The Alliance of Independent recognised Members of Sport (AIMS) was found in 2009 by the 23 non- IOC…
The youth of the world are our future in sports and in life. The 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires was a perfect event for the AIMS | read more
Patrick Baumann will always be remembered for his vision and beliefs in the true power of sport and Olympic humanity. Through | read more
When exactly the game of fistball was “invented”, is not known. What is certain, however, is that the roots lie in the southern part of Europe, perhaps in Italy. The earliest known written mention of the game is by Roman Emperor Gordian III and dates to the year 240. Rules for an Italian version of fistball were recorded by Antonius Scaiono in 1555. In the 16th century the game experienced a renaissance. However, it was seen less as a game of competitive nature and more as a pastime for nobles and gentry. In 1786, Johann Wolfgang Goethe mentioned fistball games between ‘four noblemen from Verona and four Venetians’ in his diary An Italian Journey. It was only in 1870 that fistball was introduced to Germany, led by Georg Weber. The sport was mainly played by gymnasts and was soon seen as a gymnastic sport. During this time the sport spread to the surrounding, mainly German-speaking, neighboring countries, and German emigrants also spread the sport in all continents, particularly in North- and South America and West Africa. Today fistball is played on all continents. Yes, there is “striking” similarity between volleyball and fistball: the object of both games is to place […]
Anastasia lives in Athens, Greece together with her family. She was born in 1998 and is still very much in high school. She started with Karate when she was 6 years old. After 2 years she started to train Ju-Jitsu at Titans Ju Jitsu club and from then she never stopped. She is a black belt 1st Dan in Ju Jitsu 1. What is your biggest accomplishment in Ju-Jitsu I have taken the 1st place in Duo System at the age of 15 and 1st place in Fighting system at the age of 16 in the World Championships. 2. What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success? My coach successfully combines both plysical exercise and the techniques that we train. I’m not doing something special, I’m just trying to be as focused as I can and give my best in every training. Also, we make a lot of fun in our training because we are very friendy and we are all very closed to each other, so that helps us to have good communication and good mood! 3. What would be your ultimate achievement? When I will be over 18, […]
Origin of Men’s Lacrosse What began as stickball, a native American Indian contest played by tribal warriors for training, recreation and religious reasons, has developed over the years into the interscholastic, professional and international sport of lacrosse Lacrosse was started by the Native American Indians and was originally known as stickball. The game was initially played in the St. Lawrence Valley area by the Algonquian tribe and they were followed by other tribes in the eastern half of North America, and around the western Great Lakes. The Native American games were seen as major events, which took place over several days.They were played over huge open areas between villages and the goals, which might be trees or other natural features, were anything from 500 yards to several miles apart. Any number of players were involved. Some estimates have mentioned between 100 and 100,000 players participating in a game at any one time. The rules were very simple, the ball was not to be touched by a player’s hand and there were no boundaries. The ball was tossed into the air to indicate the start of the game and players raced to be the first to catch it. The original wooden balls were […]
XXI World Cup held in Szeged, Hungary, from 21st to 24th May 2015 was an amazing competition. Organizers tried their best to make participants from 20 countries feel welcomed in this beautifull city. New president of the Organizing Committee of World Cup, Mr. Istvan Kiraly, was very busy on these days but at the end, he could express his satisfaction. Tthere were 800 competition entries. Fights took place at the beautiful Sporthall of Szeged on two rings and four tatamies, in Low kick, K-1, Kick light, Point fighting and Light contact disciplines. For the first time in World Cup’s history this year we had Live Streaming online, this was revolutionary in organizing this kind of A class competitions where fans from all around the world could watch fights on web on real time. It is possible to find all results and live stream reports on: http://www.worldcupszeged.hu/en
It has been six years since Thailand had the honour to host an IFMA World Cup. 2011 saw an outstanding championship in Uzbekistan, 2012 was Russia, 2013 was the year of the World Combat Games, and 2014 saw 101 countries travelling to Langkawi, Malaysia. For this year, 2015, Thailand has won the bid, and it will be the biggest single-sporting event in the history of Thailand with the greatest awards given: the three Royal Trophies in one event. His Majesty the King’s Trophy will be presented to the best male national team, Her Majesty the Queen’s Trophy will be presented to the best female national team, and His Royal Highness the Prince’s Trophy will be given to the presented to the best junior team. The Royal World Cup is scheduled for the 13th to the 23rd of August 2015. President of IFMA, Dr Sakchye Tapsuwan stated that having this event is an honour for the entire country. Having the three Royal Trophies is an honour for the entire sport, and Thailand will open their homes, hearts and treasures to the visitors from over 100 countries. IFMA Sport Director, Charissa Tynan said that a lot of work will go into this […]
The Federation Internationale de Savate holds World Championships in three disciplines: Savate Assaut, Savate Combat and Canne de Combat. This year, the World Savate Combat Championships are being held for Seniors (over 21 years) and Juniors (18 to 21 years). The qualifying tournament of the World Combat Championships took place at the “Vendespace” sports centre, Mouilleron Le Captif, La Roche sur Yon, France from 4th to 7th June. Combat is a tough discipline, suitable only for elite athletes, and requiring the highest level of skill and fitness. This means that the finals are held later in the year, giving the athletes time to recuperate from the qualifying tournament. This year, 40 senior women, 61 senior men and 36 junior men participated. Elimination bouts take place according to a pool system, followed by quarter and semi-finals, to select the top two athletes in each category. The weigh-in was held on Thursday afternoon, with bouts on Friday and Saturday. After 200 bouts, athletes from 13 different countries had qualified for the finals. The Senior Men’s finals will be held in France on 3rd October. The Women’s and Junior Men’s Finals will take place in France, Martinique, Russia and Romania in November and December.
The 8th of June 2015 was a historic day for the Association of National Olympic Committees under the presidency of His Royal Highness Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, where AIMS President Mr. Stephan Fox, showed respect on behalf of the 23 international sporting federations of AIMS. It was a glorious day for the Olympic Movement, with the Honorary President of the IOC Mr. Jacques Rogge, who made a heartfelt welcome speech that was followed by the President of the IOC Dr. Thomas Bach. Mr. Fox gave His Royal Highness, Sheikh Al-Sabah a plaque of appreciation on behalf of AIMS and His Royal Highness assured him of the support of the Olympic Movement towards the 23 AIMS sports. His Royal Highness Sheikh Al-Sabah declared the new headquarter open, which was witnessed by 250 guests from the worldwide sporting family. The new headquarter is located at the heart of the Olympic capital, Lausanne, which had a beautiful setting with the weather on everyone’s side for a beautiful afternoon of friendship.
AIMS was honoured to attend the opening of the Olympic Head Quarter in Uzbekistan that was inaugurated by IOC President Dr Thomas Bach, President OCA and ANOC HRH Sheikh Al-Sabah and President of the Uzbekistan Olympic Committee Mr Mirabror Usmanov.A special dinner was hosted, with many delegates from the world of sport, that included IOC Executive Board Members and AIBA President Dr CK Wu, President of Fencing Mr Alisher Usmanov. An invitation was also given to AIMS President and IFMA General Secretary, Mr Stephan Fox. The Mr Fox on behalf of AIMS presented a special plaque at the event to the Uzbekistan Olympic Committee. Uzbekistan is a true sport loving country, where which sports and cultural understanding plays an important part in life. AIMS would like to thank for their true hospitality, our friends from Uzbekistan Boxing and Muaythai Federation.
