Complete List of International Multi-Sport Events - Past & Present
The Olympic Games is the most well-known international multi-sport event, but it is not the only one by a long way. A lessor known event, the World Masters Games, has more participants. There are many more events of a smaller scale. Some cater to athletes from a particular region or from a particular group, such as those with a disability or who speak a specific language. Over 400 of these events are listed below, events that are known to be still active are in bold. Is this too much? See our list of major multi-sport events for the most important current major events.
Alphabetical List of Multi-Sport Events
- Academic Olympia — Games for University Students, held until 1913 (discontinued)
- African Beach Games — a continental multi-sport event for athletes from Africa. The first event was held in June 2019.
- African Francophone Games for the Handicapped (JAPHAF Games): 1994-2009 (discontinued)
- African Military Games: 2002 (discontinued)
- African Scholar Athlete Games?
- Afro-Asian Games — was an international sporting event between African and Asian countries held in 2003. (discontinued)
- AGBU Games: European, South American and World Games events for Armenian people around the world. Held from 1955 to 2012. (discontinued)
- ALBA Games: a multi-sport event organized by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, held from 2005-2011. (discontinued)
- Alice Springs Masters Games — biennial masters event held in central Australia. 1986+
- All-Africa University Games — University Games for students from the continent of Africa. 1974-2012
- All-Africa Games — for all African nations.
- Alps-Adriatic Youth Games (Summer and Winter) - for the youth of Austria, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Yugoslavia. Held since 1982
- Amazon Games?
- Arab Games — see the Pan-Arab Games
- Arab Games for the Handicapped (also called the Arab Paralympics) (discontinued)
- Arab School Games — sporting event for school children. held from 1949-2012 (discontinued)
- Arab University Games — multi-event for Arab university students, last held in in Morocco in 2018. (Maghreb or Maugrabin University Games)
- Arab University Games for Beach Sports — held in 2016
- Arafura Games — hosted in Darwin, Australia, for nearby nations. (discontinued)
- Arctic Winter Games — for athletes from the circumpolar North
- Argentina Centennial Games — held once in 1909 in Buenos Aires, Argentina (discontinued)
- Aruba Caribbean Corporate Games?
- Asian Beach Games — for beach and water sports
- ASEAN Para Games — held since 2001, after the South-East Asian Games
- ASEAN University Games — since 1981
- ASEM Youth Games — held once in 2005 Bangkok, Thailand
- Asian Games — multi-sport Games for Asian countries, first held in 1951.
- Asia Pacific Deaf Games
- Asia Pacific Masters Games, see Pan-Pacific Masters Games
- Asian Indoor Games
- Asian Paralympic Games
- Asian School Games
- Asian Sports Festival (discontinued)
- Asian Transplant Games
- Asian University Games?
- Asian Winter Games — the Winter Asiad has been held about every 4 years since 1986
- Ataturk Dam International Sports Festival
- Baja Sports Fiesta?
- Balkan Games?
- Balkan Olympic Days?
- Baltic Games
- Baltic Maccabi Games?
- Baltic Sea Games
- Baltic Sea Spartakiade / Baltic 7 Games
- Baltic Sea Youth Games
- BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games
- Black Forest Youth Games - Schwarzwald Jugendspiele
- Black Sea Games — for nations bordering the Black Sea, held just once in 2007. (discontinued)
- Bogazici University International Sports Festival
- BOLESWA University Games
- Bolivarian Games — a multi-sport competition involving athletes from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
- Borneo Games
- BRICS Games — an annual multi-sport event featuring athletes from the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
- Britain's Festival of Sport (discontinued)
- British Commonwealth Games, see Commonwealth Games
- British Commonwealth Paraplegic Games
- British Empire and Commonwealth Games, see Commonwealth Games
- British Empire Games, see Commonwealth Games
- Brunei - Malaysia Armed Forces Solidarity Games
- BSME Games
- Canadian Police Alpine Games?
- Can-Am Police Fire Games
- Canterbury Centennial Games
- Caribbean Games
- CARIFTA Games
- Cartel des Mines
- Catalan Olympiads?
- Celtic Water Games
- Centennial Youth Games
- Central African Cup?
