A new format was a complete success: the referee commission of the International Fistball Association held its second International Referee Congress. All international referees in the sport of fistball were invited. The main topics were the evaluation of the events in 2023, experience reports, votes on the interpretation of the rules and the exchange of ideas. 

“We see the congress as the most important management and educational measure for the best fistball referees worldwide,” said Gastão Englert, Chairman of the IFA Referees Commission, who presented the strategic plan at the congress. “We see this as an interaction between referees, rules, competitions, training and the regulations.” With this in mind, objectives and indicators were defined to ensure that these were achieved. For 2023, these included the established congress, which takes place every six months and is expected to attract over 90% of referees in future. Changes to the rules and regulations are also to be discussed by the end of October each year and then published at the turn of the year. Improvements in the nomination of referees and the infrastructure provided are also part of this strategy.

In the evaluation of 2023, Englert also discussed the use of two referees at the Men’s World Championship in Mannheim and the World Tour Final in Curitiba, as well as the rule adjustments tested at the World Tour Final. In addition, a new game report was used for the first time in Curitiba. Englert: “In Curitiba we tested the “captain on the court” all the time. The result was excellent, cause it was easier to identify independently of the place/position the captain was and make it clear the team representative by the refereeing all the time.”

The two German referees Nicole Heldmaier and Markus Löwe presented the participating referees with experience reports from matches in their careers at national and international events.

“We see the many positive aspects of the exchange at the congress,” said Gastão Englert. Two referee congresses are planned for 2024. “We also see participation as an obligation to meet the requirements as an international referee. The further development of referees is one of the most important topics for us.”

The International Fistball Association currently has 65 referees from 9 countries. The Referee Commission is chaired by Gastão Englert (Brazil) and includes Marcel Meier (Switzerland) and Eric Kindler (USA).

The annual International Federations Forum (IF Forum) took place at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne at the beginning of this week.

The event kicked off with the AIMS General Assembly at the Olympic House.

Stephan Fox, the President of AIMS, opened the General Assembly by emphasizing the continuous collaboration between AIMS and the IOC since 2016. This partnership has been pivotal in advancing sports not yet acknowledged by the IOC. Mr. Fox expressed gratitude to the IOC for their unwavering support.

Mr. Kit McConnell, the IOC Sport Director, conveyed a welcoming message on behalf of the IOC, underlining the close cooperation between the two entities. McConnell highlighted that in 2021, six AIMS members gained full recognition from the IOC, and three former AIMS members were incorporated into the 2026 Winter and 2028 Summer Olympic programs.

Mr. Ivo Ferriani, the President of SportAccord, extended congratulations to AIMS for their remarkable contributions to grassroots development and fostering a family spirit. He commended the seamless cooperation between AIMS and the IOC.

The agenda covered various crucial topics, including discussions on the dissolution of GAISF and the reinforced position of AIMS within the Olympic family.

A special highlight for the AIMS family was an exclusive tour of the Olympic House, providing a unique and enriching experience for all participants.

At the 28th TAFISA World Congress, almost 400 delegates from 70 countries discussed the developments and challenges of the global “Sport for All” movement in a practice-oriented manner. IFA was represented this year by IFA President Jörn Verleger, Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner, Erasmus Project Manager Hanna Einsiedler and Head of Events Sönke Spille.

The motto of this year’s congress was “Sport for All: More together than ever”. Around 60 international speakers, including IFA Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner, discussed topics such as Inclusion, Active Spaces, Well-Being Knowledge & Expertise and Sport Policy in a varied, interactive program. The cross-cutting themes of Peace, Youth, Major Sports Policy and Climate Change will also be highlighted.
In addition, sessions for the EU-funded Erasmus+ project “INTERACT+”, in which the IFA is involved, also took place during the congress days. During the congress, the next steps in the project were prepared and the upcoming capacity-building workshops (December 7/8, organized by the IFA in Linz) were planned and prepared.

As a result of the congress, the participants from 70 countries issued a declaration calling for more resources to implement the human right “Sport for All”

After four congress days, the 28th TAFISA World Congress came to a close. During this time, a total of three plenary sessions, 10 parallel sessions, three “Sport for All” excursions and four evening events took place.
The congress participants adopted a joint congress declaration (original below) in which they call on global politicians to take more intensive action and provide more resources for the implementation of the human right “Sport for All”. Specifically, the so-called “Call to Action” calls for orchestrated action by governments, the private sector, media, NGOs and global and regional institutions. The aim should be to make “Sport for All a mandate and not an option”.
TAFISA President Wolfgang Baumann: “During the Congress we had the opportunity to witness the positive impact of the Sport for All movement. The success stories and statistics that were shared clearly show the lasting differences our collective efforts can make in society. Participants came together from different cultures from all corners of the world. As a result, the congress also sent a strong signal for peace and mutual understanding between people. Together we can be the driving force for positive change and create a better world for all through Sport for All. More together than ever!”

After Munich 2003, this was the second time that the TAFISA World Congress was held in Germany. The congress is of great importance for the global development of grassroots sport, as international players enter into a multilateral exchange, including with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations. At the heart of the work of TAFISA and its partners is the human right “Sport for All”, which goes back to the original Olympic movement around Pierre de Coubertin.

Exact wording of the congress declaration (“Call-to-Action”) of the 28th TAFISA World Congress:

Covid, Climate, Conflicts – the current crises that the world is facing are pushing people, societies, and countries apart.
We, the TAFISA World Congress participants, believe in the power of Sport for All as one of the very few unifying languages in the world.

The TAFISA World Congress provides a safe, welcoming, and inclusive platform where we talk, listen to and respect each other, and where we are able to exchange openly and work together.

This is a call for concerted action towards governments at all levels, the private sector, media, NGOs, global and regional institutions, across all sectors, to combine our complementary strengths and resources through the following actions:
• Implement Sport for All as a cross-cutting theme in all policy fields,
• Openly share and exchange knowledge and stories with the general public to increase impact,
• Recognise and support personal involvement through volunteerism and individual commitment to Sport for All,
• Invest people and resources in Sport for All as a means to contribute to the SDGs, and
• Make Sport for All a mandate and not an option.

Now is the time to act. More together than ever.
http://tafisa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2023/TAFISA%20World%20Congress%202023_Call%20to%20Action.pdf

IFA is glad to invite you to a Capacity Building Workshop together with the European Flying Disc Association on 7 and 8 December 2023 in Linz. This Workshop is part of the INTERACT+ project under the leadership of TAFISA and is co-founded by the European Union.
Please find here the invitation to this Capacity Building Workshop about Sport for All activities and how to start and promote them with further information.

Dates: 7. December (9:00-18:00) & 8. December (9:00-12:00)
Place: Olympic Center Upper Austria, Auf der Gugl 30, 4020 Linz
Arrival: Possible on 6 December
Accommodation: Single rooms/double rooms, Olympic Center Linz, Auf der Gugl 30, 4020 Linz; www.sportland-ooe.at;
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/LCeqVYRd5V
Costs: Member Federations only have to bear their travel costs, accommodation & full board (prices see attached letter or registration form).

What is it about?
The workshop is designed to focus on particpants‘ needs. So especially during the group work it is your time to take your own situation as it is as an example for a development, happening right now.
We got two group work sessions. In one or even both of them you should be able to work strategically on your own needs – or – maybe even better – learn from other associations‘ solutions they already found or are about to realise.

Target Groups:
The INTERACT Capacity-Building Framework has been tailored to answer the needs and expectations of leaders, decision-makers, staff and leading volunteers of International Sport Organisations and their continental, national and local affiliates and federations. Everybody who wants implement Sport for all activities in federations and clubs.

Language:
The workshop will be held in English

Registration:
We are looking forward to welcoming you in Linz! Please register your participation latest by 15. November online: https://forms.office.com/e/LCeqVYRd5V
There are only limited spaces, registrations are done following the “first come first serve” principle.

TV Jahn Schneverdingen (Germany) and SG Novo Hamburgo (Brazil) won the title at the Women’s and Men’s World Tour Finals. The world’s best club teams competed in Curitiba, Brazil, from October 19 to 22.

TV Jahn Schneverdingen and SG Novo Hamburgo are the winners of the World Tour Finals 2023. In Curitiba (Brazil), the women from Schneverdingen won the final against host Duque de Caxias with 4:1. SG Novo Hamburgo defeated defending champion TSV Pfungstadt in a rematch of last year’s men’s final. Austrian teams Union Nussbach (women) and Union Tigers Vöcklabruck (men) completed the podium. Eight teams took part in each of the two competitions at the Club World Cup.

SG Novo Hamburgo defeats defending champion Pfungstadt

Not many had expected this clear final. Even though TSV Pfungstadt, winner of the past two hosts in 2019 and 2022, won the first set – SG Novo Hamburgo played stronger and stronger afterwards. With a secure defense, they forced Pfungstadt to make mistakes again and again and thus celebrated three clear set wins to take the lead. In set five, the German team managed to win one more set, but shortly after Novo Hamburgo celebrated with 4:2 (6:11, 11:3, 11:6, 11:2, 10:12, 11:8) its first World Tour victory since the 2018 premiere in Vaihingen/Enz (Germany).

