Team USA / World Transplant Games
World Transplant Games
The World Transplant Games is a five-day, multi-sport event held biannually in the odd-numbered years. Organized by the World Transplant Games Federation, the event attracts transplant athletes from around the world.
The first “Transplant Olympics,” organized by British transplant surgeon Maurice Slapak, were held in Portsmouth, England in 1978. Approximately 100 kidney transplant recipients, representing over a dozen countries, gathered in Olympic fashion. In subsequent years, the Transplant Olympics were renamed the World Transplant Games and held in New York, Athens, Amsterdam, Singapore, Budapest, Vancouver and Manchester, each time increasing in size and visibility.
The success of the World Games has served as the catalyst for the development of national games all over the world, including successful programs in Great Britain, Australia and France. In September 2000, the event was given support by the International Olympic Committee President, Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Team USA
The United States has been participating in the World Games since their inception in 1978. Team USA has been organized by the National Kidney Foundation since 1992.
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 12th 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 1st, 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 14th 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 16-24th. 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.
The next World Games will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2007. Check out our website (www.transplantgames.org) for details as they become available!
Winter Games
In 1994, the French transplant athletics organization, TRANS-FORME, organized the first Transplant Games for winter sports in Tignes. Over 100 recipients from eighteen countries participated in cross country and downhill events.
The success of that event spawned the first U.S. Winter Transplant Games and Carnival in Aspen, Colorado in February of 1995. Fifty skiers from all across the nation participated in all levels of nordic and alpine events. Two years later, the second U.S. Winter Transplant Games were held at Mammoth Mountain, in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Warming up for the Olympics, Salt Lake City played host to the 1999 Winter World Transplant Games presented by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), January 10-15, in lieu of the U.S. Winter Games. Transplant recipients hailing from 60 different countries vied for gold, silver and bronze medals in Alpine and Nordic skiing events, including biathlon and snowboarding competitions.
The 4th Winter World Transplant Games were held in Nendaz, Switzerland, January 14th-19th, 2001, with Team USA in attendance. These Games featured the first Nicholas Cup, a transplant recipient children's ski race, named in honor of 7 year old Nicholas Green who died in a tragic accident and whose organs saved the lives of seven recipients.
The 5th Winter World Transplant Games, were held January 18th-25th, 2004, in Bormio, Italy attended by 13 Team USA members (athletes and supporters).
The 2008 Winter World Transplant Games have been tentatively scheduled for March 26-31, 2008 in Rovaniemi, Finland. Check back on the World Transplant Games Federation’s website for further details at: www.wtgf.org