Starting June 12, Baku is hosting the opening ceremony of the I European Games. From this point on the first competition in history will be launched essentially similar to the Olympics though on the European scale. The program is very rich: athletes will compete for medals in 20 sports, 16 of which are the Olympic ones. Sambo is one of the four non-Olympic sports in the European games. Competitions in this single combat sport will take place on the arena of Heydar Aliev on June 22. In the sambo tournament will participate 72 athletes from 21 countries of the Old World. Competitions will be held in four weight categories for men and for women. The title of the first European Games champion in sambo will be disputed among many famous athletes including multiple world and European champions. It should be noted that sports stars will perform in all types of sports. About 150 medalists of the Olympics and 200 world champions will arrive in Baku. This is not surprising because the competitions in 12 sports have the status of the qualifying rounds for the Olympic summer games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. In total more than six thousand athletes […]
The 2015 World Cup is taking place in Kemer Antalya TURKEY on October 26-31 2015. The 2015 TURKISH Open Darts Tournament will precede the World Cup starting October 19-26 2015 in Kemer Antalya TURKEY. Both events will take place in Limak Limra Hotel and resort which is located in a popular tourist resort of Antalya. More info for darts around the world at www.dartswdf.com
The 2015 World Youth Championship in Savate Assaut will be held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from 30th July to 2nd August. In Savate Assaut, the emphasis is on style and technique, and only “touch” contact is allowed. All touches must be controlled and without force, and protection is worn to ensure safety. The weight categories range from -48kg to +85kg, giving each athlete the chance to participate with others close to their own size. The championships, first held in 2011, are for young people aged 15, 16 and 17 years. The video gives a taste of the atmosphere of that first event. This year we are expecting more than 100 athletes from 15 different countries to participate. After the finals, the young athletes are invited to a pool party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Federation Internationale de Savate.
The 2015 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters (WAGM) took place on June 6th and 7th at the Hastings Adventure Golf Center in Hastings, England and was co-hosted by the British Minigolf Association. Forty- seven competitors representing a record number of countries, including several of the top-ranked players in the world, competed for individual and team titles. The countries competing along the host nation include four-time defending team champions Germany, China, Czech Republic, Finland, India, Portugal and Sweden. This is the fourth year the WAGM has been hosted at the Hastings Adventure Golf Center and the standard of play continues to improve with each year. “It was a real showcase for all that is great about minigolf,” said Sean Homer, captain of the Great Britain team. “More important, there was a terrific level of spirit, camaraderie, and passion throughout the event. I don’t think you will find a better example of all that is good about minigolf than what we witnessed this weekend.” In the seven-round team event, Germany remained undefeated in the WAGM team by winning their fifth straight team title by 10 strokes over the Sweden 1 team. Great Britain 1 finished two strokes further back and earned the […]
25th of June, at the IFMA Office. “I wear orange because I believe in respecting and protecting our daughters, our mothers and sisters. The women that I am blessed to have in my life are the inspiration for my drive to join the movement to end violence against women” – Stephan Fox” Using the growing global popularity and “tough guy” image of muaythai to their advantage, the three partnering organizations – UN Women, World Muaythai Council (WMC) and the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA) – works through national muaythai federations around the world to help raise awareness and end acceptability of violence against women. Apart from equipping young people with better understanding how they can help knock out harmful social norms that can lead to violence against women, the partnership also engages male and female muaythai celebrities as champions and work to enhance the internal policies of WMC and IFMA to prevent and respond to such violence. This new and unique partnership, which is in support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign, brings together UN Women’s mandate and expertise on gender equality and ending violence against women with WMC and IFMA’s active involvement […]
Within a few days this story spread around the world and the act of a Belarusian sambist Stepan Popov delighted a lot of people many of whom have never heard about sambo before. After winning the final sambo tournament during the European Games 2015 over the representative of Azerbaijan Amil Gasimov, Stepan Popov then picked up his injured opponent onto his shoulders and carried him away from the mat. This act was immediately appreciated by a thunderous applause of the crowd in the stands and “likes” of hundreds of thousands of people online. FIAS´s site learned more about this and other deeds of the athlete he committed that day. For those who still haven´t seen it as well as for those who want to see everything that happened again, we present the video of the famous bout and what happened after it. After the fight both parties were in great demand among the journalists. FIAS´s site has already spoken about how the incident was commented upon by Amil Gasimov. He said the following: “After the final when I was injured my opponent Stepan Popov from Belarus lifted me from the mat by doing a “mill”. I simply wasn’t able to […]
The 36th World Amateur Go Championship was held from June 5th to 12th in Bangkok, Thailand. Total of 57 players from 57 countries and territories participated, and as a result of intense 8 rounds competition, Changhun Kim, the Korean representative became the new champion.
Feel the Atmosphere : Video Montage of the Combat Qualifying Tournament 2015 ! The provisional dates and places of the of the finals World Savate Combat Championships 2015 have been announced. All eight weight categories of the senior men’s finals will take place in La Roche sur Yon, France, on 3rd October. Expect some excitement with athletes from nine countries competing for world titles. China, Croatia, France, Iran, Italy, Montenegro, Spain, Russia, and Ukraine will be there. The senior women’s finals (F) and junior men’s finals (J) will take place between 31st October and 12th December. 31st October, Martinique F-65kg, F-70kg and J-85kg : athletes representing China, Croatia, France and Russia 14th November, Vandoeuvre, France F-60kg, F-75kg, J-75kg and J-80kg : athletes representing Croatia, France, Mauritius, Russia and Ukraine 5th December, Saint Petersburg, Russia F-56kg, J-60kg, J-70kg and J+85kg : athletes representing France and Russia 5th December, Amiens, France F-48kg, F+85kg and J-56kg : athletes representing France, Italy, Mauritius, Russia and Tunisia 12th December, Lanester, France F-52kg : athletes representing Cuba and France date to be decided, Romania J-65kg : athletes representing France and Romania
The 16th World Kendo Championships was held in Tokyo Japan on 29, 30 and 31 May 2015. 56 countries and regions participated to the Men’s-Individual, Women’s-Individual, Men-Team and Women-Team championship. Please see the Results and Information in the website at http://16wkc.jp/.
AIMS will hold its Working Group meeting and conference from the 11th – 13th August in Bangkok, with an agenda packed with meetings and presentations. The IOC, IWGA, FISU, OCA and many more will be coming to make presentations and all IFs will have a chance to demonstrate their sport to delegates from universities, the Department of Physical Education and other interested parties. There will also be a full cultural program. The full agenda will be published shortly.
AIMS President Stephan Fox met with FIL President Stan Cockerton and board member Tom Hayes, at Impact Arena on the 8th of July, where the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Championship (ASPAC) is being held in Bangkok to discuss sport development and the upcoming AIMS meeting. We would like to congratulate Lacrosse and their Thai National Federation for the success of the ASPAC 2015 held in Bangkok, Thailand.
June became a month when a new bright page in the sports history of Serbia was written. The inclusion of sambo in the program of the I European Games in Baku allowed this single combat to flare brightly in this country and around the world. After winning a gold medal in the weight category of up to 68 kg, a 22-year-old Serbian sambist Ivana Yandrich felt the taste of how significant these competitions actually were. Precisely these epithets and metaphors were used by the representatives of the Sambo Federation of Serbia to describe the after-effect from when one of their compatriots became a champion.
The first editions of 2015 WMF World Ranking Lists are published on http://minigolfsport.com/index.php. Congratulations to all number ones and good luck in defending your titles and also good luck to all challengers!
AIMS President, Mr Stephan Fox was invited by the IOC President, Dr. Thomas Bach to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne. The meeting took place in Dr. Bach’s private office in a relaxed atmosphere. Mr. Christophe De Kepper, IOC Director General and Mr. Christian Wassmer, Head of Winter Sports and IF Relations were also in attendance. Beforehand, Mr. Fox met for a preliminary two-hour meeting headed by Mr. Wassmer, which was then followed by the close discussion with the IOC President on the support of recognised IF’s for the Agenda 2020, the recognition process of non-IOC recognised sports, the Olympic channel, the Combat Games and many other important issues. AIMS President, Mr. Fox thanked the IOC for the important meeting and as a token of appreciation presented the president a plaque on the behalf of AIMS and Dr. Bach in return presented Mr. Fox with the official IOC tie.
