IFAF STATEMENT: U.S. MEN'S FLAG NATIONAL TEAM ADVANCES TO THE WORLD GAMES SEMIFINALS DUE TO TEAM GERMANY'S WITHDRAWAL

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is disappointed to announce that the German Men’s National Flag Football Team has had to withdraw from The World Games 2022 after five positive COVID-19 cases were found within the delegation, including three athlete cases.

In line with The World Games 2022 protocols, all affected individuals are now self-isolating within the Athlete Village and close contacts have been notified.

Germany’s scheduled quarter-final fixture with USA at 17:00 today will not go ahead and their opponents USA will automatically progress to the semi-finals. The only other impact on today’s schedule will be on a 5-8 placement match, which will also now be cancelled. 

Pierre Trochet, IFAF President, said: “We are very disappointed for Team Germany and send our best wishes to those affected for a speedy recovery, and to all the players whose tournament has ended prematurely. We are confident in the measures implemented by the local organising committee to ensure this outbreak is monitored and contained - and that the tournament will continue as scheduled.” 

About IFAF:   The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body for the sport of American football and is responsible for all regulatory, competition, performance and development aspects of the game on a global level. Provisionally recognised by the International Olympic Committee, IFAF is a member of GAISF and a signatory to the WADA Code. IFAF has 72 member nations across 5 continents.