The 2001 World Games will be a first for the sport of unicycling. Yes, we
have been officially accepted as part of this major event, and a whole
unicycling convention will be held in Akita, Japan.
Mostly this will resemble a Japanese unicycle meet (which means it will be
big), but it will be a truly international competition, though held under
JUA rules. International participation will be small, which means that if
you go, you will surely stand out as one of the foreign competitors, and
get lots of attention!
Even if you are more of a spectator, you will still get a chance to see
these unicycling stars:
Julien Monny, Switzerland – Past world champion of Standard Skill, and
one of the most amazing freestyle riders in the world today. Julien
specializes in tricks such as stand-up coasting, and riding his
unicycle sideways.
Javier Ruiz, Puerto Rico – A past world champion of both Individual
Freestyle and Racing, Javier has much to offer both on and off the track.
Japanese champions such as Yuichiro Kato, Kazuhiro Shimoyaza, and
many more – I don’t know who all is going, but there will be
approximately 400-500.
Japanese competitors. If you’ve never been to a UNICON, you will see
racing at amazing speeds, and freestyle artistry like you’ve never seen
outside the ballet.
Of course you will also have the opportunity to witness any number of
other World Games competitions as well.
The unicycle competitions will be Saturday August 25 and Sunday August 26.
Most of the events will be races, but an Individual Freestyle competition
has just been added.
HUGE discounts (like 45% off!) have been made available on All Nippon
Airways. This airline flies from numerous cities in North America and
Europe. The Japan Unicycling Association has arranged for the discounted
fares. Contact Jack Halpern for details based on your travel needs.
jack@kanji.org
A lot more details are available on Jack Halpern’s World Games Web site:
http://www.kanji.org/kanji/jack/unicycle/worldgam/wg.htm
You can also read the English announcement of the unicycling events on the
World Games official Web site: http://www.wg2001.or.jp/engimg/ea1000.htm
(Scroll about halfway down the page to find the unicycles)
With less than two months to go, it’s kind of short notice for people who
live far away, but for the people that make it, they will be part of a
select group of unicyclists to attend the first international unicycling
competition that was part of a larger international sports festival.
Today the World Games. Tomorrow, the Olympics!
John Foss President, International Unicycling Federation President,
Unicycling Society of America jfoss@unicycling.com www.unicycling.com