“Sport for All is more than 3 words”.
We’ve asked international sport organisations who are partners in the INTERACT project what Sport for All meant to them. Do you agree with their answers? What does Sport for All mean to YOU?
#INTERACTwithus

Watch the video HERE

Discover the INTERACT project at www.interact-sport.com/

The INTERACT (International and European Sport Organisations Activate Citizens) Project Team is proud to announce the publication of the INTERACT online platform at www.interact-sport.com. This launch comes with the release of many exciting outputs including:

• The Online Directory of International and European Sports Organisations (ISOs)
• A study report on ISOs challenges, opportunities, needs and expectations in the development of Sport for All
• An INTERACT Video
• The INTERACT fact sheet
• The start of the INTERACT “ISO of the Month Campaign”, to start in January 2022

Over the next 8 weeks, we will release and provide more information about those outputs. Stay tuned, as we will also announce the opening INTERACT conference, scheduled at the beginning of 2022! More about the project’s vision, mission, objectives and activities at www.interact-sport.com.

The INTERACT Project is co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union.

Project Partners:
• International Fistball Association (IFA)
• TAFISA
• International Table Tennis Federation Foundation (ITTF Foundation)
• World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF)
• International Dance Organisation (IDO)
• Confederazione Boccistica Internazionale (CBI)
• Italian Federation of Traditional Games and Sports (FIGEST)
• Sports Union of Slovenia (SUS)
• Deutsche Frisbeesport-Verband (DFV)

Birmingham Southern, Sloss Furnaces and Avondale announced as next set of competition venues

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 19, 2021) – The Birmingham Organizing Committee today announced the next three competition venues for The Games; Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham-Southern College, and Avondale Park. The World Games 2022 signage has been installed at all three venues.
The World Games 2022 (TWG2022) is a multi-sport event that will take place in Birmingham from July 7-17, 2022. An anticipated 3,600 athletes will participate in more than 30 different sports throughout The Games.

“We’re excited to announce this next round of venues for The Games,” The World Games 2022 chief executive officer Nick Sellers said. “As we move closer and closer to the beginning of The Games, the announcement of venues where these world-class athletes will compete, and where fans from all over will congregate to watch, drives the anticipation. All of our venues offer athletes and fans a unique sporting experience they can’t get anywhere else.”

At the historic Sloss Furnaces, spectators will watch athletes compete in adrenaline inducing Sport Climbing, Breaking, Parkour and Beach Handball.
Originally operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971, Sloss Furnaces became one of the first industrial sites (and the only blast furnace) in the U.S. to be preserved and restored for public use. In 1981, the furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.
“Sloss Furnaces is more than a landmark or museum, it represents the spirit and character of the South’s rich industrial heritage—and of the people that made Birmingham the Magic City,” said Karen Utz, interim executive director/curator of Sloss Furnace. “In that same vein, we’re excited to help show the rest of the world that spirit with our involvement in The World Games. This global event will mark yet another historical chapter in the history of the Sloss Furnaces.”

Several competitions will take place across the campus of Birmingham-Southern College. Goldfarb Field at Berylson Soccer Park, the home of Birmingham Southern Soccer, will play host to Fistball. Bill Battle Coliseum, the home of Birmingham-Southern Basketball and Volleyball, will host a variety competitions including Orienteering, Karate, Wushu and Ju-Jitsu. Birmingham-Southern residence halls will also be the accommodation for several athletes competing at The Games in their dormitories.

Founded in 1856, Birmingham-Southern is home to more than 1,100 students from 29 states and 11 countries. The college currently offers five bachelor’s degrees in more than 50 programs of study, as well as interdisciplinary and individualized majors and dual degree programs.
“Promoting the community that surrounds us is a key part of our mission at Birmingham-Southern College, and we see that same vision in The World Games 2022,” said BSC President Daniel B. Coleman. “We look forward to welcoming fans and athletes from all over the world to the Hilltop.”
At Avondale Park, the natural beauty of Birmingham will be on full display for Target Archery and Field Archery competitions.

