 Innsbruck Austria
8 2019 Lake Placid United States
9 2023 Pyeongchang South Korea

See also