The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) has selected the City of El Segundo in Los Angeles County to host the inaugural World Urban Games in September 2019 and second edition in 2021.
The World Urban Games will be a five-day outdoor festival combining sports, music, food, art and digital entertainment, including e-sports. Up to 700 athletes will compete in various urban sports and Olympic disciplines, including 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle, bouldering, break dancing, freestyle flying disc, skateboarding, roller skating and parkour. An urban sports showcase will feature up to 100 athletes in at least four other disciplines. The sporting events will be held in El Segundo.
Thousands of spectators are expected to visit El Segundo for the Games. The city, which is easily accessible by public transportation and close to freeways, plans to close streets for the five-day event near Los Angeles International Airport and the new Los Angeles Times headquarters. Indoor and outdoor venues in a compact Games Hub in El Segundo will be utilized for the events and an urban park is planned to be constructed before September. El Segundo is the ideal location to host the Games as the city is already home to professional sports teams the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings.
“El Segundo has a strong tradition of fostering game-changing innovation and we are thrilled to support the Local Organizing Committee in hosting the first World Urban Games. We look forward to welcoming visitors and athletes from around the globe to our world-class city,” says El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, chairman and CEO of NantWorks and owner and executive chairman of the Los Angeles Times, will chair the World Urban Games Organizing Committee. He was an advocate for the World Urban Games to be held in El Segundo. Soon-Shiong was El Segundo’s 2017 Champion of Business award recipient and owns several buildings in the city.
“El Segundo has a can-do attitude and like the city’s slogan, ‘Where big ideas take off,’ this city is the place to create big ideas and projects,” says Soon-Shiong.
Soon-Shiong is currently building the L.A. Times Center next to the paper’s headquarters on a 10 acre campus in El Segundo. The Times Center will be a state-of-the-art, multi-media event space, including an e-sports arena. The World Urban Games events will be centered around these venues.
