The state capital will host the sports event for organ transplant recipients in 2025. Dresden’s Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert was handed the baton today during the closing ceremony in Perth.
The 24th World Transplant Games end today in Perth, Australia. Dresden’s Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert together with the German Ambassador Dr. Markus Ederer took over the baton and the flag of the World Games. The next Games will be held in Dresden in 2025. Nearly 2,500 athletes from 60 nations are expected to compete in age groups ranging from 8 to 80.
“Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, will be the first German city in the more than 40-year history of the World Transplant Games to host the event,” said Mayor Dirk Hilbert on passing the baton. “This is a great honor for us as hosts. I thank the World Federation for its trust and for accepting our bid.”
Dresden, he said, offers first-class sports facilities, short distances and well-established organizational structures for international events. “Above all, there is a huge and broad sports enthusiasm in my city. The public, I am already sure, will get behind the extraordinary achievements,” said Dirk Hilbert.
“With the 2025 Games in Germany, we hope to give a new perspective to the thousands of terminally ill patients waiting for a donor organ in Germany and to bring the German organ donation debate out of its despondency. The fact that the Dresden WTG team has promoted the application in such a committed and professional manner gives us hope that this will succeed,” says Gudrun Manuwald-Seemüller, Chairwoman of TransDia Sport Germany.
The World Transplant Games take place every two years and are an initiative of the World Transplant Games Federation, which aims to promote awareness of organ donation and transplantation. Over the course of a week, players compete in a variety of disciplines, including tennis, cycling, track and field, and swimming. Last year, the Board of Trustees of the World Transplant Games Federation awarded the Games to the state capital Dresden together with the association TransDia Sport Deutschland. The next Games will be held in Dresden from August 17 to 24, 2025, and will be opened at the Dresden City Festival.
In total, German athletes won 15 gold, 10 silver and 16 bronze medals at the 24th World Transplant Games.
Text: World Transplant Games 2023 Perth/Transplant Australia; Photos: World Transplant Games Federation
