Wushu and sambo are seeking to join aikido, muay Thai and several other martial arts as members of the International World Games Association. The International Wushu Federation and the International Sambo Federation both applied for membership in the IWGA which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and conducts its own quadrennial multi-sport event, the World Games.

Though membership does not mean automatic participation in the World Games, sambo has already appeared twice before, in 1985 and 1993, while wushu appeared in 2009 and 2013. Wushu is scheduled to appear again as an invitational sport at the next World Games, slated for 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama.