Clydevale woman Sacha Wettenhall (23) will represent New Zealand in the pairs table tennis, singles tennis and ten-pin bowling at the two-yearly games in Brisbane.
More than 1500 athletes from 69 countries compete at the World Transplant Games, which have taken place every two years since 1978.
The recipient of a heart transplant in 2003, Miss Wettenhall said people were not selected for the games, but registered themselves and paid for the trip through a combination of fundraising and self-funding.
While some athletes at the games competed at a high level, many took part at their own pace.
Her personal training involved a couple of games of tennis at the local school, a few games of table tennis on the kitchen table and the odd bowl while visiting her parents in Oamaru, she said.
She had her transplant at the age of 17 after what was first thought to be asthma was discovered to be an irreparably damaged heart.
A donated heart became available at the last minute, after a frantic search throughout Australia and New Zealand.
While she looked forward to taking part in a 5km walk on a beach to raise awareness about organ donation and to competing, she was also looking forward to the more social aspects of the games.
"It's supposed to be great fun."
The part-time caregiver is one of a team of 25 New Zealand transplant recipients attending the event.
The group includes the recipients of a variety of organs including hearts, lungs and kidneys.
The games will be held on the Gold Coast between August 22 and 30.
