The IFA Board of Directors meeting confirmed the IFA meetings 2024 and approved an updated IFA Honorary Order.

10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.

An IFA Policy on Human Rights will be discussed in today IFA Board of Directors meeting.

The topic of “sport and human rights” has moved to the center of social attention. Values such as respect, transparency and independence as well as the three areas of sustainability are practiced by the fistball family and are firmly anchored in the rules and regulations, such as the IFA statutes. The children’s and human rights from the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UN Guiding Principles) provide a framework for the values of sport.

In doing so, we are following the example of international sport, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which adopted its strategic framework for human rights in 2022. In addition, as civil society organizations, we are committed to the implementation of human and children’s rights within the opportunities that sport offers.

With the help of this policy, we would also like to highlight and raise awareness of the opportunities that sport offers in terms of respecting human rights.

Thank you for your support and your friendship in 2023!
IFA is looking forward to all Fistball activities all around the world with many highlights, especially the U18 World Championships in Chile and the Women’s World Championship in Argentina!

Our office will close on Friday 22 December 2023 at 1pm and will reopen on Monday 8 January 2024 at 9am.

On behalf of the IFA Board of Directors we’re sending best regards and we wish you Merry Christmas and a good start into a healthy, active and happy new year 2024.

The International Fistball Association has launched the bidding process for upcoming international fistball events. Interested candidates can register now.

Offering the best men’s teams in the world a big stage, promoting young talent with the U18 World Championships at their first major international event or welcoming the best club teams in the world to the World Tour Finals – the Club World Cup: The International Fistball Association (IFA) has launched the bidding process for the organization of five events. Interested clubs, associations and cooperations can now submit their interest in organizing the Men’s World Championship, the U18 World Championships 2026 and the World Tour Finals 2025 to 2027.

Transparent bidding process

“We want to enable a fair and transparent awarding of major fistball events,” explains IFA Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner. This is one of the reasons why the association has set up a six-stage bidding process. During the bidding process, all applicants must answer a questionnaire with various key topics. A jury then decides on the award based on a points system. “We want to take the time to get in touch with all potential organizers during this process and talk to them about ideas and plans,” says Oberlehner. The first step is only the basic interest in hosting an event.

After two events took place this year with the Men’s Fistball World Championships in Mannheim (Germany) and the Men’s and Women’s World Tour Finals in Curitiba (Brazil) in October, three IFA events are firmly planned for 2024 – and have now also been scheduled. These include the U18 World Championships in Chile (October 31 to November 2) and the Women’s World Championships in Argentina (November 7 to 10). “Our aim is to fix the events at an early stage and thus give everyone planning security,” says Sönke Spille, who has been Head of Events at IFA since September: “We want to act as a point of contact for interested organizers, eliminate uncertainties and support them on the way to bidding for and hosting the event.”

=> https://www.ifa-fistball.com/events

Six-stage application process with timetable

The following events have been announced for the period from 2025 to 2027

• IFA Fistball World Tour Finals 2025
• IFA Fistball World Championships U18 Men & U18 Women 2026
• IFA Fistball World Tour Finals 2026
• IFA Fistball Men’s World Championship 2027
• IFA Fistball World Tour Finals 2027

The bidding process for the five international Fistball events is divided into a total of six stages:

1. expression of interest in bidding for one of the events (by 15 January 2024)
2. contact by IFA with all interested parties to discuss the event concept (as soon as interest is submitted)
3. presentation of the event concept in a questionnaire (by 20 March 2024)
4. evaluation of the application documents by the IFA jury (25 to 31 March 2024)
5. awarding of the event by the IFA Presidium (6 April 2024)
6. signing of the event contract (2 weeks after board meeting)

If you have any questions, please contact Sönke Spille, IFA Head of Events, by e-mail (marketing@ifa-fistball.com) at any time.

Club Gimnasia Guatambú in Montecarlo, Argentina (Misiones province), will host the tenth Women’s Fistball World Championship. The world title matches will take place from 7 to 10 November 2024.

It is October 7, 1994 when a new era in international fistball begins in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For the first time in history, a match was played at a Women’s World Championship. Eight nations, four from Europe and four from South America, took part in the three-day world championships. 30 years later, the circle is now complete. From November 7 to 10, the women’s fistball team will return to Argentina for the tenth edition of the World Championships. The International Fistball Association (IFA) has awarded the event to Club Gimnasia Guatambú from Montecarlo in the province of Misiones.

Guatambú host a Women’s World Championship for the first time

This is not the first top international event to be held at the Club Gimnasia Guatambú. In the past, the club hosted the IFA 2009 Fistball Masters World Cup and the Men’s & Women’s South American Championship 2017. As recently as September, the Argentinian championship was held at the venue in the north-east of the country with 18 participating teams. However, this is the first time that Guatambú is hosting a world championship. “We would like to thank Club Guatambú for taking on the organization of the event. The World Championship is the biggest event in women’s fistball. After two recent World Championships in Europe, we are looking forward to returning to South America,” says IFA President Jörn Verleger. The last two World Championships were held in Linz (2018) and Grieskirchen (2021), with Germany winning the title on both championships. Verleger: “We are convinced that many nations will take part, continuing the positive development of women’s fistball and showing the diversity of our sport.”

Preparations for the Women’s World Championship have already started in Montecarlo. “It is a great honor for us that the best female fistball players in the world will be our guests in Guatambú in November 2024,” says Laura Laumann, secretary of the fistball subcommittee of Club Guatambú: “For our club, it will be the biggest event in history so far. We are proud and motivated to host a great World Championship.”

“Just a few weeks ago in Guatambú, we saw the passion with which the people in the club are doing everything to organize a great event,” says IFA Head of Events Sönke Spille: “All participating players, staff members and fans can look forward to an incredibly friendly atmosphere and great conditions.”

Qualifying event for the World Games

The 2024 Women’s Fistball World Championship will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China. “In addition to the continental champions, the best-placed teams at this World Championship will get their ticket to Chengdu,” explains Spille. After the premiere in 2022 in Birmingham (USA) with six teams, a total of eight nations will qualify for Chengdu in 2025.

It will be the second international fistball event to take place in South America in the autumn of 2024. From 31 October to 3 November, the best youth teams will compete in Llanquihue (Chile) for the Fistball Men’s and Women’s U18 World Championships. One week later, the best women’s teams will be guests in Argentina. “We see great advantages in the two consecutive events,” says Spille: “South America will be the hub of international fistball for two weeks.”

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.