All teams have arrived at the venue and were welcomed by Ralf Eisenhauer – the mayor of Mannheim reponsible for sports matters – and IFA President Verleger Joern.

In his opening speech at the official welcome dinner Verleger thanked the host of VfR Mannheim 1896 e.V. and the Stadt Mannheim for their support of the event. Today the competition started at 9.00 a.m. and all participating teams are fighting for the title best Fistball club team in the world.

In the Sports Committee of the German Bundestag: IFA President suggests better integration, networking and financial support for the international work of non-Olympic associations

Berlin (hib/HAU) German sports policy lacks a structural approach to better assert German interests at the level of world sports federations. This was made clear by Thomas Konietzko, President of the International Canoe Federation (ICF), Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association (IFA), Ingo Weiss, Treasurer of the World Basketball Federation (FIBA) and sports scientist Professor Jürgen Mittag from the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS), who were invited to a public meeting of the Sports Committee of the German Bundestag on Wednesday.

ICF President Konietzko said to the MPs: “You must decide whether you prioritize the representation of Germans on the committees differently in the future.” This would require appropriate political decisions “so that in future it is no longer dependent on chance that Germans can assume high offices in sport”.

The path to the presidency of an international sports organization usually requires a combination of experience, network, commitment and personal qualities, said sports scientist Jürgen Mittag. In addition to holding other leadership positions, establishing strategic alliances and gaining support through a consensus-based program of one’s own are decisive factors in the bid.

Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association (IFA), who is also a member of the informal group of so-called “International Germans” established by the German Olympic Committee (DOSB), presented the perspective of a non-Olympic association. So far, however, the circle of ” International Germans ” has not been considered in a targeted manner, for example via an invitation distribution list maintained by the DOSB and taken into account by the associations at events. “This means that opportunities are missed,” said Verleger. This applies in particular to non-Olympic sport and its indirect opportunities to exert influence. It is striking that other nations are much better at “placing national representatives at international level and supporting each other in this work”.

More: https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-1010384

IFA was represented last week at the MEI Hosts and Federations Summit at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne by President Jörn Verleger and at TEAMS Europe in London by Secretary General Chris Oberlehner. Thanks to Major Events International Ltd and Northstar meetings group for the opportunity to update cities, suppliers and sporting colleagues on Fistball and the opportunities through our events.

Photocredit: Major Events International Ltd

The world is moving faster than ever, but people are moving less. According to the World Health Organisation research has found that one in four adults and over 80 per cent of young people do not meet the recommended minimum activity levels needed for optimum health. Not having enough time in the day is one of the most common reasons given for not being able to reach this goal. At the same time, starting with just 30 minutes of movement a day has significant health benefits for hearts, bodies and minds.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a new global initiative to inspire and enable the world to move more every day. Led by Olympians and created in collaboration with WHO, Let’s Move will begin on Olympic Day, 23 June 2023, with an invitation to make time every day for movement for better health.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “On Olympic Day, we celebrate the Olympic Movement’s mission to make the world a better place through sport. When we do sport, it keeps our mind and body strong and healthy. When we do sport, it inspires us to always give it our best and it makes us dream, it spreads joy and it brings us together. This year, together with the WHO, we are highlighting the positive impacts sport has on both physical and mental health. We want to inspire the world to move more every day. Sport and physical activity are the low-cost, high-impact tool for healthy bodies and healthy minds and resilient communities.”

Let’s move and celebrate together! Share your joy and tag IFA, The World Games and @olympics in your stories.

For more information on global and local participation events on Olympic Day, visit olympics.com.

#olympicday #WeAreTheWorldGames #wearefistball

On World Environment Day, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), invites to the “Week of the Environment”. Amongst others, IFA President Jörn Verleger was guest in the park of Schloss Bellevue.

For the seventh time, the park of the Federal President’s official residence will be transformed into a city of tents and stages – with around 190 exhibitors as well as a stage and expert forum program on current environmental topics and with well-known and high-ranking personalities from politics, society, business and science. The main stage will host four high-profile panels on the topics of hydrogen technology, climate neutrality and energy security, biodiversity and resource conservation as well as transformation and social cohesion.

A healthy environment is essential. Over 3 billion people are affected by degraded ecosystems. Pollution causes around 9 million premature deaths every year. More than 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction.
Sustainability must become the central basis for decision-making for all of us.

From the policies we support, to the food and transportation choices we make, to the companies whose customers we are. We can all make environmentally friendly choices that will collectively bring about the necessary changes.

“To support natural climate protection, it is crucial to promote a sustainable way of life. Sustainability involves using resources responsibly, reducing waste and promoting renewable energy. Individual action can make a big difference. Everyone can make a contribution to climate protection by taking small steps such as reducing energy consumption, using public transport or recycling waste,” says IFA President Jörn Verleger.

World Environment Day was first proclaimed by the United Nations in 1972. It aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage people to take action. In Germany, Environment Day has been celebrated since 1980.

Where today Cannes is celebrating the final day of the international film festival, the “Festival de Cannes” three months ago the WADA Education Conference was run.

With its highest attendance the Global Education Conference staged at the palais de festival in Cannes three months ago, demonstrated that education is an integral pillar of anti-doping, and a central resource in the protection of clean sport.

Under the theme of ‘Cultivating Our Collective Creativity’, more than 400 participants including IFA President Jörn Verleger contributed to a common education agenda.

“The WADA Global Education Conference in Cannes has changed by view on our clean sport education agenda. We have to change our compliance mindset to a prevention mindset and should much more focus on prevention, value based education and collaboration”, said Verleger.

The fourth edition of the Global Education Conference demonstrated the values of education (not only ins sports) and the importance of continuous improvement through monitoring and evaluation of existing programs and guidelines.
Planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of effective education programs are core objectives of the WADA 2021 International Standard of Education.

„Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world“ (Nelson Mandela)

At the IWGA Annual General Meeting in Esslingen (GER) IFA Secretary General Chris Oberlehner signed the so called IWGA-IF commitment confirming the competition venue and competition days of Fistball at The World Games 2025. The Fistball event will take place from Saturday 9th of August 2025 to Wednesday 13th of August. The women´s and the men´s gold medal match will both be played on Wednesday 13th of August.

Venue: Tianfu Park
After several changes of venue, we are pleased to announce that we will be playing our matches in Tianfu Park.

“We are very glad that we could have been fixed the competition venue during the stay of Competition Manager Sönke Spille and IFA Sports Commission Chairman Gastao Englert some weeks ago in Chengdu”, said IFA Secretary General Chris Oberlehner after signing the formal commitment in Esslingen. “We are more than satisfied with the venue proposed, and we have full confidence that it will be a remarkable event at the heart of a dynamic community.”

The 12th edition of The World Games will be held in Chengdu (CHN) from 7-17 August 2025.

Despite Chengdu being Sichuan province’s capital with an estimated population of close to 20 million citizens, the distances between each venue at peak traffic time and from/to the Athletes Villages and the official hotels is a maximum of 60 minutes.

New logo of the 12th edition of The World Games revealed

In December 2023, the Chengdu 2025 LOC initiated an international contest to create the logo, mascot and slogan of The World Games 2025, calling for designers’ ideas globally. Worldwide contributions ran until the end of February 2024.

A total of 9,235 (national and international) submissions were received from national and foreign applicants, a testament of the world’s creativity to develop the visual identity of the International World Games Association (IWGA) flagship event next year. The submissions breakdown unfolds as follows: 3,562 logo ideas received, 1,924 mascot creations and 3,749 slogans.

The Chengdu 2025 mascot and slogan will be unveiled at the ‘One Year to Go’ event in August 2024.

We would like to inform that Franz P. Iten has resigned from his position as Treasurer for personal reasons. The IFA board meeting on April 7, 2024 decided that the day-to-day business would be temporarily managed by the Secretary General.

IFA President Jörn Verleger: “I would like to thank Franz for his work and his commitment to IFA. We have always greatly appreciated his work and his sports policy experience. Franz wanted to give up his position already at the IFA 2023 Congress and we were able to persuade you, dear Franz, to complete the 2023 annual financial statements to be completed. Thank you for your many years of service as IFA Treasurer and all the best for the future. I am proud and happy to have you as a friend of Fistball and as a member of the IFA Board of Directors since 2015. You deserve honor and recognition for your services to IFA.”

Terrible pictures have reached us from Brazil in the last few days. Persistent heavy rainfall in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and in the southern part of the state of Santa Catarina has led to severe flooding, landslides and bridge collapses with an increasing number of fatalities since the beginning of the week. Thousands of houses and infrastructure have been damaged; many roads are currently interrupted or impassable.

“The state, Rio Grande do Sul, home of the well-known Fistball clubs Sogipa Punhobol and Novo Hamburgo Ginástica, is facing its worst natural disaster in recent history. Please support our Fistball friends in Brazil in their unprecedented work by making a donation under https://www.vakinha.com.br/4749899”, says IFA President Jörn Verleger.

Karlsruhe, becoming the first city to organise the multi-sport event twice since its inception.

A proven host with a strong track record, Germany has hosted the 3rd edition of The World Games in 1989 in Karlsruhe and the 7th edition in 2005 in Duisburg, as well as countless other major international sporting events.

After nomination by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), the south-western German city, located at the heart of Europe near the French border, will host the IWGA flagship event in the summer of 2029, 40 years after it organised TWG 1989.

Following a bidding process and careful consideration by the IWGA Executive Committee, the delegates ratified the Executive Committee’s recommendation. The announcement was made in Esslingen (GER) at the International World Games Association (IWGA) Annual General Meeting on 1 May 2024.

IFA President Jörn Verleger: “The Fistball family has fond memories of the 1989 edition in Karlsruhe and we look forward to developing plans for Fistball in our core market of Germany.”

The next edition of The World Games will be held in the period 7-17 August 2025 in Chengdu, CHN.