Avondale Park is a 40-acre wooded park on the slopes of Red Mountain that sits directly across from one of the most popular neighborhoods in Birmingham. The park re-opened after $2.88 million in city-funded renovations in November of 2013 and offers Birmingham residents plenty of opportunity for outdoor recreation.
“Avondale Park is one of the best recreational areas our community has to offer, making it a perfect venue for the World Games 2022,” said Shonae Eddis-Bennett, director of the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Director. “We are excited to have the opportunity to show off Avondale Park to fans and athletes from all over the world.”

ABOUT THE WORLD GAMES 2022
The World Games 2022 Birmingham will be an extraordinary Olympic-style sports experience where elite athletes from all over the world compete for gold in 34 unique, multi-disciplinary sports. Featuring 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries, the international event will unite global fans with the Birmingham community in 25+ unique venues around the greater metropolitan area. The World Games 2022 Birmingham, which marks the 40th anniversary of the event, will take place from July 7-17, 2022 and will generate an estimated $256 million in economic impact. The World Games was established by the International World Games Association, an organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Read more: https://twg2022.com/2021/three-more-venues/

In its video-conference the Board of the International Fistball Association (IFA) decided in an unanimous decision to postpone the Women’s Fistball World Championship in Chile, scheduled for November 2020, to 2021. IFA is currently negotiating with substitute organizers.

 Chile is currently confronted with a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and a second lock-down. At the moment it is not predictable whether a carefree World Championship can be guaranteed for all participants in November and when or if intercontinental travel will be possible again. “Fistball has always been a sport that lives for and with our fans. Therefore it is beyond all questions for us to only let the athletes travel. With a heavy heart, we decided to postpone this year’s World Championship because we have to assume that it must be carried out without spectators, additional officials, fans and family members,” said IFA General Secretary Christoph Oberlehner. This postponement also entails that the World Championship will not take place in Chile. The current situation in Chile is not only a health crisis, but also an economic one. These negative conditions made it impossible for the Chilean Fistball Federation to organize the World Championship next year.

“Health is the first priority in our decisions. We were in regular contact with the organisers and the national Fistball association in Chile and discussed the situation in detail. Thanks to our friends in South America for their intensive efforts to find a solution in Chile. Unfortunately the efforts were not rewarded”, says IFA President Jörn Verleger. “The new situation poses a huge challenge and we are forced to look for a new organizer. But we are currently in very good negotiations with possible substitute hosts.”

IFA plans to announce the exact dates and venues of the 2021 Women’s World Championship and the 2021 World Tour Finals in July.

All 2020 international Fistball events postponed or cancelled

The corona virus has caused a major upheaval in the international Fistball calendar. This year all international Fistball events had to be postponed or cancelled due to the worldwide pandemic. In addition, The World Games in Birmingham were also rescheduled to 2022, which has an impact on the Fistball calendar. IFA postponed the U18 World Championship to July 2021, and the World Tour Final will not take place this year. The World Tour season 2020 had to be cancelled and will not be counted.

The European Fistball Association EFA postponed the Men’s European Championship in Kaltern to 24-26 June 2021. The EFA U21 Men’s European Championship planned for Grieskirchen will be cancelled in 2020, the next U21 European Championship will be held together with the U18 World Championship in Grieskirchen. EFA’s club competitions – the Champions Cup for men and women – also had to be cancelled for this year.

The Pan-American Continental Association PAFA also postponed the Pan-American Championship which was planned for October 2020 in Novo Hamburgo (BRA). The Championship will take place in 2021. The U16 South American Championships also had to be postponed to 2021.

