FIRS accepting bids for Roller Games 2017

February 10, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Big Easy roller girls attempt to knockdown the mascot for the Atlanta Hawks during a game of roller derby musical chairs during halftime of a game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. The Trail Blazers defeated the Hornets 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Great news for the hundreds roller skating fans out there: The International Federation of Roller Sports (FIRS) announced this week that the first roller skating world championships to include all the various skating disciplines — events such as roller marathon, inline alpine, and artistic skating — will be held in 2017.

So where will Roller Games 2017 take place? Why, it could be the city you live in! The application process for hosting duties is now open!

The FIRS website posted a description of the action that will take place:

"The FIRS World Championships – Roller Games 2017 will be a unique, innovative and interactive event. 6,000 athletes from over 100 nations around the world will compete for the world title of their discipline attracting different types of public: the precision and elegance of Artistic Skating, the agility and endurance of Speed Skating, the strength and precision of Inline Hockey and Rink Hockey, the tricks of Skateboarding, the speed and adrenaline of Inline Downhill, the freshness of Inline Freestyle, the combination of aggressiveness and athleticism of Roller Derby and the Roller slalom of Inline Alpine."

Follow the link and download the PDF outlining what is expected of prospective hosts. Your city has until October 31 of 2014 to submit a bid, but you should start writing your city officials now (we all know how slow government bureaucracy can be). Don’t dally!

[Source: RollerSports.org]