Bronze went to Union Tigers Vöcklabruck. As in the previous year, the Austrians managed to recover from their semi-final defeat the day before. Against host Duque de Caxias, the team showed a concentrated performance and thus celebrated a clear 3:0 (11:5, 11:6, 11:8) victory.

Fifth place went to DSG UKJ Froschberg. In the Austrian duel with UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting, the team played an exciting match in its second participation in the World Tour Finals and was already clearly in the lead in the deciding set. Grieskirchen fought back again – but in the end Froschberg made the victory perfect (9:11, 11:3, 11:5, 9:11, 11:5) and confirmed the fifth place from the previous year. Seventh place went to Clube Mercês. In the Brazilian duel, the team from Curitiba beat SOGIPA Cargo Way 3:0 (11:5, 11:9, 11:7) and thus repeated its success from the preliminary round one day earlier.

TV Jahn Schneverdingen celebrates first victory at World Tour Finals

The new winner of the Women’s World Tour Finals is TV Jahn Schneverdingen. The team from Germany secured the title in an exciting final match against host Duque de Caxias (Brazil) with 4:1 (11:7, 11:9, 9:11, 13:11, 11:6). In front of an atmospheric crowd, both teams played a duel on equal terms with strong rallies. In the end Schneverdingen celebrated the triumph as the best club team in the world – for the first time since 2002. Meanwhile, Duque continued its successful series at the World Tour Finals: The team from Curitiba also won a medal at the fourth event.

Union Nussbach had previously celebrated the bronze medal. In the match for third place, the Austrians won in an exciting duel against TSV Dennach with 3:2 (9:11, 11:8, 6:11, 11:5, 11:5). After finishing fourth last year, the team will thus make the return trip to Europe with a medal. TSV Dennach remains with place four, as in the previous year, without a medal.

Behind them placed last year’s winners SOGIPA Cargo Way. After finishing third in the preliminary round, the Brazilians won their match against ASKÖ Seekirchen (Austria). With the reunion Sabine Süffert, who started her career in Porto Alegre and now plays in Austria, SOGIPA won smoothly in three sets (11:6, 11:3, 11:9). The match for the seventh place, on the other hand, offered suspense. The two Brazilian teams Clube Mercês and SG Novo Hamburgo went the full distance. Mercês prevailed in the deciding set – a small success at the first participation ever (12:10, 8:11, 12:10, 8:11, 14:12).

World Tour Finals 2024 will take place in Europe

For the second year in a row, the World Tour Finals took place in Curitiba, Brazil. In cooperation with the three other participating teams from Brazil, Clube de Caxias organized an impressive event. ” What a thrilling fourth edition of the World Tour Final in Curitiba,” said Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association, ” What started in 2019 with a short preparation time, had to sit out during the pandemic and celebrated a convincing comeback in Brazil last year, has turned into a great event. My special thanks to the hosts for this excellent work.”

After being held twice in Brazil, the World Tour Finals will return to Europe in 2024. The event is planned for July 18-22. The venue will be announced shortly.

Brazil versus Germany: These are the final pairings at the IFA World Tour Finals 2023 in Curitiba. With TV Jahn Schneverdingen and Duque de Caxias Curitiba in the women’s final and TSV Pfungstadt and SG Novo Hamburgo in the men’s final, one European and one South American team each made it to the final.

Men

It is a real dominance with which TSV Pfungstadt marches through the World Tour Finals in Curitiba. Without losing a set, the defending champions had already completed the preliminary round and also in the semifinals opponent Union Tigers Vöcklabruck had no chance to knock down the team from Germany. With 3:0 (11:7, 11:4, 11:8) Pfungstadt won again without losing a set and thus goes into the final as the favorite. Their opponents will be SG Novo Hamburgo, as in the previous year. The team won the Brazilian semifinal against Duque de Caxias also with 3:0 (11:4, 11:6, 15:14). Duque had lost to Pfungstadt in the final group match in the morning – but benefited from the parallel defeat of Sogipa Porto Alegre against Clube Mercês. The final will start at 4:45 p.m. local time on Sunday. Already at 1.30 p.m. Union Tigers Vöcklabruck and Duque de Caxias will play for the bronze medal.

In the Duque de Caxias Cup, held for the third and fourth placed teams of the preliminary groups, the two Austrian teams DSG UKJ Froschberg and UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting reached the final – equivalent to the match for fifth place. Froschberg beat SOGIPA Porto Alegre in three sets (11:8, 11:9, 11:5) in the match. Grieskirchen turned a 0:2 deficit into a 3:2 victory against Clube Mercês. The match will start at 9 a.m., as will the match between SOGIPA and Mercês in the seventh-place match.