Question & Answer – IFA president Jörn Verleger 🎙

Thank you for all the questions you sent us. Here are the video anwers by Jörn:

• Q1 (0:06): Why there is no decision about the Women’s World Champs by now?
• Q2 (0:37): Why is the U21 Euro 2021 not in Grieskirchen?
• Q3 (1:06): Why is the host city for the World Tour Final 2021 not fixed yet?
• Q4 (1:56) Why is the change in the key date for the eligibility of players at the U21 EURO not the same as for the U18 World Championships?
• Q5 (2:56): What is going to happen with the U18 EURO 2021?
• Q6 (3:56): Tell us about the progress of the IOC Recognition.
• Q7 (4:56) Why are The World Games 2021 postponed by one year? Why are they not moved a few weeks prior to the Olympics?
• Q8 (5:56): How does the current situation affect the U18 World Champs in New Zealand scheduled for 2022?
• Q9 (6:30): Can tournaments still take place as the World Tour Season 2020 is cancelled?
• (7:13): Closing statement (Visit Fistball at Home 💪)

#WeAreFistball

In preparation of the World Games 2021 in Birmingham, IFA was part of The World Games Media Workshop in Madrid at the Olympic Channel (OC) headquarters. We got a first glimpse of the production plan for TWG21 in the US and held fruitful talks with our partners including OC and Sportradar concerning our future development for Social media, broadcasting and data science were held. During the two day event we also had the opportunity to visit the La Liga headquarters, as they opened up a department for Non-Soccer sports some years ago.

SALZBURG. The German teams were unstoppable at this year’s Faustball World Tour Final at Sportzentrum Nord in Salzburg. TSV Pfungstadt triumphed for the men and TSV Dennach for the women.

Dennach defeats SOGIPA Porto Alegre in the final
In the Women’s Bronze Medal Match, the South American champion of Duque de Caxias (BRA) showed the Swiss team of TSV Jona their limits and won clearly 3-0. The Gold Medal Match between Dennach (GER) and SOGIPA (BRA) was a very exciting affair. The Germans convinced with a powerful attacking game and went quickly with 2-0 in front. But Porto Alegre fought back and was able to shorten to 1-2 in sets. In a high-level game it was Dennach with the larger routine that could secure the title.

Pfungstadt impressive to gold
The fans in Salzburg experienced a real thriller in the match for third place between the Local Heroes from Vöcklabruck and Duque de Caxias (BRA). A 1-2 setback did not bring Vöcklabruck from the rest and with the local fans behind the Austrians won the first medal in an international competition. The Men’s Gold Medal Match between European Champions Cup winner TSV Pfungstadt (GER) and defending champion Novo Hamburgo (BRA) was easy game for the Germans. The Brazilians comitted numerous attacking mistakes and had to give the strongly playing Team from Pfungstadt  as they lost 0-3.

Final event in Salzburg a great success
From the organizers point of view, the IFA is very satisfied with the final in Salzburg. In fantastic weather, the fistball world elite attracted more than 2,000 spectators to Sportzentrum Nord on three days. More than 5.000 fans followed the livestream and ORF showed the final day live on Austrian sports television.

Bronze Medal Match Women’s:
Duque de Caxias (BRA) – TSV Jona (SUI) | 3:0 (11:09, 11:04, 11:08)

Bronze Medal Match Men’s:
Union Tigers Vöcklabruck (AUT) – Duque der Caxias (BRA) | 3:2 (08:11, 13:11, 09:11, 11:08, 11:06)

Gold Medal Match Women’s:
SOGIPA Porto Alegre (BRA) – TSV Dennach (GER) | 1:3 (08:11, 09:11, 11:08, 09:11)

Gold Medal Match Men’s:
SG Novo Hamburgo (BRA) – TSV Pfungstadt (GER) | 0:3 (09:11, 04:11, 03:11)

Final Ranking Women’s:

1. TSV Dennach (GER)
   2. SOGIPA Porto Alegre (BRA)
   3. Clube Duque de Caxias (BRA)
   4. TSV Jona (SUI)
   5. SG Novo Hamburgo (BRA)
   5. TSV Calw (GER)
   7. Union Nußbach (AUT)
   7. SVD Diepoldsau (SUI)

Final Ranking Men’s:

1. TSV Pfungstadt (GER)
   2. SG Novo Hamburgo (BRA)
   3. Tigers Vöcklabruck (AUT)
   4. Clube Duque de Caxias (BRA)
   5. CCAA Rosario (ARG)
   5. STV Wigoltingen (SUI)
   7. TV Vaihingen (GER)
   7. FG Elgg-Ettenhausen (SUI)