1,000 athletes to compete in World Transplant Games June 17th to 24th in Sweden

Thousand participants registered for the World Transplant Games in Sweden.

More than 1000 transplanted athletes from all over the world will visit Sweden to compete in the World Transplant Games on the 17th to the 24th of June. The competitions consist of 13 different sports and takes place in the central parts of Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden. This is a sporting event where everyone is truly a winner. The thousandth participant to register was Ioannis Papanikolaou from Greece.

Ioannis Papanikolaou is a kidney recipient and will compete in bowling and table tennis.

– I like meeting people from other countries and prove to everyone that we, who have received the ultimate gift of organ donation, are really reborn and can now enjoy the happiness that sports and the games offer, says Ioannis Papanikolaou.

Ioannis Papanikolaou has, like all participants, the possibility to live a good and eventful life thanks to a life saving organ transplant. Among the competitors there are people who have received kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lungs or stem cells (bone marrow transplant). Many of the participants have been transplanted with more than one organ and some of them more than once. Without a donor none of these transplants would be possible.

World Transplant Games is an international sporting event for transplant athletes. WTG2011 will take place from the 17th to the 24th of June 2011 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The games are arranged for the 18th time and for the first time in Sweden. More than a thousand transplanted participants, in different ages from 6 to 70 from 50 different countries, will meet and compete in 13 different sports.

The sports included in WTG are: Golf, Athletics, Mini Marathon, Badminton, Swimming, Tennis, Table Tennis, Cycling, Squash, Bowling, Volleyball, Petanque and Floorball. The purpose of WTG is to demonstrate the physical success of transplant surgery and to raise awareness of the need to increase organ donation.

Previous games


Events Past
Summer & Winter World Transplant Games

Summer Games

2009 Australien - Video from Australia
2007 Thailand
2005 Canada - video from Canada
2003 France
2001 Japan
1999 Hungary
1997 Australia
1995 UK
1993 Canada
1991 Hungary
1989 Singapore
1987 Austria
1984 Holland
1982 Greece
1980 USA
1979 UK
1978 UK

Winter Games

2010 France
2008 Finland
2005 Poland (Nicholas Cup)
2004 Italy
2001 Switzerland
1999 USA
1996 France
1994 France

For more information see WTGF´s website

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at beadonor.ca
For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at organdonor.gov (Go to top right to select your state)

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You