- Central African Games
- Central American and Caribbean Games — for nations in the Caribbean, Central America and/or bordering the Caribbean sea.
- Central American and Caribbean University Games
- Central American Games — for countries in the Central America (1973-present)
- Central American School Games for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
- Central Asian Games — for nations in Central Asia
- Central Europe Corporate Games?
- Central European Games?
- Children of Asia International Sports Games — an international multi-sport event for young athletes from the Russian regions, countries of Asia, and members of the Olympic Council of Asia.
- China - Japan - Korea Junior Games
- CIS Armed Forces Games
- Commonwealth Games — for countries of the commonwealth family.
- Commonwealth Paraplegic Games — held alongside the Commonwealth Games from 1962 to 1974.
- Commonwealth Winter Games — winter version of the Commonwealth Games, held in St. Moritz, Switzerland from 1958-1966
- Commonwealth Youth Games — for athletes aged 14 to 18 from the 71 Commonwealth countries.
- Community/Friendship Games
- COSSASA Ball Games
- Counter Olympics (discontinued)
- CP-ISRA World Games
- CPLP Games
- CUCSA Games
- CUSA Games
- Cycle & Carriage Inter-Country Games.
- Deaflympics — an Olympics type event for deaf athletes, held every four years.
- Défi sportif — a multi-sport event for disabled athletes held in Montreal, Canada. Involves athletes of the five types of disabilities: auditory, physical, psychiatric, intellectual, and visual as well as athletes of all levels.
- Down Under International Games
- Down Under University Games
- Dubai X Games
- Dutch Commonwealth Games Koninkrijkspelen
- East African Games?
- East African Military Games
- East African Schools Games
- East African University Games
- East and Southern African International School Games
- East Asian Games — for nations in East Asia
- Easter Inter-telecomm Games
- Eastern European Transplant Games
- eGames — a multi-national video game competition
- Egypt Para Games
- Enhanced Games — a proposed Olympic-type competition that would allow competitors to take performance-enhancing drugs.
- Eritrean Sports Festival
- Euro Criterium
- Euro Games
- Euro Transplant Games?
- EuroAsia Corporate Games
- Eurofestival Summer
- Eurofestival Winter
- Europe Corporate Games
- European Championships — a new multi-sport event bringing together the existing European Championships of several sports, held every four years starting in 2018.
- European Cerebral Palsy (European) Games?
- European Games — multisport competition for European nations first held in 2015.
- European Heart/Lung Transplant Games
- European Maccabi Games
- European Masters Games (2008+)
- European Olympiade of the Minorities?
- European Peoples' Festival
- European Police Games
- European Police Games?
- European School Games?
- European Senior Games
- European Special Olympics
- European Students Games
- European Transplant Games
- European Union Scholar Athlete Games
- European X Games
- European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) — for young athletes from Europe. There is also Winter version
- Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled FESPIC Games
- Far East Championships (discontinued)
- FESPIC Youth Games
- Festival of the Empire (discontinued)
- FISEC Games
- FOBISSEA Games
- Francophone Games — for nations that speak French
- Friendship Games — an international multi-sport event held as an alternative to the Olympic Games. (1984, 2024)
- Friendships and Peace Games (discontinued)
- FSM Games?
- Games of the Commonwealth of the Independent States (CIS) — a multi-sport event for post-Soviet republics countries first held in 2021, then in 2023.
- Games of the New Emerging Forces / GANEFO Games (discontinued)
- Games of the Small States of Europe — a multi-sport event involving Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, and San Marino.
- Gay Games — for the worldwide LGBT and ally community
- GCC Cerebral Palsy Games
- GCC Disabled Girls Championships
- GCC Games for the Disabled?
- GCC Universities Sports Games
- Giochi Internazionali della Gioventu Salesiana
- Goodwill Games (discontinued)
- Gorge Games (discontinued)
- Gravity Games
- Gravity Games H20
- Great Outdoor Games
- Han Ma Deng Games (Hanmadang)?
- Hapoel Games (discontinued)
- Hawaii Pacific Games?
- HGWSS International Sports Festival?
- Hindu Games (same as Indian Empire Games?)?
