“Even if the kick-off presented us with some challenges - I am convinced that with the sports year we have so far provided the Grazers with a lot of input on exercise and health promotion. The positive feedback that we get constantly spurs us on to go fully motivated into the second half of this hitherto unique initiative, ”says City Councilor for Sports Kurt Hohensinner.

Bloc Summer - State Championships and International Boulder Masters

From Wednesday, August 11th to Saturday, August 14th, Graz is the center of the local bouldering scene. Around 300 climbers will present this spectacular sport on Mariahilfer Platz in a variety and class that has never been seen in Graz. Stefan Tscherner, OC boss of the Bloc Summer Graz and President of the Styrian Climbing Association: “The state championships on Wednesday and Thursday are exciting for the audience, not least because with Johanna Färber yes a woman from Graz defends the title. In addition, this state championship for the Austrian national team also represents the internal qualification for the starting positions at the climbing world championship, which is to take place in Moscow in mid-September, which of course provides additional explosiveness. "

The International Bloc Summer Masters and the International Bloc Summer Youngsters will take place on Friday and Saturday. The special thing about this event is that local amateurs have also been able to qualify for it in the climbing halls in Graz and Leoben in the past few weeks and meet professionals from the scene on Mariahilfer Platz.

On August 13th, an “Active Friday” will also be held on the area, everyone who is interested in bouldering or who wants to try it out can stop by and put their talent to the test.

Special Olympics World Dance Championship

 Participants from 13 nations (Germany, Estonia, Greece, India, Iceland, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Norway, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, USA and Austria) will be on the casemates at the premiere of the Special Olympics World Dance Championship on Friday, August 20 to be there. OK boss Pierre Gider: “In 2019, dance became an official discipline at the Special Olympics. But we will not be included in the program until the World Winter Games 2025. This waiting time was way too long for me, so the idea came up to not just hold a big international tournament, but a world championship. We are pleased that Graz is again setting an international exclamation mark four years after the World Winter Games in Styria. "

There are two participants from Graz Joachim Lampel and his unified partner Miriam Strasser. “We won gold at the World Winter Games in Graz in 2017, so I have only one goal on the Schloßberg: I ​​want to become world champion!” Says Lampel. Strasser adds: "We have prepared very intensively - winning the title in these championships would certainly be as valuable as winning four years ago."

The competitions start at 14.00 p.m. (divisioning) and 18.00 p.m. (finals), free online tickets (only the processing fee is charged) are available at www.graz2021.org, without processing fee for collection at the ticket center, Kaiser-Josef-Platz 10.

Kurt Hohensinner: “Sport is not just exercise, sport unfolds many positive effects that go far beyond fitness and health. Sport also has a social and integrative effect. We want to emphasize this in the sports year, for example through our cooperation with the Styrian Cancer Aid, where you can donate and thus help for every length you swim. In addition, sport is also an essential vehicle for inclusion. I am particularly pleased that the premiere of the Special Olympics World Dance Championships is taking place here, of all places. Because Graz has again positioned itself as a model city for the Special Olympics movement. "

Ironman 70.3

On Sunday, August 15th (start at 8 a.m.), Graz will host an Iroman competition for the first time. The Ironman 70.3 (middle distance) takes place in Premstätten, in the Graz area and finally in the city area.

The Schwarzl-See offers ideal conditions for the 1,9 kilometers of swimming, the almost 90 kilometers long bike route leads from the SFZ to Weitendorf, back to Premstätten, on to Lieboch in the Liebochtal, over St. Oswald bei Plankenwarth to Gratwein-Straßengel, over the B67 to Deutschfeistritz and then to Weinitzen. Finally, the athletes come via Graz Nord and Grabenstrasse to transition zone 2 on the Passamtswiese in the city park, where the final half marathon starts.

footvolley

In August, Graz will once again be the center of European footvolley sport. As a special highlight, a world record attempt will take place on Friday, August 13th, 18.00:24 pm on the “Sand and More” facility, which is only a two-minute walk from the Mariatrost tram terminus. Four players want to play a XNUMX-hour match. Entry is free!

From Friday, August 20th to Sunday, August 22nd, the EFVL Nations Cup will be held on the “Sand und Mehr” facility, where the best European athletes will be guests in the Styrian capital.

In line with this, footvolley has got a new center in Graz.
In the traffic garden of the city park, two temporary sand courts have been created where this spectacular sport can be tried out. All dates are there https://letsgograz.at/events/footvolley-fuer-alle-stadtpark-graz/

 Table tennis emperor

Half time is not only in the sports year, but also in the largest table tennis tournament that Styria has ever seen. The search for the table tennis emperor or the table tennis empress has been going on since the beginning of July.

More than 5.000 matches have already been played, which means that the people of Graz have already played two more table tennis tables in public spaces. If there are 10.000 encounters, there is the next. Sports director Thomas Rajakovics: "We would be happy if the search for Majesty continues so successfully and if we could take money in hand to set up one or the other table."

Eliminator World Championships and Grazathlon in September

A brief preview of two highlights of the Graz sporting year next month: On Sunday, September 5th, the world's best mountain bikers will determine their eliminator title holders for women and men on the circuit over Karmeliterplatz, Hartiggasse, Freiheitsplatz, Hofgasse and Sporgasse. Everyone who has already watched the thrilling bike-to-bike battles in 2018 and 2019 knows about the spectacle that awaits them at the World Cup in the city of Graz as part of the sports year.

Six days later, on Saturday, September 11th, the Grazathlon takes you away from Augarten over 20 obstacles and more than ten kilometers through the city. Exciting street crossings, seemingly endless stairs, classics like Monkeyland, Wall plus Panier and much more await the participants who want to prove themselves to be the toughest of the state capital again this year

program coordinator Markus Pichler: “The program for the next two months shows not only the diversity, but also the internationality that lies behind the individual projects of the Graz Sports Year. We are very pleased to be able to present two world championships, two top international competitions, a state championship, a half Ironman and a Guinness book world record attempt for the first time in Graz within a very short time. "