Joachim Thumfart, general director of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation -JJIF-, has been elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the International World Games Association -IWGA- during the Annual General Meeting held on 25 April 2026 in Lausanne. The vote formed part of the renewal of the leadership team for the 2026-2030 term, in a session in which Anna Arzhanova was also elected as the organisation’s new president.

The election represents an important institutional step for the JJIF, which will have direct representation in one of the main decision-making bodies of the international multi-sport ecosystem. The IWGA, an international non-profit organisation recognised by the International Olympic Committee -IOC-, is responsible for organising and promoting The World Games, a key platform for sports and international federations developing their presence outside the permanent Olympic programme.

Joachim Thumfart strengthens the link between the JJIF and The World Games

The IWGA Executive Committee oversees the organisation between General Meetings and works across areas such as strategy, operations, financial governance and cooperation with stakeholders across the international sports movement. The new team elected in Lausanne will lead the 2026-2030 cycle, including preparations for future editions of The World Games and the development of growth initiatives for member federations.

Thumfart joins the executive body after a long-standing relationship with The World Games through different roles within international ju-jitsu. In his candidacy for the IWGA Executive Committee, he highlighted that he had experienced the event “in different roles”, including as Technical Delegate, and argued that The World Games must be the platform where member federations present themselves with the highest standard of sports events.

The World Games as a strategic platform for ju-jitsu

The election also fits with a line of work that the JJIF has developed over several years: using recognised multi-sport competitions as a route for institutional growth, international visibility and closer connection with the Olympic movement. Thumfart had already defended in 2014 the importance of platforms such as the World Combat Games, the Asian Beach Games and Asian competitions, as part of a strategy aimed at unifying Ne-Waza/Jiu-Jitsu rules, keeping Fighting and Duo in the programme, and developing the sport from Asia towards the rest of the world.

That vision appeared again in 2022, when Thumfart linked the JJIF’s strategy to The World Games Birmingham 2022 and the Asian Games in Hangzhou. He described both events as “critical” for showing the diversity of ju-jitsu, with around 40 countries expected in Birmingham, and placed those competitions within a broader ambition for international growth, at a time when he also suggested that a more flexible IOC could open future opportunities towards Los Angeles 2028 or Brisbane 2032.

World champion

Thumfart’s profile combines sporting achievement, federation management and experience within the international multi-sport system. He comes from German Ju-Jutsu and is listed as an honorary member of the Deutscher Ju-Jutsu Verband -DJJV-, which records him as holding the 8th Dan since 25 October 2024. He was also world champion in the Duo Men discipline at the 1998 Ju-Jitsu World Championships, held in Berlin, alongside Sascha Vetter.

Thumfart’s election brings the JJIF into the IWGA executive body for a 2026-2030 cycle in which The World Games will remain one of the leading international platforms for recognised sports outside the permanent Olympic programme.