Results Men

Women

They were very close to “preliminary round elimination” – but now Duque de Caxias is in the final of the women’s competition. After the strong victory on Friday against TV Jahn Schneverdingen, the Brazilians followed it up with another win against Union Nussbach (Austria). Cheered on by the home fans, Duque won the match 3:1 (11:4, 3:11, 11:6, 11:8) in the end after an intermediate 1:1 and celebrated their entry into the final. After gold (2018), bronze (2019) and silver (2022), it is already certain that the team will win another medal. Opponent in the final will be Schneverdingen again. TV Jahn prevailed in a thrilling semifinal against German rival TSV Dennach (11:9, 8:11, 13:11, 11:7). This means that the two teams will meet again at 3 p.m. in Curitiba. The bronze medal match between Nussbach and Dennach is scheduled for 12:00.

Before that, the four other teams in the competition are scheduled to play. ASKÖ Seekirchen (Austria) qualified for the fifth-place match with a 3:1 (11:9, 6:11, 11:9, 11:5) victory over SG Novo Hamburgo. Here the Austrians will meet last year’s winner, Sogipa Cargo Way, who after finishing third in the preliminary round now won against Clube Mercês (14:12, 11:5, 11:8). The matches for fifth and seventh place will kick off at 10:30 a.m. each.

Results Women

The first two days of the IFA World Tour Finals 2023 in Curitiba (Brazil) were very exciting. In the two preliminary round groups of the women the decisions about the next round were made only in the last second. In the men’s competition, the matches on Saturday also promise a lot of excitement.

Women

In the Claus J. Süffert group, TSV Dennach turned up the heat in the last two games. After a 2-3 opening defeat to SOGIPA, the European champions beat SG Novo Hamburgo (3-0) on Thursday night and also beat Union Nussbach (3-1) in the final group match. The Austrians were the second team to make it to the semifinals. Key to this were Thursday’s wins over Novo Hamburgo (3-0) and SOGIPA (3-0). Last year’s winners, SOGIPA, will not be able to defend their title. After the two defeats in the opener, the 3:1 against Novo Hamburgo was not enough to still qualify for the semifinals.

It was even more exciting in the Lothar G. Jaehnert group. Last year’s finalist Duque de Caxias managed to qualify for the semifinals at the last second. After the opening defeat against ASKÖ Seekirchen (1:3) the Brazilians celebrated a victory against Clube Mercês (3:0) and won with a strong performance also against TV Jahn Schneverdingen (3:0) and thus secured first place in the group. After winning against Mercês (3:0) and Seekirchen (3:0), Schneverdingen gave away the group victory with this defeat and became second. Seekirchen finished the group stage – despite winning the last match against Mercês – on third place.

Results Women

So there will be a German-German semi-final between TSV Dennach and TV Jahn Schneverdingen on Saturday. The second semi-final will be played by Duque de Caxias and Union Nussbach. The third and fourth placed teams will play their semi-final matches in the Duque de Caxias Cup.

Men

Decisions in the men’s preliminary groups will not be made until Saturday morning. Defending champion TSV Pfungstadt (Germany) won both matches against SOGIPA and Clube Mercês 3:0 each in the Jorge “Baica” Schör group and is in first place. The team will face Duque de Caxias on Saturday for the final match. The host won the opener against Mercês (3:1), but lost on Friday in the Brazilian duel against SOGIPA (2:3), who thus celebrated their first victory and still have the chance to pass Duque with a win in the last match against Mercês (1 point).

The situation is similarly exciting ahead of the last two games in the Victor Hugo Körbes group. The current leader with six points is SG Novo Hamburgo, who won against DSG UKJ Froschberg (3:1) and Union Tigers Vöcklabruck (3:0). Froschberg is in second place thanks to the set win, as they won their match against UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting the same way (3:2) as Vöcklabruck (3:0). They will now meet in a direct battle on Saturday and will decide the second semi-finalist of the group among themselves.

Results Men

Within the framework of the World Tour Finals, the International Fistball Association is testing a new scoring system in the preliminary round groups. Whereas in previous matches the winner received two points, now every set won will be counted as a point. The aim is to increase the importance of each individual set.

The Men’s and Women’s World Tour Finals will be held in Brazil for the second time in a row. From October 19 to 22, the best club teams in the world will meet in Curitiba.

It was a sporting spectacle that the men’s and women’s fistballers celebrated in Curitiba, Brazil, last autumn after the Corona pandemic. After two cancelled events, the best club teams in the world met again – and delivered top sports performances. In 2023, the top eight men’s and women’s clubs will return to Curitiba from October 19-22 for the fourth World Tour Finals in history.