Britain is determined to take home the President’s Cup Trophy: three new Sambo clubs open in Manchester
The first President’s Cup was held in London, England, in September of last year; this year the prestigious tournament will take place on the 27th of September, in Manchester. After coming second to the Russians, the founders of Sambo, the British team have their minds set on winning and finally leaving at home the exquisite trophy, made by ‘Jewelers of the Northern Capital’.
After the Tournament in Jona (SUI) the German Head Coach Olaf Neuenfeld selected the 10 players, who will represent the German colors during the 15th Men World Championship in Argentina this November. Here the announcement in German. Only one day later the next squad was selected. The Fistball Federation of Australia announced the team and the staff for the 1st participation of an Australian Fistball Team at World Championships. You can read the full story here .
The third edition of the World Youth Championship in Savate Assaut took place in Bulgaria from 30th July to 2nd August 2015. The championship takes place every two years, and is open to athletes aged from 15 years to 17 years. This year, boys and girls representing 14 countries and 3 continents took part. The Bulgarian Savate Federation and the city of Plovdiv, European Capital of Culture 2019, hosted the championships and gave the delegations a great welcome. The weigh-in of the athletes took place on Thursday evening, with the championship beginning on Friday morning. One hundred athletes competed for GOLD and the coveted title of world champion. The technical level was high, with the French squad marking its supremacy and technical skill. Bulgarian National Television made two broadcasts of the competition – one of an hour and the other about twenty minutes, which should help to develop our sport in Bulgaria. The championship ended on Saturday night with a party organized by FISav, around the pool of the Hotel, to mark the 30th anniversary of FISav. Thank you to the athletes, their trainers and the officials for their participation in this championship. Happy Birthday FISav !
After a few nominations for the Men’s World Championship this time the Austrians selected first the women’s team for the European championship held in 2 weeks in Bozen (ITA). The team will try to defend the title against the teams from Germany (World Champion 2014), Switzerland, Czech Republic and the home Team from Italy. back (left to right): Ojo Elisabeth, Kempinger Karin, Weigert Tanja, Hieslmair Verena, Lackinger Katharina, Mayer Ines front(left to right): Steininger Nina, Gahleitner Tanja, Zeller Nicole, Peer Elisabeth, Hieslmair Marlene, Marusa Stefanie See the whole News in German here.
The next team for the Men’s World Championships in Argentina was announced: The United States of America selected their 10 player squad. The team is made up of select individuals from three regions across the country – greater areas of Milwaukee, Newark and Philadelphia. The squad:Front Row (L to R): Eric Kindler, Mat Henrichs, Steve Kucera, Aaron Weninger, Keith Schweda Back Row (L to R): Coach Ron Jesswein, Kris Graham, Pat White, Mat Ogin, Jack Stern Not Pictured: Matt Ayling and Todd Strassberger See the whole article in English here.
The 23 AIMS federations met in Bangkok to restructure AIMS to establish itself as a larger stakeholder in the world of sports. AIMS is made up of 23 members of SportAccord and new constitutional changes have been made for its even greater independence in the world of sport. The constitution has been changed in close cooperation with the 3 IOC recognised sporting groups, ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF; and also membership criteria into AIMS have been tightened with the input of the IOC sporting federation. AIMS President Stephan fox stated that the meeting was highly successful and the fact that so many sports with highest representation came to Bangkok is a testament of the cooperation and unity of the AIMS family.
IFMA hosted the AIMS conference in Bangkok from 10th to 13th of August with representatives from the IOC, IWGA, FISU, TAFISA, all recognised IOC groups, the representatives from 23 AIMS recognised sports , IEC in sports, the World Games Channel and many others in attendance. Her Excellency Mrs Wattanavrangkul the Minister of Tourism and Sports opened the beautiful evening with a heart-warming speech on behalf of the Royal Thai Government welcoming all sport dignitaries in true Thainess. Thailand is a sporting country and the government is in full support of sporting development. Her Excellency graciously thanked AIMS for choosing Thailand and Bangkok as the host city for the conference and thanked all the delegates for their presence. Mrs Wattanavrangkul shook hands with every delegate handing out a hand signed Souvenir book. All representatives from IOC, IWGA, FISU, TAFISA and UN Women, made welcome speeches and AIMS President Stephan Fox presented the plaque of appreciation to all delegates.
Minigolf World Championships 2015 started in Lahti, Finland Minigolf World Championships 2015 started on August 19th at Lahti Minigolfkeskus (Lahti Minigolfcenter), Finland. 129 players from 21 countries and all Continents were registered for the event. Together with coaches, team staff and officials almost 200 people gathered in Lahti to take part in the world biggest minigolf event of the year. The competition is held on eternite miniature golf and felt courses. Participating countries: Austria, Czech Republic, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, USA, Croatia. Two of them – Kenya and New Zealand – participate in the Minigolf World Championships for the first time in the history. The official schedule of the competition is following: On August 14th to 18th – official training days. August 19th to 21st – strokeplay World Championships (team competition ends on 20th of August). August 22nd – matchplay championships among the 32 best male and 16 best women after strokeplay. Official opening ceremony was held on evening, 17th of August, closing and awarding ceremony – on 22nd of August night. Lahti Minigolfcenter organizes 3 international minigolf competitions in 2014-2016: 6.-9.8.2014 Youth (under […]
After two days with beautiful weather and good fistball games in Bozen (ITA) the qualification round was finished Sunday morning. Germany won all the games without losing a set and was qualified directly for the final. Austria and Switzerland were qualified for the semi finals. Italy and the Czech Republic had do play the qualification game for the small final. Italy showed that they wanted to play another game in front of the own fans and won the game without problem in three sets. So the Team of the Czech Republic finished on the 5th place. The semifinal between Austria and Switzerland started with a tight set and better ending for Switzerland. After this the Austrian girls could win the next sets and the game 3:1 and qualified for the final. In the small final Switzerland won the bronze medal against Italy in tree sets, but had to fight hard in the last tight set. The final between Germany as the current World Champion and Austria the defending European Champion promised to be an exciting game. Austria won the first set after a strong effort and good fighting spirit 11 to 8. The second set was a tight one with the […]
The first ever Pan American Fistball Games held by the US Fistball Association will take place from the 27th to the 30th of August at the Swim and Sports Club in Flanders (NJ). The Pan American Championship for national teams men and women with teams from USA, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia will the Thursday 27th and Friday 28th of August. After that the Pan American Cup for club teams men and women with teams from the same countries will take place Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of August.
The Federation Internationale de Savate holds its world championships in Assaut and Combat in alternating years. This year being a Combat year, many Assaut fighters took the opportunity to gather in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for an open event. The Bulgaria Open Mondial is always fun. Participants include athletes who are regular members of their national squad, along with others who are keen club level competitors. The participants stay in a nice hotel, next to an aqua park. Before the Open, everyone can participate in seminars to improve their skills. For the Open, the sports centre in Plovdiv saw athletes from across the globe. Over one hundred and twenty fighters from 25 countries enter the ring, including athletes from many European countries, Canada, Japan, India and the Seychelles. Officials were numerous and friendly. The technical level of the fights was very good, with a great atmosphere and fair play. Bulgarian television made a film about our sport and many photographers captured all the good, hard and funny moments, which you can find on Facebook. The results : Best senior technicians: SURREL Sarah and NWAMERUE Duk Best veteran technicians: MURRAY Rebecca and Alexander PUJOL Best team: Canada Best fighter: Pinder Shannon, Canada
23 International Federations and one of the five groups that make up the world of sport came together in a joint meeting in Bangkok, hosted by IFMA the world governing body of Muaythai. IFMA General Secretary and President of AIMS Stephan Fox , welcomed all the members of the Olympic family, from the IOC, IWGA, FISU, TAFISA and many others for a day of important presentations. Christian Wassmer Head of Recognised Stakeholder Relations, IOC, kick off the day with an important presentation on the IOC Agenda 2020, the Olympic Channel and the future of AIMS within the IOC Movement. He also presented detailed information on the IOC recognition process. AIMS President Stephan Fox, thanked Mr Wassmer for his presentation and the support of IOC towards the AIMS family. The CEO of the International World Games Association Mr Joachim Gossow was the second speaker. The World Games are an important part of the Olympic movement as many sports in the Olympics come via the World Games and many AIMS members are already member of the IWGA and or included in the World Games. Mr Gossow presented the IWGA structure and a detailed presentation on the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland […]
There was no sitting or standing space at the Finals of the IFMA Royal World Cup 2015, when the best of the best met to secure their medals, place in the world and an esteemed spot in the 2017 World Games together with the chance to be nominated for highly coveted Royal World Cup trophy.
The Royal Thai Government, the Institute of Physical Education, came together for a day of sport, hosting the 23 AIMS sports to have a unique chance to introduce themselves to the sport universities, the Department of Physical Education and other stakeholders in Thai sport. AIMS President Stephan Fox stated that this gathering is vital to exchange sports, as some are stronger in certain regions while others have no presence at all in certain regions. It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the sports, awaken interest and work together with higher sporting authorities. The representatives from the IOC, IWGA, FISU and TAFISA applauded the initiatives that will now continue in different regions around the world. AIMS Executive board member, Michal Buchel from FIAS, summed it up “Sport has a unique power, the unity in sport is important for the overall development of each of our sports.”
The cooperation of sport for the benefit of sport is important according to IFMA President Dr Sakcyhe Tapsuwan and Ju-Jitsu President Mr Panagiotis Theodoropoulos. AIMS President Stephan Fox stated that it may be the case that some sports are stronger than another in different regions, therefore united events can educate the audience on sports that they may have none or limited knowledge on. Muaythai and Ju-jitsu will promote 4 events together with the final for muaythai being held in Bangkok and for Ju-Jitsu in Abu Dhabi while each event will promote the other sport during the series and finals. In a special conference in Bangkok, an MOU was signed between the presidents of the two sports, Dr Sakchye Tapsuwan and Mr Panagiotis Theodoropoulos. AIMS will continue to strengthen their member sports toward higher sporting recognition.
The Lahti Minigolf Centre hosted a historic WMF Minigolf World Championships 2015 from August 19th to the 22nd. Players from 21 countries and five continents registered for the event; 127 among them competed in the biannual 4-day premier minigolf championship in the world. The field included players from Kenya and New Zealand who made their maiden appearances at the World Championships. The 2015 World Championships took place on two of the WMF-recognised systems: felt and miniature golf. Many of the teams arrived several days in advance to train; in an attempt to defend their 2013 men and women team titles, the German team were the first to arrive in Lahti. The extra preparation by the German team appeared to pay off as they became the first country to sweep team and individual gold medals at a single World Championships. Pasi Aho, WMF Sport Director, noted the conditions were ideal for world-class minigolf, not only did Germany make history but both “Sweden and the Czech Republic with four medals each were very strong.” Gerhard Zimmermann, WMF President, noted that the “high level of performance and fair play among the competitors was clearly evident”; beyond the competition, the interactions between nations on […]
AIMS election took place after at the AIMS General Assembly in Bangkok and the following positions have been filled by the AIMS members: Vice-president Panagiotis Theodoropoulos General Secretary Gerhard Zimmermann Directors Robert Keller Mike Haslam Julie Gabriel Michal Buchel Karl Weiss Honorary member Espen Lund The AIMS family is looking forward for a close cooperation with ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF, the IOC and all Olympic recognised stakeholders in sport.
After hard days of congress meetings, IFMA, the host of the AIMS conference in Bangkok invited all representatives from the IOC, FISU, TAFISA, IWGA and the 23 sports to a night of cultural experience and enjoyment in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Bangkok, the heart of the Kingdom of Thailand. IFMA President Dr Sakchye Tapsuwan welcomed every one at the “Muaythai Live: The Legend Lives” show taking the participants for a one hour journey through the history of Thailand and from the old days of the Tiger King, The Prisoner with the Eight Limbs, The Warrior with Broken Swords led by General Pichai, The lethal art of Muaythai to the modern days of the art. Following this, a private barge picked up the participants on the pier for a 1.5 hr night dinner cruise, sailing them through the exquisuite beauty of Bangkok by night and the ancient temples over courses of delicious thai delicacies and thai hospitality.
Since the beginning of time, sport has played a very important role in inspiring people regardless of their divides. The enormous power of sport is one that can be used to achieve great change. Giving back to society and using the power of athletes and champions can contribute to achieve something larger than yourself. Therefore the 23 AIMS member federations signed a pledge with UN Women to combine 23 sporting federations for a united goal. The MOU was signed between Mrs Anna-Karin Jatfors, the Regional Program Manager of UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign and Mrs Julie Gabriel, AIMS Executive Board member in charge of Social Responsibility and IFMA Vice President Sue Latta who head the FEM program. The signing ceremony was witnessed by over 400 delegates from the family of sports, including representatives from IOC, IWGA, TAFISA and FISU.
Official Video from WMF Minigolf World Championships 2015 is published on WMF channel of YouTube SportsHub
Congratulations to Vewart Comta, IWGA Athlete of the Month for August 2015. The Muaythai fighter from Thailand won the gold medal (weight class 57 kg) at the IFMA Muaythai Royal World Cup in Bangkok. He became the first athlete to qualify for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw/Poland. Finally, the Jury, made up of all Technical Officials of IFMA, awarded the King’s Trophy to Thailand and Vewart Comta for most outstanding performance in the Senior Male category.
Meet the Galjoens – a South African fistball team who’ll carry the hopes of the nation when they take on the best in the world later this year. I came this close to representing South Africa, but I made a fist of it. My near miss started with a trip to Switzerland and a sport called curling, which it turns out I was remarkably good at. Curling is like bowls on ice, but also with a broom. “If only curling was a South African sport,” I told Leif Petersen, a game ranger turned informal economy researcher, “I’d be a Springbok.” Petersen and I were lamenting the fact that we would never realise our childhood dreams to play for our country. Petersen was bumping up against the big Four-Oh, but unlike other men in the grip of a midlife crisis he didn’t look good in Lycra so had to find another outlet for his breakdown. Like me, he had never won a single athletic award in his life but, also like me, had held on to the belief that one day someone would see his potential and he’d get called up to a national squad – any national squad. Unfortunately, that […]
The Team for Cordoba After a week long training camp as preparation for the Men World Championship in Cordoba (Argentina) the Team coach Winfried Kronsteiner announced the 10 playsers to represent Austria in this year. After the final tournament in June the squad was already reduced from 17 players to 14 players and now it was the point of nominate the final world championship squad. Unfortunately three players had to drop out because of injuries and so only the youngster Jakob Huemer had to bite the bullet and will be reserve player. back from left to right: Gerhard Horvath (physical therapist), Thomas Letiner (co-trainer), Harald Pühringer, Siegfried Simon, Bela Gschwandtner, Klaus Thaller, Fritz Weiharter (sports psychologist), Winfried Kronsteiner (coach), Philip Schretter (physical therapist) front from left to right: Stefan Wohlfahrt, Klemens Kronsteiner, Jean Andrioli, Dietmar Weiß, Michael Feichtenschlager, Manuel Helmberger See the whole article in german here.
During the recent PanAm Games there emerged a new name in the US National Team: Todd Strassberger (32), the only “Rookie” on the US team. If a new name comes out of nowhere, the press team of the IFA becomes interested to look it up on the internet and we Googled “Todd Strassberger”. We were flabbergasted when many reports and videos of Todd Strassberger appeared. We found huge numbers of listings in Volleyball databases and ranking lists. There is talk of beach volleyball pro and prizemoney – reasons enough for us to conduct an Interview with Todd. Todd, who are you? I am regular guy just trying my hardest to have fun, enjoy life and be the best person I can be in all aspects of my life. When it comes to sports I try to be the best athlete when I get the opportunity to play, and give full support to my teammates while on and off the field with them. How did you come to fistball? I came into fistball after my best friend Mat Ogin introduced me to the game and told me he was going to Austria and Switzerland for the 2011 World Championship. I watched […]
The 3rd Croatia Open took place on the 19th September in Varazdin, a small historic town close to the Hungarian and Slovenian boarders. This competition includes age categories from children through to veteran. With bouts in Assaut and Combat, the competition attracted 106 athletes, from 5 countries. The best team performance was by Savate Klub Hrvatski Vuk (which means Croatian Wolf). The best athlete was Sladana Rajcevic, a member of the Šan Garešnica Savate club, who showed excellent technique and tactics. The evening finished with the World Combat Junior Men’s -75kg final between Jurica Škoranec (Croatia) and Kevin Andreze (France). Both athletes fought well, with Jurica taking the title by majority decision. Thank you to Sinisa Kovacic and his club for the excellent welcome to Varazdin and to Maja Odžic, competition supervisor, and the officials who worked hard throughout the day and the evening gala.
2015 WMF Minigolf European Cup will take place on 1-3rd of October at the Appelscha Minigolfclub (Netherlands) 113 participants from 10 European countries will compete for the title of the best men and women club team The Minigolf European Cup for national club champion teams is taking place at the Appelscha Minigolfclub in the Netherlands. The Appelscha Minigolfclub, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has taken great lengths to host the event, including adding covered protection and lighting to an already remarkable 18-hole Felt course. Beginning October 1st, 113 players from eleven men’s and ten women’s teams from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands will compete in 3-days event. The competition will conclude with the men’s and women’s finals played on Saturday, October 3rd. Uppsala BGK from Sweden is the reigning men’s European Cup champions, while MGC Gottingen from Germany is the defending women’s team. Mr. Roelof Hooijsma, President of the Minigolfclub Appelscha and Head of the Organizing Committee of the European Cup 2015, said “We are very excited to organise such a great Minigolf event the same year the club is celebrating its 50th anniversary. We are very proud that the European […]
The 23 world recognized federations under AIMS signed a pledge of co-operation with UN Women, we will and must continue to use the beautiful power of sport to create good for society. Bangkok, Thailand – Twenty three sport federations from around the world committed to promote gender equality and train coaches and athletes to prevent violence against women and girls. A joint pledge was signed by the sports groups’ representatives and presented to UN Women during the Muaythai Royal World Cup 2015 held in Bangkok last August. The signing ceremony was witnessed by over 400 delegates and sports representatives from around the world. The event was attended by UN Women Asia Pacific Deputy Regional Director, Anna-Karin Jatfors, Stephan Fox, President of the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS), Julie Gabriel, AIMS Executive Board member in charge of Social Responsibility, and Sue Latta, Vice President of the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA), who head the Female Empowerment through Muaythai (FEM) initiative. During the World Cup and AIMS Conference, twenty-six international Muaythai coaches participated in a consultation to develop a new training package for the prevention of violence against women in sports settings. The session was organised by UN Women Asia Pacific in partnership […]
The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) organized courses, both before and after the 2015 Minigolf European Cup held October 1st to 3rd in Appelscha (NED), to increase awareness on the fight against doping in sports. These courses, consistent with the WMF Test Distribution Plan 2015, briefed members on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. The attending athletes and coaches were instructed by the attending doping control officials on the proper procedures when an athlete is chosen to undergo an anti-doping test. Each of the twenty-one teams in attendance was represented by multiple members, guaranteeing that this information would be passed on and shared at the local club level. The WMF aims to implement a more efficient, intelligent and proportionate Testing and Education program. The instruction in Appelscha is just one of the ways the WMF is educating their members and ensuring that we “Play True!“
IFMA has published more than 15 books over the last 20 years promoting all aspects of the art and sport of muaythai. The new book just has been released titled Muaythai Revealed. 172 pages of images shot by Richard Juilliart, the official four time Olympic Games photographer. Richard is one of the most famous sport photographers covering the Olympic Games in Torino, Beijing, Vancouver and most recently in London.
On the personal invitation of the distinguished IOC president Dr Thomas Bach, AIMS attended the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AIMS president Stephan Fox thanked the distinguished IOC president Dr Bach for this invitation. Besides witnessing important decision-making, such as the vote of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympics, important information was handed on the updates of the implementation of Agenda 2020. Sir Martin Sorrell made an inspiring Keynote speech on Youth Media Consumption and what it means for the Olympic Channel. Emotional moments were felt when the IOC granted South Sudan full recognition. Sir Craig Reedle, Chairman of World Anti Doping Agency and many more gave reports. The session also provided the opportunity for AIMS to meet the many IOC members and the leaders in sports and AIMS would like again to thank the IOC President for this opportunity.
The four presidents of the SportAccord umbrella organisations Mr Gian Franco Kasper (AIOWF), Mr Raffaele Chiulli (ARISF), Mr Francesco Ricci Bitti (ASOIF) and Mr Stephan Fox (AIMS) met in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the continued close cooperation between world recognised sports represented in the 4 groups. AIMS president, and IFMA General Secretary Mr Fox, thanked all the distinguished presidents for this important meeting.
The SportAccord IF Forum will take place in Lausanne from 11th -13th November 2015. Over 100 world recognised sports and sporting organistaions and umbrella bodies will gather in Lusanne the Olympic capital of the world. “Governance in Sport” will be one of the main focuses on the conference program for this important forum, which will be opened by the President of the IOC, Dr. Thomas Bach. The opening address will be delivered by the President of ASIOF (Association of Summer Olympics Association), Mr. Franco Ricci Bitti also the President of the SportAccord Convention. Important topics for the world’s leaders in sport include implementing good governance, preventing competition manipulation, IOC integrity initiatives, the IOC-Interpol annual report, Olympic agenda 2020, to name just a few for these exciting 3 days. AIMS President Mr. Stephan Fox will be presenting in his capacity as AIMS President and SportAccord Council Member.
The 23 recognised world sports will be gathering again in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital for the 2015 SportAccord IF Forum. There will be various important meetings including the AIMS Executive Board meeting and the Assembly at which the representatives of the 23 sports will gather to make important decisions for the overall development of sport. AIMS is one of the 5 umbrella groups in SportAccord along with, ARISF, ASOIF, AIOWF and the Associate Members; and cooperation and networking for the overall development of sport is important.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – At the Extraordinary General Assembly of SportAccord held at the Hotel Royal Savoy in Lausanne, Switzerland on Wednesday 11th November, the members decided by large majority to authorise the SportAccord Council to negotiate with the Board of the SportAccord Convention to merge the organisations into one body. In spring 2016 the General Assembly of SportAccord will convene and review the proposed Statutes that will be established and submitted to the members. Until the end of the year the members have been invited to submit any specific requests and ideas for the merged SportAccord entity that will be considered during the negotiations between the SportAccord Council and Board of the SportAccord Convention. Interim Chairman of the SportAccord Council Gian Franco Kasper said: “Today represents an important message from the International Federations, that we value SportAccord as our shared platform to interact, discuss topical issues, share problems and look for solutions. I appreciate the positive feedback and constructive approach from the members during today’s SportAccord Extraordinary General Assembly and am convinced we have made a positive step”. AIMS President, Mr Stephan Fox participated at this highly anticipated Extraordinary General Assembly, as one of the SportAccord Council Members. The EGA […]
Yesterday the Men’s World Championship in Argentina started with the opening ceremony in Villa General Belgrano, which included folkloric dances and a Tango performance and the official welcome-speech by Jose Gonzales, president of the organisation committee and Karl Weiss, president of the international fistball association. Directly after the ceremony the opening game was held at the same venue. Around 1000 visitors enjoyed the game between the local team of Argentina against the team from the USA. Argentina won the game i 3 strait sets. The opening ceremony as well as the opening game was broadcasted via live stream to the whole world. Unfortunately the team of India was not able to come to the games. So the schedule for group C had to be changed. Group C will now play a double round against each other on day 2 and day 3. You can find all information about the world championship including the schedules, news, all results and tables as well as the schedule of the live stream in the multi lingual homepage of the world championship: http://faustball2015.com/
The 109 world recognised full member International Sport Federations and Associate members convened in Lausanne for the Extraordinary General Assembly for SportAccord. The meeting was chaired by the President of the AOIWF (Winter Olympics) and Chariman of SportAccord Mr Gian-Franco Kasper and attended by special guest President of ASOIF (Summer Olympics) and SportAccord Convention Mr Francesco Ricci-Bitti. After controversial months in SportAccord, all SportAccord members including the ones with suspended membership came together to discuss the proposed merger of SportAccord and SportAccord convention. All 23 AIMS members were present at the important coference with the final conclusion to draft an agenda for the possible merger to be voted on in April 2016 at the SportAccord Convention 2016. After some discussion the direction was clear, that a merger of the 2 organisations would be further discussed and voted on at the upcoming SportAccord Convention in April 2016.
The AIMS council convened for an important meeting before the SportAccord Extraordinary Congress to discuss strategy and a combined stance. Special guest FIAS President, Vasily Shestakov, who attended the meeting also invited all AIMS members for a FIAS sponsored dinner. AIMS President Stephan Fox made a detailed report on all the recent developments of AIMS while Gerhard Zimmermann reported on the organizational aspects. All the 23 non-Olympic recognized AIMS members were in full attendance of the Extraordinary General Assembly of SportAccord.
The IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach opened the SportAccord IF Forum 2015 with a record number of international sports federations in attendance. This year’s conference programme is focused on governance and sport and has been developed in close cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and the SportAccord Convention stakeholders. The event was by invitation only for international sport federations from SportAccord, ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF and AIMS. Dr Bach gave a warm welcome speech to all the recognised international sporting federations and associate members outlining the importance of good governance in sport, with Francesco Ricci Bitti issuing the following statement. “Today, the International Sport Federations welcome and accept the IOC’s invitation to work together to not only establish indicators and assessment mechanisms, but to promote their use within their respective sports. The objective of this undertaking is to ensure that the state of governance within sports institutions can be readily assessed publicly and monitored on an ongoing basis. This will be done in an inclusive manner, taking into account best practices and using the most appropriate available tools so as to not only establish the right processes, but to promote and ensure a ‘Culture of Good Governance’ within all Sport Federations.” […]
As with every year, AIMS actively participated at the IFU Forum and this year it was part of the panel in implementing good governance in sport with accountability through transparency and democratic decision-making. AIMS General Secretary Gerhard Zimmermann stated that the credibility of AIMS as a recognised umbrella organisation of 23 sports is important. AIMS over the last 12 months conducted a research on all it’s 23 members to ensure that each and everyone is in line with good governance. AIMS Executive Board member Julie Gabriel, stated that AIMS truly sets a high bar for membership and we must practice what we preach to ensure that each and everyone practices and sets proper examples. Michal Buchel, AIMS Executive member states that we all must follow the principles of Olympic regardless of having achieved IOC recognition or not. AIMS president, Stephan Fox who represented AIMS on the panel stated that good governance is the foundation of sport. “We cannot close our eyes to members of the sport family that are not following the practice” and AIMS is measuring their members and is not afraid to discipline the ones that do not follow proper sport ethics. The credibiilty of sport is important, […]
After Sochi and Bangkok, the 3rd AIMS Congress and 2nd Extraordinary General Assembly for 2015 was held in the Olympic capital of Lausanne, where the 23 AIMS member federations came together for the last meeting of the year to discuss important topics and to continue to do their part in shaping the world of sport. The topics included the proposed changes in SportAccord, and the AIMS’ mission and vision as the fourth group in the world sport family. Important constitutional changes were made to be fully complaint with the Olympic Charter and to continue to comply and to be actively involved with the standards of good governance. The Code of Ethics is important for AIMS and new commission chairpersons have been approved with Ms Hajin Lee from International Go federation in charge of the Ethics Commissions, to deal with any ethics related issues and to be the link with the IOC Ethics Commission. Ms Helen Lundberg from the International Federation of Sleddog Sport was appointed to take over the Social Responsibilities and Universality Commission. AIMS also welcomed both the former presidents of AIMS, Fumio Morooka and Espen Lund at the meeting. Igor Lanzoni also presented on behalf of the Pierre […]
Saturday the World Championship ended. The week started with beautiful weather and interesting games in the three groups. In the middle of the week a ridge of a hurricane brought heavy rain, hail and a bad storm so that firs a game had to be interrupted and then started anew the next day. But it got worse the next night when the whole center court was a mess after the heavy storm. It was not possible to play at all the whole day. The playing schedule had to be changed for the next day. Only because of the effort from everybody at the world championship it was possible to continue the next day with the new schedule and also with live streaming of the games. The new mode with the double elimination system created an interesting Championship with enough time to play also for all the new teams. Austria, Brazil, Germany and Switzerland made their way to the semi finals Saturday afternoon. Germany won in 3 strait sets against Austria. Brazil fought hard against Switzerland so that the game lasted the full 5 sets with a better ending for Switzerland. Before the bronze medal game and the big final the other classification […]
AIMS held three important General assemblies this year with the 1st being in Sochi in May, the 2nd in Bangkok in August and the 3rd in Lausanne in November. AIMS is about working together for the benefit of sport and activities on all levels. The practice of sport is a human right and every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport without discrimination or any kind; such rights and freedom are set forth in the Olympic Charter and must be secured. Respect and friendship plays an important part in AIMS and sharing moments together, not only in the field of play and meeting rooms, but also enjoying each other’s company in social events. After Muaythai’s invitation of the 23 members to Bangkok, this time the International Sambo Federation’s (FIAS) President Vasily Shestakov, and FIAS CEO and AIMS Executive member Michal Buchel extended an invitation to the 23 international federations and guests and hosted a wonderful dinner in Lausanne.
