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Team USA

The United States has been participating in the World Transplant Games since their inception in 1978 in England. Team USA has been organized by the National Kidney Foundation since 1980 and is the recognized organizer of Team USA by the World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF). The WTGF does not recognize local, state or provincial teams.

During World Transplant Games years, information will be forwarded from the country's Local Organizing Committee to Team USA Headquarters at the National Kidney Foundation. All transplant recipients who wish to participate in the World Transplant Games and who reside in the United States are eligible to be a part of Team USA.

If you are interested in receiving information on the World Transplant Games events and would like to be added to our Listserv to receive information send an email to transplant@kidney.org.

History

Team USA made its debut at the 1993 World Games in Vancouver with the largest team ever to compete. For the first time, Team USA won the most gold medals, overturning the British tradition of winning the medal count. The British won the title back at the X World Games in 1995 held in Manchester, England, with Team USA finishing a close second. The XI Games in Sydney, Australia, in 1997 were the largest World Games ever held. Team USA sent the largest allowable team--150 competitors--to compete at many of the venues being readied for the upcoming 2000 Olympics.

September 4-13, 1999 saw fifty-seven transplant athletes from across the United States joined together as part of Team USA to compete in the 12^th World Transplant Games, held in Budapest, Hungary. More than 1,000 transplant athletes hailing from 40 different countries competed in Games’ events, which included cycling, volleyball, swimming and track and field events.

The 13th World Games were held August 26th- September 1^st, 2001, in Kobe, Japan. Team USA brought 67 athletes and a total of over 100 people to participate in this year's Games. They joined 845 athletes from 48 countries and territories competing in 11 sports and 270 events. In an historic upset, USA’s Men’s Track relay team beat out Great Britain for the gold.

Team USA was 80 athletes strong for the 14^th World Transplant Games in Nancy, France, July 2003 and for the first time special competitions were held for child athletes. In our great tradition, World Records were set by U.S. athletes in swimming and track/field events. The NKF was proud to sponsor the Male and Female Elite Athlete from the 2002 U.S. Transplant Games to attend the World Games as part of Team USA.

London, Ontario, Canada was the host of the 2005 World Transplant Games from July 16-24^th. 137 athletes and 61 supporters came together from across the U.S. to represent the red, white and blue. Of all the countries attending, Team USA came in second overall for medals won, and once again set new World Records. The NKF along with several Affiliates sponsored elite athletes from the U.S. Transplant Games to attend the London Games as part of Team USA.

In 2007, Team USA brought a team of over 80 people to Bangkok, Thailand to participate in and experience the 16^th World Transplant Games from August 25^th - September 2nd. With 50 athletes and 36 supporters in attendance for this year's World Games, Team USA proudly claimed 81 medals, 6 world records and countless individual and collective achievements all throughout the event. We hope to only improve this number for the 17^th World Transplant Games on Australia's Gold Coast from August 22-30, 2009!

More than 100 transplant athletes from around the country competed in the 17th World Transplant Games, held August 22-30, 2009 in Gold Coast, Australia. The biennial World Transplant Games is an Olympic-style competition for recipients of life-saving organ transplants of every type. The National Kidney Foundation served as Team Manager of Team USA.

The event drew 2,000 athletes from over 69 countries and provided a global opportunity for transplant athletes to celebrate the gift of life and showcase the success of organ transplantation. "Athletics provide an excellent form of rehabilitation and dramatically demonstrate that transplant recipients can and do return to very active lives," says John Davis, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation.

Primary sponsor of Team USA was Bristol-Meyers Squibb. The National Kidney Foundation sponsored the participation of two outstanding athletes-Paul Deboer, a 23-year-old kidney recipient from Michigan and Jennifer Searl, 28-year-old bone marrow and kidney transplant recipient from Massachusetts, who were named Outstanding Male and Female Athletes at the National Kidney Foundation 2008 U.S. Transplant Games in Pittsburgh.

The National Kidney Foundation is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract disease, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation.