IFA extends their best wishes all our Chinese friends, and everyone celebrating this Lunar New Year 2024.

May all your wishes come true, good fortune come to you, and above all may you be blessed with good health.

#fistballallovertheworld #wearefistball

Congratulation to all winners and nominees!

The year 2024 has only just begun and some sports fans are already looking ahead to 2025. The 12th World Games will take place in Chengdu (China) next summer. After 2001 (Akita/Japan) and 2009 (Kaohsiung/Chinese Taipei), this will be the third time the multi-sport event has been hosted in Asia. Fistball is also part of the competition program again – with more teams than ever before.

The World Games

The World Games have been held every four years since 1981. Non-Olympic sports from six areas are represented (artistic and dance sports, ball sports, martial arts, precision sports, powersports and trend sports). The last World Games were held in Birmingham (USA) in 2022.

Fistball at the World Games

In 1985, at the second ever World Games, a fistball competition was held for the first time at the multi-sport event in London (Great Britain). Four nations took part, with the winner Germany, Brazil (silver), Austria and Switzerland (both bronze). Four years later, in 1989, there were six men’s teams among the participants – a number that was to continue until the 2017 World Games in Poland.

Participations: With Germany, Austria, Brazil and Switzerland, four nations have taken part in all ten fistball competitions of the World Games. In addition, Argentina (6 participations), Chile (5), Italy (4), Japan, Denmark, Chinese Taipei and the USA have each participated once.

Results: The most successful World Games nation is Germany with seven titles and two bronze medals. Austria (2001, 2005) and Brazil (2009) have also won the gold medal in the past. Switzerland has not yet won the title, but has always reached the final at the last four editions and won the silver medal.

From Birmingham to Chengdu

2022 in Birmingham (USA) was the last time the world’s best fistball teams competed in the World Games. The women’s competition celebrated a premiere. For the first time ever, Germany, Austria, Switzerland (Europe), Brazil, the USA (America) and New Zealand (Oceania) had women’s fistball teams competing at the World Games. Germany became the first ever winners of the title by beating Switzerland in the final. The field of participants for 2025 was increased by two more teams – to eight nations.

The World Games 2025 delegation from Chengdu also came to Birmingham to see the fistball at the World Games for themselves. They took the opportunity to complete their own short fistball training session with Gastao Englert – and get a first-hand impression of the sport.

World Games 2025

The 12th edition of the World Games will take place in Chengdu, China, from August 7 to 17, 2025. Over 5,000 athletes will travel to the city of 21 million people in the southwest of the country to compete in a total of 35 sports. The opening and closing ceremonies are planned to be held at the Dong’an Lake Sports Park Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000 spectators. Chen Yanfu, Deputy Secretary of the Chengdu Municipal Committee, is convinced that the event will be a major highlight: “We will make the World Games in Chengdu a wonderful example of the development of new sports and the promotion of a modern sports culture.”

The fistball competitions

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams will be competing at the 2025 World Games in China – more than ever before. “This is a great signal for the development of the sport of fistball,” says Christoph Oberlehner, Secretary General of the International Fistball Association. Together with the International World Games Association (IWGA) and the local organizing committee, preparations for the fistball competitions have begun. The Chengdu University Stadium has been chosen as the venue. The stadium can accommodate 4,000 spectators. “The first teams have already qualified, and the other nations will follow in the coming months,” says Sönke Spille, IFA Competition Manager for the World Games: “We are working closely together there and will also clarify all the details on site in advance to guarantee optimal conditions for all athletes.”

To promote the sport of fistball in a young association as quickly as possible: That should be the goal of many new fistball associations around the world. It is often not easy to compete against established sports in the country. A great deal of voluntary commitment, dedication and perseverance are required. This is also the case for the Fistball Association of Hong Kong China Ltd. The association was founded almost exactly five years ago. Chairman Cheng Tsz-man reports on the latest projects in 2023 – and looks ahead to 2024.

Hello everyone, I am Ewing from Hong Kong, China, as the chairperson of the Hong Kong Faustball Association. Our association was established on January 18, 2019. We are very thankful to Roger, Mario, and Tommy for their significant efforts in supporting our association in various ways.

Looking ahead to 2023, our primary goal is to promote this healthy sport to the public. We have been actively introducing Faustball to primary schools, secondary schools, and universities.

Primary School Championship 2023

This championship marks the first school competition of its kind in Hong Kong, China. We are delighted to welcome eleven teams from six primary schools joining the Faustball Primary School Championship (2023). We believe this event is not just about competition, but also about fostering strong friendships and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

We extend our gratitude to the students of Hong Kong Shue Yan University for their interest in Faustball. We organized a Faustball demonstration day and a simple competition. Additionally, the Shue Yan University Faustball Championship is scheduled for April 2024.

Society Promotion

At the end of 2023, the Faustball Association organized a Multi-sports Championship. The youth team played a significant role in the planning and execution of the event, which was a great success.

Plans for 2024

I highly appreciate the involvement of the youth in the committee team, as they understand the needs of the youth and bring creative ideas to the table. Establish a new Hong Kong Faustball representative team.

Encourage youth members to design games that are beneficial for Faustball training or related activities. If you follow our Facebook page, you will notice two new events under  Faustball Hong Kong, It called Muscle ball and LuLu ball, both are outdoor games. It’s fantastic that you’re considering integrating these games as part of Faustball training. Such an integration could offer a fresh dimension to Faustball training and further enrich the overall experience for the players. Expanding the scope of Faustball to include these games could attract more participants and enthusiasts, ultimately contributing to the growth and popularity of Faustball sport.

We are looking back on another year with great Fistball sport, plenty of activities and great initiatives from the Fistball family.

10 nominations from 9 countries are on the short list for the IFA 2023 ACTIVITY AWARD:

– Fistball Federation of Australia: 2023 was a major milestone year for the Fistball Federation of Australia – celebrating 10 years of Australian Fistball, in July Australia competed in their 3rd IFA Men’s Fistball World Championship and in December, the first Australian National Championships were held. And its only 10 years since the start.
– FBC ASKÖ Linz-Urfahr: A very interesting exhibition was designed about the clubs successes and acting players 1971 – 2023 presented at the Austrian Final 3 in February 2023.
– CLUBE DUQUE DE CAXIAS: 2nd World Tour Final host in row
– Fistball Denmark: short-term host for European U19 champs and European Youth Cup 2023
– Faustball Deutschland: initiative “Fistball can do more” and renaming Faustball Deutschland
– Fabian Mondl: mini documentary “The pitch for the SAP Arena”. Turf master Thomas Büchner explains how the turf gets into the arena. “A task that we don’t have every day”.
– Dominik Mondl, the Institute for Sport and Sports Science (ISSW) Heidelberg and the World Championship 2023 Organizing Committee of Faustball² e.V.: Schools Day Fistball at MWC 2023 with almost 2.000 people
– Fistball Association of Hong Kong China: Eleven teams from six primary schools participated in the inaugural Faustball Primary School Championship 2023, a championship not just about competition but also about building strong friendship and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
– Fistball Federation of India: 10th sub-junior inter district Fistball championship.
– The Kempf Family from Timaru New Zealand: The sport of Fistball in New Zealand has been firmly associated with the name Kempf for a number of years. As players, Jesse and Samuel Kempf are pillars of the national team, their father René Kempf is coach of the men’s NZ team and the driving force behind the “South Canterbury Social Fistball League” together with Samuel. And last but not least, Bronwyn, wife and mother, who acts as a good spirit in the background and is responsible for press relations. A true example for “Fistball that’s Family”.

Who do you think should win the award?

See IFA AWARD ceremony on World Fistball Day 30th of January at 8.00 p.m. (European Time) on www.youtube.com/@IFAFistballChannel

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: fistball has been played in Australia for 11 years. What began with a crazy idea from a fistball pioneer has grown steadily over the past few years – and continues to grow. Chris Milne reports on 2023, the year in which Fistball Australia celebrated its tenth birthday, and looks ahead to 2024, which has a highlight in February.

2023 was a major milestone year for the Fistball Federation of Australia. In February 2023, we celebrated the 10 years of Australian fistball (2013 – 2023), a huge achievement given the major challenges faced by a new small sporting association.

History of Fistball Australia

Despite the long and storied history of fistball around the world, prior to 2013 there had been no recorded history of it ever being organised in Australia.

This all changed early in 2013, when good mates Rolf “Godfister” Petersen and Richard “Buckfist” Williams – after some detailed and enthusiastic research into the sport – reached out to the IFA for help in setting up the sport in Australia… and in February 2013, the Fistball Federation of Australia (FiFA) was officially born.

The first officially documented game of fistball occurred on the 7th of February, 2013, when an enthusiastic group of men and women gathered at a park in Tullamarine, Victoria to form two teams and punch a volleyball over a rope in the hope that it resembled “fistball”.

Shortly after word of this successful fistball outing reached keen ears, official fistball teams were formed and the first ever Australian fistball tournament – aptly named Fistivus – was held at Royal Park in Parkville, Victoria on March 17, 2013. With four teams competing, the Fistroy Lions topped the Westside Mortal Wombats in final to become the inaugural Fistivus champions.

In January 2014, the IFA sent out an official IFA trainer & representative to both further educate our keen fistballers on the skills required to compete at an international level and to officially induct FiFA in the IFA, becoming the sixth continent officially recognised as playing fistball!

As a national team, Australia competed in their first ever international tournament in April 2013 – the 1st Asian Fistball Championships in Lahore, Pakistan, and sent their first ever men’s team to the Fistball World Championships in November 2015, in Cordoba, Argentina. The first women’s national team competed for the first time in the 2016 Women’s Fistball World Championships in Curitiba, Brazil.

Since those humble beginnings, the Fistball Federation of Australia has only continued to growth from strength to strength, spreading slowly across the nation while still consistently competing at an international level.

Great Moments in 2023

We paid tribute to the milestone by counting down our Top 10 moments in Australian fistball history on social media. Ultimately the #1 moment was judged to be the arrival of the first Australian national fistball team in Lahore airport in 2014, a surreal yet iconic moment in Australian fistball history.

In July 2023, we competed in our 3rd IFA Men’s Fistball World Championship, showing great promise with some strong wins and many highlight plays, before ultimately finishing 14th. With an average age of 28 (including 5 players under the age of 25), this was an exciting development for the future of Australian fistball.

In December 2023, we hosted the first Australian National Championships, featuring competitive teams from 4 states – Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. With this tournament set to become an annual fixture with rotating hosts, we hope that fistball will continue to strengthen outside of Victoria and grow into a truly national sport.

Over the February 17th-18th weekend this year, we will be sending an Australian men’s national team to Christchurch to compete in the Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships against New Zealand.

We will be sending a team consisting of an unprecedented three Australian state sides represented in the final squad – 4 from Victoria, 3 from New South Wales and 3 from Western Australia. Of the 10 players selected, 4 will be making their Australian national team debut on the international fistball stage after impressing at the National Championships., while the remaining 6 players will be returning from the 2023 World Championships team.

While Australia has played New Zealand many times since their first meeting in 2017, this will be only the third time the Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships has been held in its original format, and the first time since 2018.

The two teams will compete for the trophy by playing a series of 3 matches in a best-of-7 set format, with the matches taking place over 2 days. The winner not only gets to hold the perpetual trophy, but then also gets to eat the pavlova (a dessert with disputed origins between Australia and New Zealand!) off the engraved Pavlova Plate (see image).

The Australian men’s national team won the first two tournament series against New Zealand, winning 2-1 and 4-1 in 2017 and 2018 respectively, however the New Zealand men’s team has not lost to Australia since the last Trans-Tasman instalment (they are since 6-0 against Australia, with their most recent win at the 2023 Men’s Fistball World Championships) and will go into the 2024 series as the hot favourites.

International Fistball Association (IFA) has the honour to invite all IFA members, Fistball clubs or individuals to submit nominations for the IFA 2023 AWARDS.

The awards will be presented in the following three categories:
• IFA BEST FISTBALL PICTURE OF THE YEAR (public voting)
• IFA ACTIVITY AWARD
• IFA LIFETIME AWARD

The proposals should be sent by www.tinyurl.com/IFAawards2023 latest until 18th of January 2024.

The Awards Ceremony will be held virtually on the World Fistball Day Tuesday 30th January 2024.

Welcoming the best teams in the world – whether it’s the best club teams at the annual World Tour Finals, male and female talent at the 2026 U18 World Championship or the stars of the fistball scene at the 2027 Men’s World Championship: the International Fistball Association (IFA) is currently giving interested organizers the opportunity to apply to host international events in the years 2025 to 2027.

Sönke Spille, who as IFA Head of Events has been responsible for the organization of IFA events since the summer, is in charge of this. In this interview, he talks about the bidding events, criteria and the application process.

After the Men’s World Championships in Mannheim and the World Tour Final in Curitiba, the focus for events is already looking further into the future. At the beginning of December, the IFA announced the bidding process for the events from 2025 to 2027. What is the current status?

The first interested candidates have come forward, with whom we held a kick-off meeting and answered questions in specific. I think we have a very diverse range of events in the advertised period: Whether it’s offering the best young international talent a great stage or the World Tour Finals, which have thrilled me in recent years with their great atmosphere among the participating teams. Then there is the Men’s World Championships, which will certainly be another highlight event for our sport. I am convinced that these will all be great events. We have further developed the bidding process and created the greatest possible transparency.

What is different than in the past?

We have put together a brochure with all the important information for each event. These are available on a dedicated website, which is also used to submit the expression of interest. Our aim is to give as good an impression as possible of the individual events on the website and in the brochure and at the same time provide all the important facts that are important for an organizer.

Who can apply to be an organizer and where is this possible?

Clubs, associations and cooperations such as a city with a local club can submit their intentions to host an IFA event. There is a form for this purpose, which only serves to make initial contact. By registering here, you do not enter into any obligations. The expression of interest is possible until 15 January. I will then contact the interested applicant directly.

What requirements do applicants have to meet?

I believe it is important that the potential organizers come with an initial vision of how they can imagine the event. It is primarily about exchanging initial ideas and plans. The IFA clearly sees itself as a contact and supporter on the way to the official application and then later during the implementation.

How does the awarding process work?

All interested applicants will be asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. Among other things, this covers the infrastructure requirements, which volunteer concept is being considered and what the plans are in terms of media impact. We also want to take a closer look at the plans for teams and spectators as well as ideas for sustainability. We are available to all interested applicants with help and advice.

The information must be submitted by 20 March 2024, after which a jury will evaluate the concepts and the event will be awarded by the IFA Executive Board. Ideally, this process could be completed for all events as early as spring. We see this as a transparent process with equal conditions for all applicants. And: We want to offer better planning security for everyone by awarding contracts as early as possible!

Events International Fistball Association