The two defending champions Sogipa/Cargo Way (women) and TSV Pfungstadt (men) will also be taking part in the four days of competition. They will first have to compete in one of the two preliminary groups, from which only the two best teams will remain in the title race and make it to the semifinals. The World Tour Finals will be the last event of the International Fistball Association’s in 2023.

The women of Sogipa from Porto Alegre, just Brazilian champions, not only won the title at the 2022 World Tour Finals, but also claimed first place in last year’s World Tour. Not surprisingly, they are among the top favorites for the title this year as well. In the preliminary round, the team will face SG Novo Hamburgo (Brazil/5th World Tour), TSV Dennach (Germany/2nd World Tour) and Union Nussbach (Austria/7th World Tour). All four teams have also qualified for the three previous World Tour Finals. Group B is different: Here last year’s finalist Clube Duque de Caxias (Brazil/6th World Tour) would like to win a medal as they did in the previous three events. Opponents are TV Jahn Schneverdingen (winner Champions Cup Europe 2022), bronze medal winner 2022, as well as the two newcomers Askö Seekirchen (Austria/3rd World Tour) and Clube Mercês (Brazil/9th World Tour).

In the men’s competition, TSV Pfungstadt from Germany is not only the winner of the last two events, but also one of the favorites in 2023. In the preliminary round, the team will face a Brazilian trio of Clube Mercês (6th World Tour), Sogipa Porto Alegre (2nd World Tour) and Duque de Caxias (5th World Tour). Last year’s finalist SG Novo Hamburgo completes the four Brazilian teams. In its preliminary group, the team will face the three Austrian representatives Union Tigers Vöcklabruck (Champions Cup Europe winner), DSG UKJ Froschberg (3rd World Tour) and UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting (4th World Tour).

For the men’s and women’s competition, the preliminary round matches are scheduled first on Thursday and Friday, October 19 and 20. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will compete in the Duque de Caxias Cup on the other two days of competition, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the semifinals. The finals are set for Sunday, Oct. 21.

“We will see the best fistballers in Curitiba over the four days,” says Gastão Englert, Chairman of the Sports Commission of the International Fistball Association: “This promises top sporting performance in all matches.” A new feature is that all participating teams will play five matches in the course of the tournament. All 40 matches of the 2023 World Tour Finals will be broadcast live on www.fistball.TV.

The World Tour Finals will open with a Welcome Dinner on the venue of the organizing club, Clube Duque de Caxias. “The organizers proved last year that we can experience fistball events at the highest level here,” Christoph Oberlehner, IFA Secretary General, looks forward to the event: “Duque de Caxias will do everything to create optimal conditions for the fistballers, the staff members and the fans. Everyone involved can look forward to great days in Curitiba.”

All information: finals.fistball-worldtour.com

During the last IFA Board meeting on 1st of October, the body adopted new regulations for the World Tour Finals from 2024 and also the final qualification guidelines for the World Games 2025 in Chengdu.

World Tour Finals:
In the last Board meeting, the IFA Board of Directors dealt with an update of the World Tour Final Regulations. The IFA Board of Directors tasked a working group to address the issue of player eligibility at the World Tour Finals. The purpose of the change is to ensure the fair play of the competition and a longer commitment of players and clubs but not only one tournament. In the future, players must be eligible to play for their new club 5 months (previously one month) before the event.
The IFA Board of Directors unanimously approved the working group’s proposal. In addition, clubs that do not participate in the World Tour Finals despite qualifying will not be banned for the following year. The new regulations already apply to the 2024 World Tour Finals.

Download World Tour Final Regulations

World Games Qualification Guidelines:
The World Games 2025 will be held in Chengdu (CHN). Fistball participates at the World Games with a men’s and women’s competition with eight teams each. The qualification criteria for Fistball have now been slightly adapted in consultation with the International World Games Association compared to the last Games in 2022.
As in Birmingham, teams from at least 3 continents must participate in the competitions in accordance with IWGA regulations. The basis for the qualification guidelines therefore remains the Regional Championships, the winner of which is qualified for the World Games 2025. This is also to underline and increase the value of the Regional Championships. In addition, the IFA Board of Directors may invite the host country to participate in all categories. Remaining starting places will be awarded analogous to the last World Championship result, as has been the case in the past. What is new is that qualified national federations must register for the event within two months after notification of their qualification and pay a deposit.
We wish all teams a successful qualification for the World Games 2025!

Download World Games Selection and Qualification Criteria