On 12.05.2020, the EFA Board took the decision to cancel the two competitions planned for the summer with a heavy heart during its Skype conference

– EFA 2020 Fistball Women’s Champions Cup Jona / CH
– EFA 2020 Fistball Men’s Champions Cup Linz/AUT

because of the Corona pandemic.

This cancellation is also being made in consultation with the organisers, who do not feel able to carry out the competitions – if they are allowed to take place at all – in the usual quality and with the necessary support under the current conditions.

The World Games 2021 Birmingham has a new name to go with its new date. With the announcement of The Games shift to July 7-17, 2022, organizers have decided that the international multi-sport event will officially become The World Games 2022 Birmingham.

“After careful consideration, we are excited to move forward as The World Games 2022,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of the Birmingham Organizing Committee. “Ultimately, we wanted to ensure consistency and brand recognition for our event. But more than that, our hope is that The World Games 2022 will stand for something more than a date on the calendar; that it will become a time of reconnection for our community and the world.”

“We absolutely support the postponement of The World Games to July 2022. We are in regular contact with the Birmingham Organizing Committee and feel the great committment they have for our sport. Our Fistball community can look forward to really great World Games in two years in Birmingham, Alabama”, says IFA President Jörn Verleger. “The organizers provides a really good venue for Fistball and are really motivated to push our sport in North America. I’ve been twice in Birmingham and there’s already now a great World Games spirit in the city”, says IFA Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner.

The decision to adapt the moniker, which was made collaboratively between the Birmingham Organizing Committee (BOC) and International World Games Association (IWGA), comes after the International Olympic Committee postponed the Summer Olympics until 2021, but agreed to retain the name “Tokyo 2020.”

“The excellent relationship between the BOC, the City of Birmingham and the IWGA ensured the quick move of the 11th edition of The World Games to 2022. The flexible organisational structure of the event and our teams makes it easier to manage such a challenge in such a short time: we trust each other and know that we can lean on each other. These are the reasons that we could go back so quickly to our participating federations and partners, confirming for them the new dates for the Games, and also for accommodation, venues and services,” said IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow. “We look forward to organising The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA from 7th to 17thJuly in 2022,” he added.

The World Games 2022 Birmingham also unveiled its new logo and website, which have been updated to reflect the rebrand. The redesigned website, TWG2022.com, also features an enhanced navigation and user experience.

On behalf of TAFISA and the Portuguese Institute of Youth and Sport, the Organising Committee of the 7th TAFISA World Sport for All Games 2020 would like to inform you that, given the current challenges and uncertainties that the world is facing related to COVID-19 and with the support of the Portuguese Authorities, decision has been made to postpone the event, initially planned on 1 – 7 October 2020, to 2021.

Save the Date!
The 7th TAFISA World Sport for All Games will now take place on 18 – 24 June 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The health and safety of the TAFISA family and Games’ participants is TAFISA’s priority. You can count on us like we count on you to altogether enjoy a great Sport for All party in Lisbon next year. We look forward to welcoming you!
TAFISA organises the World Sport for All Games every 4 years. IFA has been invited for the first time to present fistball during the Games. The focus is on demonstrations of the sports, friendly matches or championship competitions. We will inform you about the Sport for All Games regularly on our online channels.

Swiss Fistball started with “Fistball at home” a great initiative for fistball training at home during the Corona lock-down. Unfortunately, fistball courts around the world are currently closed, which means that clubs and athletes have to improvise and individual training is on the programme.

These are impressive figures: Within a five weeks, 27 fistball players – including current or former national team players – from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Brazil have produced instructional videos with training exercises for home use. These have been published under the hashtag #fistballathome on the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Youtube .

Here’s one example:
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Since the end of 2019, the IFA has been a member of TAFISA, the international Sport for All Association.

TAFISA organises the World Sport for All Games every 4 years. The next World Sport for All Games will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 1-7, 2020. IFA has been invited for the first time to present fistball during the Games. The focus is on demonstrations of the sports, friendly matches or championship competitions.

Due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the realization of the TAFISA World Sport for All Games is not yet definitively secured, as TAFISA informed all members today:

“We would like to inform you that, as things stand, the 7th TAFISA World Sport for All Games 2020 are maintained on 1 – 7 October 2020. However, we know that the uncertainty surrounding us can change at any time and that many of you are facing challenges that could make your coming to Portugal difficult. The Games Organising Committee, TAFISA and the Portuguese Government are working hand in hand to monitor the situation and evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic according to guidelines emitted by the international and national health authorities. This includes the evaluation of potential scenarios related to the Games and we are therefore currently working on identifying potential dates in the first half of 2021, should we need to postpone the event. You will be informed about this before the 4th of May.”

Happy Easter to all of you! Stay home, stay healthy! See you soon again at the fistball pitches.

Today the Fistball Family, along with many other sports, celebrates the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace. The IFA Board of Directors fully supports the symbolic #WhiteCard campaign. We share the vision that sport can change the world.

Sport is an instrument that can contribute to positive social change. #WhiteCard #FistballForPeace

Be there, register your actions at media@ifa-fistball.com and provide a photo or a short video after the action. All fistball actions should be posted on the hashtags #WhiteCard #FistballForPeace and #WeAreFistball.

“We hope you join the action also with your club and give visibility to your event on the 6April platform. Sport is an instrument that can contribute to positive social change,” says Gastao Englert, IFA Director of Olympic Education from Brazil. “If you join in an action on April 6, you share the vision that sport can change the world. Be part of the worldwide action day,” stated IFA President Jörn Verleger.

On the page https://www.april6.org/en/toolbox/toolbox.html there are also suggestions and a handbook for further activities whether by encouraging healthier lifestyles, making sport more widely accessible or using it as a vehicle for development in areas made vulnerable by conflict, poverty and inequality.

Furthermore, the April6 Initiative of the Year rewards individuals and organizations who have contributed to the celebration of April6, the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace through a #WhiteCard initiative or an event raising awareness on the use of sport as a tool for development and peace. For more information about April6, contact april6@peace-sport.org

Question & Answer – IFA president Jörn Verleger 🎙

Thank you for all the questions you sent us. Here are the video anwers by Jörn:

• Q1 (0:06): Why there is no decision about the Women’s World Champs by now?
• Q2 (0:37): Why is the U21 Euro 2021 not in Grieskirchen?
• Q3 (1:06): Why is the host city for the World Tour Final 2021 not fixed yet?
• Q4 (1:56) Why is the change in the key date for the eligibility of players at the U21 EURO not the same as for the U18 World Championships?
• Q5 (2:56): What is going to happen with the U18 EURO 2021?
• Q6 (3:56): Tell us about the progress of the IOC Recognition.
• Q7 (4:56) Why are The World Games 2021 postponed by one year? Why are they not moved a few weeks prior to the Olympics?
• Q8 (5:56): How does the current situation affect the U18 World Champs in New Zealand scheduled for 2022?
• Q9 (6:30): Can tournaments still take place as the World Tour Season 2020 is cancelled?
• (7:13): Closing statement (Visit Fistball at Home 💪)

#WeAreFistball

The International World Games Association (IWGA) and Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) have agreed to postpone the 11th edition of The World Games until 7th to 17th July 2022. The Games had originally been planned to take place from 15-25 July next year. The International Fistball Association IFA joined the videoconference to take the final decision of the postponement to 2022 and fully supports the decision.

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to move the Tokyo Olympic Games to July 2021 made a significant impact on the planning of The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Keeping to the original dates in July 2021 would have meant excluding many athletes and officials involved in the Olympics, and would have led to a potential reduction in public and media interest. When the IOC announced its decision, the BOC urgently set about assessing what alternative dates might be viable, particularly as regards venues and accommodation. Meanwhile, the staff of the IWGA were establishing when the vital services provided by key partners, such as Swiss Timing and International Sports Broadcasting, could still be made available.

It soon became clear that only one 10-day period existed in which venues, accommodation and key partner support could be guaranteed: 7–17 July 2022. The IWGA Member Federations with sports on the programme gave their full support to delaying The World Games, and the joint decision of the IWGA and BOC Boards to adopt these new dates was unanimously approved by the federations in a video conference.

“A great deal of detailed work is now required to implement this decision, and further progress reports will be issued in due course,” says IWGA President José Perurena. “But I am impressed by the flexibility and efficiency of the Birmingham Organising Committee: they have been able, in just two days after the IOC’s announcement, to get all the main organisational items in place.”

IWGA CEO Joachim Gossow says: “I am very proud of the capable organising team in Birmingham. All organisational main pillars such as venues and accommodation are in place for 2022, and we are able to have exactly the same sports programme as we had planned for 2021. We look forward to working together with the chairman Jonathan Porter, his CEO Nick Sellers and their team to organise the best possible Games for our athletes.”

“The date of the event has changed, but Birmingham’s commitment to a world-class event has not wavered,” Mayor of Birmingham, Randall L. Woodfin said. “I want to thank the IWGA and The World Games 2021 Birmingham for their work in making a timely decision. As the City of Birmingham addresses the current pandemic, be assured that we remain focused on the city’s future and making this the best edition of The World Games ever.”

“I want to thank our entire team and partners across the State of Alabama and internationally for their work and support to set our new dates,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of the Birmingham Organizing Committee. “While it wasn’t an easy decision, it was the right one for our athletes, fans, sponsors and community. We share many key partners of the International Olympic Committee, and this move will ensure that we maintain national and international television coverage as well as keeping several sport competitions that participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The World Games Birmingham will be a special time of reconnection as it will be the first major international multi sport event on American soil following this global pandemic, and we are fully confident that we will rise to the occasion. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our healthcare workers and those impacted by COVID-19 at this time. We will prevail. And we will reconnect.”

“We are supremely confident in this shift, and believe that the circumstances will further increase the significance of The World Games across our state, region, and country,” added Jonathan Porter, Chairman of The Birmingham Organizing Committee Board of Directors. “We are just as excited now as we were when we were scheduled for 2021, and we hope the Birmingham community and the world will share that enthusiasm with us. The World Games Birmingham is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. A new date on the calendar isn’t going to change that.”

“The whole world is hurting now and we must all pause and refocus our efforts in order to rid the world of COVID-19. We stand with each of you and very much look forward to The World Games in 2022.” -The Jefferson County Commissioners – Joe Knight, Jimmie Stephens, Lashonda Scales, Sheila Tyson and Steve Ammons.