Lausanne was the place for the World Combat Games meeting. The event showcasing the spirit of combat sports and martial arts. The meeting was opened by SportAccord chairman and the President of Winter Olympic Federations, AIOWF, Mr. Gian-Franco Kasper. On behalf of SportAccord, AIMS President and SportAccord council member, Stephan Fox, made all the presentations discussing structure, possible host cities and criteria for the next World Combat Games. Important decisions have been made especially the Olympic sports to showcase the non-Olympic disciplines. A possible yearly gala organised by the 16 world recognised martial arts and a draft of a pledg e of cooperation of the 16 IOC and/or SportAccord recognised combat sports grouped together ASIOF, ARISF and AIMS. All 16 sports have voted to continue to work closely together and the next Combat Games meeting is set with major decisions on the agenda at the SportAccord convention 201
Congratulations to the Men’s Fistball Team from Germany, IWGA Team of the Month for November 2015. The squad of Coach Olaf Neuenfeld secured the World Fistball Championship title at the World Championships in Argentina (14-21 November of this year). The defending champions achieved the title with a 4-0 win over Switzerland and booked their ticket for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland. In Wroclaw, the German team will compete against Switzerland, Austria, Brazil, Argentina and Poland, aiming to defend their TWG title. What the fans learned in Argentina is that there is more than a slight chance that they will make it. Team Germany proved once again that it’s impossible to keep up with their “Golden Generation” on the pitch. Striker Patrick Thomas and his teammates didn’t lose a single set in seven games on their way to defend their title from the World Championship 2011. The Swiss team was their opponent in the final game for the third consecutive time on the international stage: World Games 2013, European Championship 2014 and the third final clash between the bordering countries when Germany beat Switzerland 4-0 in sets, to secure their record-setting 11th World Cup title this November in Argentina. […]
Implementing agenda 2020 requires a close relationship between the International Olympic Committee the recognised and the non-IOC recognised sports federations. This has been expressed at the first joint IOC/AIMS workshop, held in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital. The meeting was chaired by Kit McConnell, the IOC Sports Director.The meeting was opened by IOC Director General, Christophe de Kepper, welcoming all the 23 AIMS member federations and Raphael Chiulli, the ARISF President, outlining the importance of cooperation between AIMS and the IOC, the important meetings which took place in the build up to this meeting between IOC President, Dr. Thomas Bach, AIMS President, Stephan Fox, the IOC Sports Department, Kit McConnell and himself. Building a better world through sport is the main focus in the vision of Olympism which is a philosophy of life to play sport at the service of human kind. Stephan Fox, AIMS President, thanked the IOC for inviting the 23 recognised international federations to the IOC headquarter organising this historical and important meeting. He stated that it was a historical day for AIMS and all AIMS sports, a significant step towards an important relationship with the IOC and the Olympic movement. He spoke of how the cooperation between […]
History was made in Lausanne when the IOC invited 23 international recognised sporting federations member of AIMS to the IOC headquarter for a joint meeting to remember the day the AIMS executive board and all 23 AIMS federations took a group photo shot together as a reminder on a historical day and to continue to cooperate for one common goal, which is to use the immense power of sport and to continue on their mission to build a better world through sport.
The AIMS logo consists of a handshake signifying the cooperation, friendship, respect and fair play of all sports, to use the power and benefits of sport for the good of society. A special meeting took place between the 23 AIMS federations and the IOC to establish official cooperation between the IOC and AIMS where a special present was given to the IOC Present, Dr. Thomas Bach – the official AIMS jacket for the chilly winter days ahead and a token of appreciation by AIMS for his vision in sport. The jacket was presented to IOC Director General, Christophe de Kepper, and IOC Sports Director, Kit McConnell.
New elected WAKO President Mr. Borislav Pelevic and Mr. Roy Baker, acting President of WAKO Europe, had a meeting in Dublin with Mr. Patrick Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committee (in the picture on the left with Mr. Pelevic). Mr Pat Hickey was specially invited to the finals of the Championships in Dublin, where he had the opportunity not only to meet the new WAKO President but also to enjoy the best fights of the Championships. Theme of the meeting was participation of kickboxing on the next European Games 2019 in Sochi, Russia. On this occasion, it was announced the visit of Mr. Borislav Pelevic and Mr. Roy Baker to Moscow, where they will meet Russian Minister of Sport.
It has been officially announced that the IOC Executive Board has recently approved recognition status of the of the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS), subject to the signing of an MoU and some minor amendments to the AIMS Constitution. After the above mentioned requirements are satisfied, AIMS will receive provisional recognition and become an “IOC Recognised Organisation”. IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach sent a personal letter to AIMS President Stephan Fox informing the organisation of the wonderful news. Final amendments to the AIMS Statutes are aimed for completion and ratification at the next AIMS AGM in April during the SportAccord convention, 2016. “On behalf of the AIMS, I would first of all like to convey our deepest gratitude to the President of the IOC for his vision and implementation of Agenda 2020, the IOC Sports Department headed by Kit McConnell for his support and Sarah Van Ballekom for her continued professionalism throughout this process.” said AIMS President Stephan Fox. Congratulations to all the 23 International Member Federations of AIMS.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas for those who celebrate Christmas, and for everyone, wishing you restful days between the years with health and happiness for your loved ones and yourself. Looking forward to 2016 where there will be many moments with more successful achievements and when we enjoy each others’ company.
The President of Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko has awarded Dmitry Valent with the sports title of Honoured Master of Sport, which marks the outstanding achievement of Belarus muaythai under the leadership of the President of Belarus Muaythai Federation and Commander in Chief of Belarus Army, Yuri Karaev.
AIMS is made up of 23 recognised international sport federations that make up about a quarter within the four recognised umbrella groups that include ASOIF, AIOWF and ARISF. AIMS President Stephan Fox said that this 25% is the minimum of AIMS ISF and sports that should be included in multi sport games. Giving the athletes from all the sports a chance to be included in the various games including both summer and winter, continues to be one of the main priorities of AIMS. Mr Fox stated that a good example of this is the upcoming Asian Beach Games in Danang Vietnam, where 5 out of the 20 selected sports come from the AIMS family. AIMS will continue the drive to popularise each and every member sport in the interest of the athletes, so they can proudly compete at these multi sport games representing their sports, their country and most importantly themselves.
IFMA prides ourselves to find a balance for the young generation on educational endeavors with sport. It is important for IFMA that education and sport go hand in hand and that we encourage that the young generation follows both paths. Elisa Salinas Chairman of IFMA Youth Commission stated that the enormous power of sport is one which can be utilized to achieve change for good. That is why IFMA has partnered up with organisations like Peace and Sport, Generation for Peace, UN Women to use the power of sport to make a positive difference especially for the youth around the world. This month’s initiative was for the youth from around the world to send their drawing on the theme around Muaythai day, incorporating the 5 key elements of the foundation of IFMA, Honour, Tradition, Respect, Excellence and Fair Play. So many kids from around the world have sent in their art pieces and then on the 6th of February, the final 10 made it to the Muaythai day final vote. The winner was Viktoria Silvestrova from Russia, but nevertheless, in the spirit of Muaythai, everyone is the winner. We published the final 10 art pieces, and congratulations to all […]
The 79th Congress of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) is now being held in Doha. As part of this major event, Nikolai Dolgopolov, AIPS Vice President and Chairman of the SAMBO Commission, presented a report on the development of SAMBO last year. There was special emphasis on the development of SAMBO worldwide: the President’s Cup in Manchester and the World Championship in Casablanca attracted a large number of journalists and received enthusiastic coverage in the media. The speaker especially highlighted the image of SAMBO that FIAS promotes through people, personalities and SAMBO heroes. Attractive young female SAMBO wrestlers are featured on the covers of glossy magazines, showing that beauty can be nimble and strong. Along with this, a new source of SAMBO fans and supporters has appeared with the return of a living legend — Fedor Emelianenko. And, of course, there was a photo known all over the world — Belarusian Stepan Popov carrying an injured opponent from the mat in the final of the 1st European Games in Baku in 2015. This is nothing unusual for SAMBO wrestlers. But for the audience, and for the development of our favorite sport, one picture is worth a thousand words in […]
Pan American breakthrough: SAMBO has been included in the program of the Central American Sports Games