- Homenetmen Pan-European Games
- Homenetmen World Games
- Hunter Festival of Sport?
- Huntsman World Senior Games
- IBSA Oceania Games
- IBSA World Championships for the Blind
- IBSA World Youth Championships
- INAS-FID Global Games
- Indian Empire Games (discontinued)
- Indian Empire Games?
- Indian Ocean Island Games — for all islands in the Indian Ocean.
- Indian Ocean Masters Games
- Indian Ocean Rim University Games also Indian Rim Asian University Games
- Indian Ocean Youth Games
- Inter-Allied Games (discontinued)
- International (World) Cerebral Palsy Games?
- International ASA Games
- International ASA Winter Games
- International Athletes Jubilee?
- International Children's Games — an annual multi-sport competition involving young athletes aged between 12 and 15
- International Corporate Games
- International Electrical Engineering Students Sports Games
- International Ex-Servicemen Wheelchair Games
- International Ex-Servicemen Wheelchair Games?
- International Firefighters Winter Games
- International Friendship Games
- International Games for Disabled Persons
- International Issyk-Kul Sports Games
- International Multi-Disabled Games of ISOD
- International Police and Fire Games (formerly) International Law Enforcement Games
- International Police Winter Games
- International Prisoner of War Olympic Games
- International School Children's Games
- International School Sports Tournament
- International Senior Games
- International Sports Festival For the Blind
- International Sports Festival of Paraplegics?
- International Sports Games of Caspian States Students
- International Sports Games of CIS States
- International Sports Invitational (discontinued)
- International University Beach Games — beach games between South American countries
- International University World Championships?
- International Winter Games for Schools (Jeux D'Hiver Scolaires Internationaux)
- International Women's Games
- International Womensport Festival?
- International Youth Games - Istanbul
- International Youth Games CIS Baltics
- Interreligious Peace Sports Festival
- Invictus Games — an international Paralympic-style multi-sport event for wounded soldiers
- Irelands' Scholar Athlete Games
- ISF Gymnasiades
- Islamic and Muslim Capitals' Women`s Games
- Islamic Countries Para Games
- Islamic Games (discontinued)
- Islamic Solidarity Games — for all nations from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
- Islands Corporate Games
- Island Games — for mostly European islands
- Israel Special Olympia National Games?
- Italian Youth Games?
- World Abilitysport Games — a multi-sport competition for wheelchair athletes, formerly known as the Stoke Mandeville or World Wheelchair Games.
- Jeux de l'Amitie, see Community/Friendship Games
- Jeux de l'Avenir des personnes handicapees d'Afrique francophone, see African Francophone Games for ...
- Jeux des Iles
- Journalists World Games
- Juegos Binacionales de Integracion Andina
- Juegos Bolivarianos, see Bolivarian Games
- Juegos Centroamericanos de Colegios Alemanes
- Juegos de la Araucania
- Juegos Deponivos Sudamericanos Escolares Kalev Games?
- Juegos Estudiantiles Centroamericanos
- Juegos Trasandina
- Kalev Games
- Latin American and Caribbean Games for the Blind
- Latin American and Caribbean Games for the Blind?
- Latin American Games (discontinued)
- Latin American Transplant Games
- Latin American University Games
- Latin American X Games
- Lusophony Games — for Portuguese-speaking countries.
- Maccabiah Games — for Jewish athletes worldwide.
- Maccabi Australia Junior Sports Carnival
- Maccabi Australia Senior Sports Carnival
- Maccabi GB Youth Games
- Maccabiade Winter Games
- Malaysia - Singapore Home Affairs Games
- Malaysia - Singapore Public Services Games
- Malaysia Disabled Games
- MBA Students' Olympics?
- Mediterranean Beach Games — consist of only water sports and beach sports, held every 4 years since 2015.
- Mediterranean Corporate Games Michitario Games?
- Mediterranean Games — for all nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea
- Micronesian Games — ten participant countries, States and territories located within the Micronesian region of Oceania.
- Middle East Transplant Games
- Middle East/Mediterranean Scholar Athlete Games
- Military Games?
- Military Olympics?
- Military World Games — for military athletes from over 100 countries.
- Moscow / Utah Youth Games
- Muslim Student Games
- Muslim Women's Games
- New Zealand Corporate Games?
- New Zealand Games (discontinued)
- New Zealand Masters Games
- New Zealand University Games?
- Nordic Baltic Schools Sports Festival
- Nordic Games
- Nordic University Games?
- Nordiske Landskamp (Nordic Sports Games)
- North American Corporate Games?
- North American Indigenous Games
- Northern Games?
- Olympic Games — the biggest sporting event in the world. There is a Summer and Winter edition held every four years.
- Olympic Games of the Enslaved Nations?
- Olympic Hopes Summer Games
- Olympic Hopes Winter Games
- Pacific Asia Sports Tournament for the Disabled
- Pacific Ocean Games (discontinued)
- Pacific Rim Scholar Athlete Games?
- Pacific Games — for countries around the South Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963. Formerly known as the South Pacific Games.
- Pacific Mini Games — since 1981 (formerly the South Pacific Mini Games)
- Pacific School Games
- Palm Springs International Senior Olympics?
- Pan Pacific Masters Games
- Pan American Games — for all nations of the Americas
- Pan-American Exposition (discontinued)
- Pan-American Games for Patients with Asthma
- Pan-American Games for the Blind
- Pan-American Games for the Deaf
- Pan-American Maccabi Games
- Pan-American Medical Games
- Pan-American University Games?
- Pan-American Wheelchair Games
- Pan-American Winter Games (discontinued)
- Pan Arab Games — multi-event for athletes from Arabic-speaking nations.
- Pan-Armenian Games
- Parafiada
- Paralympic Games — event for disabled athletes, held in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games.
- Paralympic Games for the Mentally Handicapped
- Paralympic World Cup
- PNG Corporate Games?
- Prince de Asturias Olympic Youth Rally?
- Punjab Games
- Qatar Sports International (discontinued)
- Queensland Corporate Games
- Queensland Masters Games?
- Robin Hood Games
- Russian Corporate Games?
- Russian Olympics?
- Samoa International Games
- SARPCCO Games
- SAUSSA Games
- Scandinavian Transplant Games?
- SCFA Summer Spartakiade (discontinued)
- SCFA Winter Spartakiade (discontinued)
- SELL Games
- SELL Games Winter
- Shanghai Sister Cities Games
- Shanghai SMP Gravity Games
- Sherwood Forest Games?
- Siauliai International Games
- SkyGames
- Small Olympiad of Escaped Prisoners of War (discontinued)
- South Africa Corporate Games?
- South African Games (discontinued)
- South African Masters Games
- South American Beach Games — a biennial multi-beach-sport event for South American countries.
- South American Games — a regional multi-sport event held between nations in South America.
- South American Corporate Games?
- South American Games for the Deaf
- South American School Games
- South American University Games
- South Asian Games — for nations in South Asia
- Southeast Asian Games — for nations in Southeast Asia
- South East Asian Corporate Games?
- South Pacific Corporate Games
- South Pacific Games (now called the Pacific Games)
- South Pacific Games for the Disabled
- South Pacific Masters Games
- South Pacific Mini Games (now called the Pacific Mini Games)
- Southern Cross Games
- Soviet Spartakiade?
- Special Olympics - Central Asian Games
- Special Olympics Asia-Pacific Games
- Special Olympics Gulf Games
- Special Olympics Mediterranean Games
- Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa Regional Games
- Special Olympics Small Nations Games
- Special Olympics Tanzania National Games?
- Special Olympics West African Games
- Special Olympics World Games — Winter and Summer events held every 4 years for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
- Sports Festival for Paraplegics CAIIII?
- Sprite Urban Games
- Stockholm Games - Solnaspelen
- Stockholm Summer Games
- Stockholm Winter Games
- Supergames
- SWSC BOLESWA Games
- Sydney Youth Olympic Festival, see Australian Youth Olympic Festival
- Tailteann Games 1924 -1932
- Tau Games
- Texas Police World Games
- The Handicapped
- Titan Games
- Tournoi International des 5 Ballons
- Tournoi sportif européen élèves des Ecoles de la Deuxième Chance
- Trans Tasman Masters Games
- Tricolor Games
- Trisome Games — an international multi-sport competition for athletes with Down Syndrome held every four years
- UBC Sports Games
- UK & Ireland Corporate Games
- Under-20 Zone Six SADC Games
- United Nations Inter-Agency Games
- Unity Games
- Universiade - see World University Games
- University Olympia?
