IFA has published the Fistball – Rules of the Game valid as for 1 April 2019 and the list of approved fistballs also valid as for 1 April 2019. At the suggestion of the IFA Youth Commission and in coordination with the IFA Sports Commission and the Medical Commission in the age groups U16 male and U14 male, the ball weight was reduced to 330 grams respectively 300 grams.
Concerning the approved balls the company Sport Schmitz was registered with the product Hawe Star.
The International Fistball Association is pleased to announce the opening of the Candidature Process for the following events:
• the IFA 2020 Fistball World Tour Finals,
• the IFA 2021 Fistball World Tour Finals,
• the IFA 2022 Fistball U18 World Championships
• the IFA 2022 Fistball Women´s World Championship
• the IFA 2022 Fistball World Tour Finals,
• the IFA 2023 Fistball World Tour Finals and
• the IFA 2023 Fistball Men’s World Championship.
The Candidature Process, which was approved during a meeting of the IFA Board of Directors, will begin with a dialogue phase. Interested bidders have to fill out the online form to express their interest in bidding.
Potential bidders could be national IFA member association, a club or a city in co-operation with a club. IFA invites any city or cities interested in hosting top Fistball events to enter into a discussion with IFA to learn more about the concept and vision of the Fistball events and to examine all key opportunities.
“It is again a great honor for us to be looking for hosts across the world that want to partner with IFA in order to host our top Fistball events, both the World Tour Finals and the Fistball World Championships. These events are the pinnacle of our sport, and bring the World’s best Fistball players to a city,” said IFA President Karl Weiss.
“We have already received interest from individuals but now that the official procedure is underway, we would like to speak in greater detail with interested parties to explore how the events could most benefit their organizers,” IFA President Karl Weiss. “We are confident that in terms of value for money and outlay required, the IFA events represent a very good opportunity.”
“We believe in cost-efficient, sustainable events,” said IFA Secretary Jörn Verleger. “We work closely with the hosts from the very beginning to ensure that the Fistball Family gets events with as many positive, long-lasting legacies as possible.”
The closing date for the submission of Bid Documents is 24 April 2019. The host city of the 2023 World Championship will be elected by the IFA 2019 Congress on 14 August 2019 in Winterthur so that the new host city can attend, and learn from the IFA 2019 Fistball Men´s World Championship Switzerland from 11 to 17 August 2019.
The requirements can be accessed under this link:
World Championships: IFA Regulations World Championships including the IFA – Stadium Regulations as valid from 1 April 2019
World Tour Finals: IFA Regulations World Tour Finals including the IFA World Tour Finals Stadium Regulations as valid from 1 November 2018
Online Form to express interest in Bidding: http://tiny.cc/Bidding_IFA-Events
One day before the start of the DFBL 2019 Fistball German Championship Indoor in Mannheim we have formed the application to the European Commission for subsidies of the Fistball Academy in 2020/21. Tommorow the championship starts at 11 a.m. with the match TV 1880 Käfertal vs TSV Pfungstadt
The last two days IFA participated with three delegates at the 2019 Annual World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium in the Olympic Capital City of Lausanne discussing new International Standards. Cooperation with other IFs is important in the fight for clean sports – for clean Fistball. We are looking forward to the Joint International Federations Intelligence and Investigation Unit in which IFA is designated to overtake the chair.
A crucial review of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and its associated International Standards, as well as compliance and capturing athletes’ views were among the main themes at the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) 15th Annual Symposium held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The WADA Symposium, which is the leading fixture on the anti-doping calendar, gathered close to 900 delegates from the global anti-doping community for two days of presentations, interviews, panel discussions, practical workshops and networking sessions. Athlete representatives, International Sports Federations, government representatives, National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations, Major Event Organizers, WADA-accredited laboratories and Athlete Passport Management Units, as well as international media and other stakeholders, gathered on 13 and 14 March under the theme “Towards 2021 – Navigating the Future Together”.
2021 will be the year when the latest revised and updated Code comes into effect and the world’s anti-doping stakeholders are currently finalizing the document in time for its ratification at the fifth World Conference on Doping in Sport, which will take place in November in Katowice, Poland. In addition, the Code’s various International Standards, including those related to results management, education, compliance, testing and investigations, therapeutic use exemptions, laboratories and privacy protection were discussed at length during the Symposium.
Athletes were well represented during the conference. In particular, around 75 athlete leaders gathered from around the world for a one-and-a-half-day session for them and their representatives. The session, which was hosted by WADA’s Athlete Committee, for the first time as part of the Agency’s Annual Symposium, reinforced the importance of athletes’ involvement in clean sport. Specifically, the session addressed topics such as increased athlete representation within WADA’s governance structure, the impact the proposed changes in the 2021 draft Code may have on athletes, and the upcoming launch of ADAMS Next Gen – the latest revamped and improved version of the system.
A Symposium highlight came as WADA’s Athlete Committee members Beckie Scott (Chair) and Ben Sandford gave an update in plenary session on the progress of the development of the Anti-Doping Charter of Athlete Rights, a topic that was also discussed at length during the athlete session.
The keynote address by WADA President Sir Craig Reedie on day one, entitled ‘Unity Will Be Our Strength’, set the tone for the Symposium as he reflected on the Russian doping scandal and on the progress made since the Executive Committee (ExCo) decision in September 2018 to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) as compliant with the Code.
Sir Craig noted that the all-important data recovered from the Moscow Laboratory in January this year, once authenticated, would be used to bring more cheats to justice for the good of clean sport while exonerating others. He also pointed out that the Russian scandal had prompted the establishment of new priorities and led to significant changes that had already equipped the Agency to better navigate situations of non-compliance with the Code, including the coming into force on 1 April 2018 of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), which has considerably strengthened WADA’s legal framework around cases of non-compliance.
Sir Craig said: “In light of events that have occurred since the ExCo decision on RUSADA was made last September, it has been proven to be the right course of action. It is inarguable that accessing the laboratory data was a major step forward in this saga. Now we need to make sure this 24 terabytes of data is both complete and authentic.
“In case anyone had any doubts about the usefulness of the data from the Moscow Laboratory, some recent decisions from the Court of Arbitration for Sport put that into sharp focus and reinforced the importance of ensuring that due process is followed and that evidence is carefully presented.
“We are resolutely moving forward in our determination to protect clean sport. To continue to make impactful progress on all fronts, we need to work in partnership with everyone involved in anti-doping, whether that is athletes, National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations, sports federations, governments, scientists, medical experts, educators and others. Division helps nobody except those trying to cheat. Unity will be our strength.”
Sir Craig went on to highlight enhanced intelligence and investigations activity as well as the ongoing success of WADA’s Speak Up! whistleblower program. He then flagged that WADA’s increased activities in these areas are being helped by the May 2018 decision of the Foundation Board to approve 8% budget increases for 2019-22.
WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, took delegates through WADA’s strategic priorities, which in addition to those outlined by Sir Craig, included in particular: harmonizing Code rules via the 2021 Code Review and simultaneous review of the International Standards; the implementation of wide-ranging governance reforms, increasing scientific and social science research; enhancing education, most notably through the development of an International Standard for Education; capacity building of Anti-Doping Organizations; and the ongoing overhaul of WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).
Niggli said: “The 2019 WADA Symposium has been a great opportunity for everyone in the anti-doping world to come together in a spirit of cooperation, to be brought up to date on the latest events and to influence the direction in which we are going.
“As the global regulator, this year’s Symposium has been very important for WADA as we put the finishing touches to the revised 2021 Code and associated International Standards that will be ratified at the World Conference on Doping in Sport later this year.”
Another highlight of the Symposium came on day one with a panel discussion entitled ‘Looking Back and Moving Forward Together’, which focused on improving the anti-doping system in light of the Russian crisis. Moderated by the CEO of British Rowing, Andy Parkinson, it featured representatives from the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Agency, the Government of Seychelles, UK Anti-Doping, the International Testing Agency, the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Intelligence and Investigations Department of WADA.
With a backdrop of how the Russia situation affected the work of various anti-doping stakeholders, the lessons learned and the progress made since it came to light, the panel members discussed such issues as governance and funding of anti-doping bodies as well as the importance – and some of the goals and challenges – of scientific research, education, capacity building, compliance monitoring and investigations for the future integrity of sport.
In just over five months the IFA 2019 Fistball Men’s World Championship will take place in Winterthur (Switzerland) from 11-17 August 2019. It will be the biggest World Championship in Fistball history with 18 participating teams. On Friday, March 8, the group draw took place at the IFA Office in Linz (Austria).
The draw resulted in the following groups:
Group A is a very strong group with the World Champion Germany, Austria, Argentina and Italy. Germany and Austria count among medal candidates, Argentina and Italy are among the extended group of favourites. The ageless duel between defending champion Germany and Austria will be carried out on Tuesday 13 August at 7 pm. The first game of Germany takes place on Sunday 11 August at 6 pm against Argentina.
Host Switzerland will face Chile in Group B in their opening match (Sunday 11 August, 4:45 pm). Brazil and the USA are the other opponents for the host country. The group B top match takes place on Tuesday 13 August at 8:15 pm between Switzerland and Brazil. Both are among the medal favorites. All teams in groups A and B qualify for the following double elimination round. The group winners will get a bye in the first round after the group stage.
Things are very tense in groups C and D including four newcomer nations at World Championships, like Belgium, New Zealand, Poland and the Netherlands. With the Czech Republic, Serbia, Namibia, Australia, Japan and Denmark, six nations who already knows the flair of a World Championship are also participating. It is hard to say, which teams will qualify for the double elimination round as group winner or second. The third, fourth and fifth of group C and D qualify for the President’s Cup.
The preliminary round is played in 4 groups (A, B, C, D). Groups A and B consist of the teams ranked 1-8 of the last World Championship in 2015. In groups C and D the other ten teams are drawn by lot. The position within the group is based on the ranking of the last World Championship. The finalists from 2015 become group headers of group A or B and so on.
The teams starting from rank nine of the last World Championship are the group headers in group C and D. The position of the other teams is drawn to the groups C and D.
The IFA 2019 Fistball Men’s World Championship will take place in Winterthur (Switzerland) from 11 to 17 August. The matches are carried out at the stadium Schützenwiese. Tickets are available at https://fistballmwc.com/cms/index.php/en/fans/tickets.
Download the official schedule: Schedule of the IFA 2019 Fistball Men’s World Championship Switzerland
Two exciting days for the World Tour and the IFA 2019 Fistball World Tour Final are behind us. First, the season review with our new World Tour coordinator Mathias Karafiat and our new colleague Theresa Eidenhammer. Both have supported us since the beginning of March. Welcome to the team of IFA. An optimal support for the record number of participants in teams and tournaments this year.
In just around five months the Fistball Family will meet from 11-17 August 2019 for the IFA 2019 Fistball Men’s World Championship in Winterthur (Switzerland).
Which team is in which group? Who are the opponents for host Switzerland and World Champion Germany? The group drawing is just around the corner. The drawing of the groups for the upcoming Men’s World Championship is dated on
next Friday 8 March 2019, 20:00
(CET, covered on IFA Facebook page).
Everyone can watch the drawing on Facebook, it is not necessary to have a Facebook account.
Today the IFA Board of Directors met for it´s monthly meeting. The Board approved the Financial Report 2018 and the ball licenses valid 1 April 2019. 4 new additional balls from HAWE (Sport Schmitz) have been added to the list which also confirms the approval of the new edition of the Sportastic 2019 World Championship ball. Furthermore, the Board approved a new IFA Honorary Order. The member federations are asked to submit proposals for the new established IFA Awards for Social Engagement, Women in Sports and special activities latest 24 April. The inaugural awarding takes place within the framework of the IFA United by Sports Conference which was confirmed for Friday 16 August 2019 in Winterthur.
IFA Development Director Roger Willen presented the draft of a new IFA Development Program. To prepare the upcoming IFA 2019 Athletes´ Commission election the procedure was approved by the Board after discussions with the athletes´ representation. The elections will be conducted from 11 to 13 August. The elected candidates will be announced within the IFA 2019 Congress on 14 August. The nomination from the member federations should be latest until 11 July (1 month prior to the elections). Every member federation should nominate only one candidates. All nominated players are invited to a meeting with the new elected Board of Directors on Thursday 15 August at 8:00 a.m. for a Joint IFA/EFA/PAFA/Athletes´ Commission Breakfast.
Today the IFA 2019 Fistball World Tour starts in Curitiba (Brazil) with the fourth edition of the Copa Baica Mercês de Punhobol. The tournament with the best club teams is listed as IFA 250 in the female division and as IFA 500 in the men´s division. Alltogether the IFA 2019 Fistball World has a new record of 29 World Tour stations on 5 continents. The new IFA Fistball World Tour Ranking will be presented by the Munich based company CINT Technical Advisors. The company, which specializes in technical management consulting, particularly in the turbine sector, was already official partner at the IFA Women’s World Championship in Linz last year.
115 teams from five continents have registered to participate in the third season of the new club series, which has been established to enhance the value of the club tournaments worldwide. Five of these will be major events, in which the winners will gain 1,000 points at both, the men’s and the women’s category.
At least the two best women’s and men’s teams of the IFA Fistball World Tour Ranking presented by CINT Technical Advisors will get wild cards for the World Tour Finals, the former World Cup. “The World Tour is a world-wide series of fistball tournaments in various categories through which teams can secure wild cards for the World Tour Finals, the former World Cup. In 2019 eleven teams got a wild card for the final event of the World Tour in Salzburg from 13 to 15 September. The World Tour also boosts the value of global fistball tournaments for club teams“, said Winfried Kronsteiner, chair of the International Fistball Association’s (IFA) sports commission and initiator of the World Tour. IFA will regularly publish the current World Tour rankings on their website www.fistball-worldtour.com.
CINT Technical Advisors secures naming right on World Tour Ranking
“I am particularly pleased that we were able to secure CINT Technical Advisors as additional sponsor of the World Tour. We thank our partner Sportastic, who will continue to support the World Tour also as official ball manufacturer of the IFA Fistball World Tour Final”, said Jörn Verleger, IFA Secretary General.
“We are very pleased to be partner of the IFA Fistball World Tour after our involvment in the IFA 2018 Fistball Women´s World Championship in Linz. The concept and the success of the still new series have convinced us. The tour as a worldwide series is an optimal platform for us as a worldwide operating company and fits perfectly with its values and locations”, said CINT Technical Advisors CEO Nadine Aufermann. The IFA Fistball World Tour Ranking presented by CINT Technical Advisors will be published after every weekend with tournaments. Altogether between February and December 20 rankings will be presented.
10 tournaments take place in South America, 16 in Europe and one tournament each in India, the USA and Australia. Of the highest ranking category, the so-called major tournaments, two are each organized in Brazil and Switzerland and one in Germany.
Eight tournaments more than last year are in the new season of the IFA Fistball World Tour on the tour calendar. This year, 29 tournaments will take place on five continents. The tournament series begins this year on 23 February in Merces in Brazil and ends on 1 December in Manquehue in Chile. For the first time, an indoor tournament with the IFA500 tournament in Leipzig is part of the tour. The courts in Leipzig have outdoor dimensions, which is why the tournament was added as a World Tour station.
IFA President Weiss: “Tournament hosts and teams are looking forward to the start of the season”
“We have slightly adopted the requirements for the new World Tour season and have integrated the feedback from the clubs and hosts. We didn’t expect 29 hosts in the third year of the World Tour. It shows us that we are on the right path. I am glad to see how the tournament organizers and teams are supporting this enthusiastically, and looking forward to the start the new IFA Fistball World Tour season,” said IFA President Karl Weiß.
At the IFA 2019 Fistball World Tour Final, from Friday, 13 September to Sunday, 15 September, the best eight teams of men and women compete against each other in Salzburg (Austria). Teams from six countries from three continents will be represented. In addition to the continental champions from Europe, South and North America, five respective six teams have qualified via the IFA 2018 Fistball World Tour. CCAA Rosario (Argentina) and SG Novo Hamburgo (Brazil) each qualified with a women’s and men’s team for the final.
The drawing for the World Tour Finals took place on 15 February and brought the following matches:
In the first round of the men’s competition there will be a reissue of last year’s final between cupholder SG Novo Hamburgo (Brasil) and STV Wigoltingen (SUI). The local team from Tigers Vöcklabruck (Austria) will be in action for the first time on Friday, 13 September around 1:00 p.m. The games are played best of five in the system “Double Elimination”, which means that in case of defeat, a team can qualify for the final via the consolation round. Each team thus has at least two games.
The matches starts on Friday at 10 a.m., on Saturday at 11 a.m. and on Sunday at 12 a.m.
The 2019 World Tour Finals take place at the Sportzentrum Nord in Salzburg. The city of Salzburg and the venue, Sportzentrum Nord, offer perfect infrastructure to host our Fistball World Tour Finals.
Apart from the world-wide known sights, such as the Salzburg Fortress, the city and the federal state of Salzburg provided great support right from the beginning of the bidding process.
IFA is sure the participating teams can look forward to a great final event, which will be carried out for 3 competition days for the first time.
A total of more than 85 women’s and men’s teams from 9 countries and five continents participated in the IFA 2018 Fistball World Tour, which qualified in 21 tournaments on all continents.
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