Cheerleading double pom has been included on the programme for Chengdu 2025 ©Getty Images

Cheerleading and powerboating are set to make their debuts at the Chengdu 2025 World Games after being added to the sports programme.

The International World Games Association (IWGA) has announced that cheerleading discipline double pom and powerboating’s motosurf will be among the sports that will feature at the event in two years' time after being chosen by the Chengdu 2025 Organising Committee.

The other sports invited by the hosts are dragon boat racing, duathlon, freestyle inline skating and flag football as well as the Para disciplines of underwater sports, ju-jitsu and low point wheelchair rugby with wheelchair dance also expected to be included.

A total of 35 sports are due to be on the programme at Chengdu 2025 after air sports, archery, billiards sports, boules sports, fistball, floorball, flying disc, gymnastics, handball, karate, kickboxing, korfball, lacrosse, life-saving, muaythai, orienteering, powerlifting, racquetball, sambo, softball, sport climbing, squash, tug of war, waterski and wakeboard and wushu were already confirmed.

Dragon boat racing is set to feature at the World Games for the first time since it was an invitational sport at Kaohsiung 2009.

Among the disciplines making their debuts at the event are powerlifting classic, freestyle inline skating, kickboxing point fighting, underwater sports freediving, and wushu sanda.

Motosurf is set to feature at Chengdu 2025 after powerboating was added to the programme ©Getty Images
Motosurf is set to feature at Chengdu 2025 after powerboating was added to the programme ©Getty Images

Sebastian Garvens, sports director of the IWGA, said she was pleased that the programme was "largely fixed" with two years before the Games are set to open.

"The fact that we were able to include new sports and new disciplines in consultation with our members and our partners in Chengdu shows that The World Games are evolving, and taking into account the trends in the world of sport and our International Federations," said Garvens.

"Another important criterion for us is gender equality.

"Here, too, we have become a role model for other events.

"After we had para sport as part of the competition programme for the first time in 2022, we have been able to expand this area significantly for the Games in Chengdu.

"What is important for us is that the Para competitions are not a separate event.

"They are included in The World Games edition like any other sport or discipline."

Chengdu is scheduled to stage the World Games from August 7 to 15 in 2025.