- Urban Games — in planning, expected to be feature 3x3 basketball, skateboarding and cycling trials.
- US Olympic Cup
- West African Games
- West African University Games
- West Asian Games — for nations in West Asia
- Western Asiatic Games (discontinued)
- White Air Festival
- Wild 'n' Woolly Games?
- Windsor Classic Indoor Games
- Windward Islands Secondary Schools Games
- Winter Australian Corporate Games
- Winter Can-Am Police-Fire Games
- Winter Games for the Disabled
- Winter Goodwill Games (discontinued)
- Winter Gravity Games
- Winter International School Children's Games
- Winter Journalists World Games
- Winter Olympic Games —
- Winter Pan-American Games
- Winter Paralympic Games —
- Winter World Corporate Games
- Winter World Games for the Deaf
- Winter World Games for the Disabled
- Winter World Masters Games?
- Winter World Transplant Games
- Winter World University Games
- Winter X Games
- Winteriada
- Women's Athletic and Swimming Games (discontinued)
- Women's Global Challenge?
- Women's Islamic Games
- World Abilitysport Games — a multi-sport competition for wheelchair athletes, formerly known as the Stoke Mandeville or World Wheelchair Games.
- World Abilitysport Guttman Games — created to give athletes with physical impairments competing in non-Paralympic sports the chance to compete on the international stage.
- World Air Games — an international competition of multi-discipline air sports such as ballooning, hang gliding and gyrocopters.
- World Artistic Games — includes; Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Acrobatic and Aerobic Gymnastics; Standard, Latin, FreeStyle, Rock'n'Roll and HipHop DanceSport; Synchronised Swimming and Diving; Figure Roller Skating, Artistic Cycling and AeroMusicals.
- World Amputee Games?
- World Aquatic Games?
- World Beach Games — the first event is due to be held in 2019, 14 sports will feature on the program, which will be a mixture of sports traditionally played on sand and others which take place on the water.
- World Championships and Gaines for the Disabled?
- World Combat Games — first held in 2010, then again in 2013. Features 15 Martial Arts and Combat Sports, Aikido, Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Kendo, Kickboxing, Muaythai, Sambo, Savate, Sumo, Taekwondo, Wrestling, Wushu.
- World Corporate Games
- World Culture and Sports Festival
- World Dwarf Games
- World Environmental Games
- World Equestrian Games
- World Eskimo Indian Olympics
- World Extreme Games - see X Games Asia
- World Festival of Sport (discontinued)
- World Firefighters Games
- World Games — for mostly non-Olympic sports.
- World Games for Disabled Youth?
- World Games for the Deaf
- World Indigenous Games?
- World Junior Games
- World Latvian Games
- World Lithuanian Games
- World Masters Games — for mature athletes.
- World Medical Games
- World Mind Sports Games — players compete in bridge, chess, draughts, go and xiangqi.
- World Nature Games (discontinued)
- World Peace Games / Jeux Mondiaux de la Paix (discontinued)
- World Police and Fire Games — for law enforcement officers and firefighters worldwide.
- World Scholar Athlete Games
- World Senior Games?
- World Tourism Games
- World Transplant Games
- World University Games — organized for student athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The FISU Games were previously held under the name of Universiade. There are Winter and Summer editions.
- World Youth Festival?
- World Youth Games
- X Games — for extreme action sports. There is a Winter version too.
- X Games Asia - also called the KIA X Games Asia or World Extreme Games, held from 1988 until 2015.
- Youth Olympic Games — for athletes aged 14 to 18 years. There is a Summer (2010+) and Winter version (2012+).
If you know of others that should be listed here, let me know.
Related Pages
- Ancient Multi-Sport Games
- Discontinued multi-sport events
- Olympic Games
- Calendar of Sporting Events
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events