Rugby is a former The World Games sport and is now in the Olympics, and in Tokyo 2020 there will be five sports from The World Games member federations.

Do you see The World Games as a stepping stone to the Olympic Games?

Yes absolutely. I think The World Games plays a really important role in being a stepping stone not only towards the Olympic programme, but also to the wider world of sport in multi-sport events. As we look for getting more flexibility into the programme of the Olympic Games in the future, certainly The World Games is one of the areas we are looking to observe, see the sports, see them perform at a very high level and with the best athletes in those sports.

What do you focus on when observing sports at The World Games?

I think there are probably two elements to the question. One is what are we looking for in terms of the Olympic Programme, and then there’s the wider question about just a general observation around The World Games. If we take the Olympic programme itself, obviously we are looking for sports that bring a real value to the programme.