Member Federations have nominated 25 candidates for the online vote, which is due to be published on January 4 next year.

The candidates can be from any edition of the World Games first held in Santa Clara in the United States in 1981.

When the voting begins on January 8, the public can vote daily, everyone once per 24 hours, for their favourite candidate.

The voting is due to end on February 1 but on January 20 a shortlist of the 10 candidates with the highest number of votes at that stage will be published.

They will keep the votes earned by then.

At the end, the three best athletes will be awarded with a trophy and a branded gift from the official sponsor Protective Life.

"The first candidate they choose gets two votes, and the second candidate one vote," International World Games Association communications officer Anna Jacobsen said.

"We started with this initiative a year ago, to get the World Games family to know each other better; after choosing your favourite, you will choose a candidate from another sport too.

"This way you will get to see who else is there and with what kind of background story.

"The initiative worked really well last year and is one more way in which we want to make athletes and fans feel that we are one big family.

"Traditionally, we have had the World Games Athlete of the Year vote.

"I am delighted to see that the international federations have joined ‘The World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time’ campaign with at least as much enthusiasm as when voting for an athlete of that specific year.

"We have candidates from all editions of the World Games, and it will be very exciting to see which athletes and sports are strongest this time."