The national elements of The World Games 2005 were reinforced by a Memorandum of Understanding that had been signed between the IOC and the IWGA in Lausanne, SUI. For the very first time, the athletes paraded by nation in the opening ceremony, a medal count by nation was published, and anthems were played and flags hoisted for the medalists.
At these games that were brilliantly branded by the organizers under the slogan "fasciNATIONS worldgames" and one of the strongest looks ever applied, parachuting/skydiving adapted its lineup of events significantly. Freestyle Skydiving Women was dropped and substituted with Freeflying Men, while Canopy Piloting Mixed was added. Five sets of medals were contested. USA took first in the combined medal count with one gold, two silver and one bronze.
Dr. Rainer "Exi" Hoehnle was the FAI/IPC Liaison Delegate and director of events. He made parachuting/skydiving a standout of The World Games once more, with good attendance at an attractive venue. As in the past, the three days of glorious summer weather for the events contributed to that as well.
Working on behalf of the IWGA during 2005 Duisburg, I had the pleasure to produce the official documentary of the games jointly with the local communications team made up of Dagmar Dahmen and Hermann Kewitz. Our 52-minute film was nominated for the Guirlande d'Honneur at the Sport Movies & TV Festival of that year. Watch it in full at the IWGA Channel.