"VAN" (Sports Desk - 27.01.2026) :: The International World Games Association (IWGA) is excited to unveil the ten (10) shortlisted athletes and pair who have advanced to the final round of voting for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2025. This milestone marks an exciting phase in the competition, as the vote tallies are reset to zero, giving every finalist an equal chance of claiming the prestigious title. Over the first phase of voting, Mexico’s Victoria Chavez from Flag Football is leading the poll with an incredible 32’712 votes. Tug of War Chia-Jung Tien (TPE) is second with a strong 20’485 votes, while DanceSport couple Marius Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska of Germany are is third with 20’425 votes. However, with the vote counts now reset, it’s anyone’s game as the competition approaches its thrilling conclusion. The 10 finalists are: Flag Football – Victoria Chavez (MEX) – 32’712 Tug of War – Chia-Jung Tien (TPE) – 20’485 DanceSport – Marius Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska (GER) - 20’425 Muaythai – Laura Burgos (MEX) – 16’007 Wushu – Loan Drouard (FRA) – 14’813 Underwater Sports – Dengxi Long (CHN) 12’387 Fistball – Gabriel Heck (BRA) – 12’231 Cheerleading – Emily Growdon and Shayla Myerscough (AUS) – 11’800 Sambo – Arman Avanesyan (ARM) – 11’259 Gymnastics – Ethan McGuinness (AUS) – 11’241
On Tue, Jan 27, 2026