SAMBO has been included among the sports that will be represented in the program of the XI Central American Sports Games. One of the largest sporting events in Central America will be held in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, in 2017. SAMBO is the only sport not recognized by the IOC to be included in the program of the 2017 GAMES. The decision to include SAMBO was made at the Congress of the Central American Sports Organization (ORDECA) held in Managua in February. Emmet Lang, the President of ORDECA, who is also President of the National Olympic Committee of Nicaragua, noted that competitions in 28 sports would be held at the XI Central American Sports Games. Twenty of these are included in the program of the Olympic Games, another 7 have IOC recognition, and still another — SAMBO — will be presented as a demonstration sport. “The exact date of the competitions will be decided at the next ORDECA Congress, which will take place in late March — early April. To date, we have received proposals to hold the competitions either in July or November of next year,” Lang said. He added that most of the infrastructure in Managua was ready for this major multi-sport event. We remind you […]
Mr. Jörn Verleger was introduced as new voluntary Secretary General at the IFA Congress in Argentina back in November 2015. The 44-year old sport enthusiast from Bavaria aims high when it comes to the future of fistball. He talks to us about the progress of the IOC Recognition and new IFA structures. IFA: Hello Jörn, you are in office for 100 days now. What were your main tasks during this time as Secretary General? Jörn Verleger: The main focus was on the organizing duties, like the preparation of the first Board meeting on 15th of January. Due to the new elections and restructuring of the commissions we had to hold several ballots. Furthermore, we received information from the IOC about the ongoing recognition process. The work for the required documents is already in progress for several months, but the questionnaire from the IOC was extended and the requirements specified. I think there is still a lot of work ahead for us. IFA: How could we present our sport more attractive for spectators and sponsors in the future? Jörn: Fistball is a fascinating sport with impressive dynamic within the game. We have to convey these dynamic to the fans and […]
The 2016 SportAccord Convention is set to be held on the 17- 22 April at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre, in the beautiful Olympic city of Lausanne. The SportAccord Convention is the world’s premier and most exclusive annual event at the service of sport. It is focused on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport. The SportAccord Convention is a not-for-profit organisation which annually brings together representatives from more than 100 International Sports Federations affiliated with the following umbrella organisations that host their Annual General Assemblies at the SportAccord Convention. AIMS will be at the Convention in full force with full representation of the 23 IFs and will be joining hands and making cooperative efforts with major names, stakeholders and international federations in the sporting world. The convention is made of the 4 umbrella groups in SportAccord namely ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), AIOWF (Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations), ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations) and AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport); and also in close cooperation and full support of the […]
The 8th Colombian SAMBO Championship and the 1st “Colombia for Peace” International Sport and Combat SAMBO Tournament will be held from March 18 to 20 in Cali, Colombia. The motto of the tournament is “Win for Peace!”. “We came up with the idea of holding an international ‘Colombia for Peace’ tournament because we work a lot with poor athletes who live in war zones. Many of them are angry when they come to us, and show a very high level of aggression, but then after SAMBO training, they become calmer and become good people,” says Omar Lopera, President of the Colombian SAMBO Federation. The “Colombia for Peace” tournament is being organized by the Colombian SAMBO Federation, with the support of the Institute of Sport, Physical Education and Tourism of Valle del Cauca Department (INDERVALLE) and the Governor’s Office of Valle del Cauca Department. The competitions will be held at the National Sport School, the country’s most famous sports university, at the modern sports arena Coliseo Mundialista Iván Vassilev Todorov. “We use SAMBO to teach athletes to respect and follow the rules, which means to respect and comply with the laws in general. We actually train real citizens, who will represent our country; we train the people our country needs,” […]
The SportAccord Convention is without a doubt one of the most prominent events on the international sporting calendar. The entire elite sporting industry gathers each year to exchange ideas and information for the benefit of all in sport. AIMS consists of 23 international sporting federations, recognised by SportAccord and AIMS plays an important role to actively unite, to coordinate and defend the common interest of the AIMS members. AIMS prides itself in the close cooperation between the Olympic and non Olympic sports, the 3 umbrella groups ASOIF, AIOWF and ARISF, and SportAccord and IOC. This is the 14th edition of the SportAccord Convention which has taken place in many beautiful cities around the world but this year as its return to the Olympic city of Lausanne, the home of many international sporting federations and the IOC, undoubtedly will ensure an unforgettable and most importantly successful event in which there is clearly one winner – SPORT.
This year, the SportAccord Welcome Dinner will be held at the Olympic Museum organised by the International World Games Association (IWGA), the Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations (ARISF); and this year the Alliance of Independent Recognised members of Sport (AIMS) is proud to be the third group hosting the night. This highly anticipated dinner will see big and prominent names in the world of sport such as the distinguished IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach, WADA president Sir Craig Reedie, ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, AIOWF President Gian Franco Kasper, ARISF President Raffaele Chiulli, our own AIMS President Stephan Fox amongst many others. The dinner will be an exclusive event on the 18th of April at the beautiful Olympic Museum, a venue that is not only elegant but fitting for the gathering of all the international big names and recognised federations in the world of sport.
The ARISF/WADA Anti-Doping Coaching/Training Session, held every year since 2014 at the SportAccord Convention, is an open platform for International Federations (IFs), WADA, and any individual organisation involved or interested in clean sport to share the expertise, experiences and views in an open and transparent way. It features a series of discussions and presentations from anti-doping experts, and IF and WADA representatives focusing on a variety of areas including prevention, information sharing, doping control, results management, and other key elements of the protection of the clean athlete. The cooperation between the 4 umbrella groups in the Olympic Movement is of utmost importance. AIMS General Secretary Dr Gerhard Zimmermann, stated that many other future opportunities are planned for AIMS members to take advantage of the resources provided by IOC, SportAccord and the other 3 umbrella groups. AIMS will be in attendance with full representation of it’s constituent IFs at the workshop.
An important meeting took place between AIMS President Stephan Fox and the Secretary General of Sepaktakraw (ISTAF), Dato Abdul Halim Kader. The cooperation between the 23 AIMS members, SportAccord and the IOC and the other 3 umbrella groups, ASOIF, AIOWF and ARISF has been the topic of this discussion. Sepaktakraw has gain immense popularity in recent years, included in many multi sport games, Asian Games, Asian Beach Games, SEA Games and so on. It is also one of the interested IFs striving for individual IOC recognition. Dato Kader congratulated the AIMS President for the achievements and his vision in the co-operation of all Olympic and non-Olympic sports for the betterment of sport. Also present was Mr Muhammad Fariq, Chairman ISTAF Control Committee, who had a separate meeting with the IFMA Sport Director Charissa Tynan regarding the cooperation of Muaythai and Sepaktakraw at events for the promotion and development of each individual sport.
Three years ago, the Peace and Sport international sports organization initiated the White Card campaign dedicated to the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6. The essence of the campaign is that athletes are invited to take a photo or selfie with a White Card in their hands in order to express the symbolic gesture of the belief that sport can steadily change the world. FIAS and SAMBO have taken part in the event since its inception, and today, we are turning your attention not only to photos of athletes with White Card, but also an interview with SAMBO athlete Maria Guedez (Venezuela) and Laure Fournier (France), where they talk about sports for peace and its contribution to this good cause. Do you think sport can increase the possibility of peace? Maria: I am convinced that sport can help peace, because it brings together athletes, unites countries and creates a union of friendship. We are engaged in martial arts, so we must always have an opponent, at least during a fight. But SAMBO still increases our feelings of friendship and peace between every country. Laure: I definitely believe that sport can bring peace into our lives. […]
Songkran is an important holiday celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year’s Day from 13 to 15 April. It is a festival of unity, where people who have moved away usually return home to their loved ones and elder family members. IFMA invited many guests to their garden at their beautiful headquarter to celebrate and show respect to the IFMA President. AIMS is a family of 23 sports working together for the good of sport and executive board member Michal Buchel who is also the CEO of International Sambo Federation and Fariq representing Sepaktakraw showed their respect on behalf of AIMS to the IFMA president. The cooperation of 23 federations for overall betterment of sport is the foundation of AIMS and respect for one another, the various cultures of the sports bring beautiful moments like these.
AIMS takes great pride in its cooperation with the recognised organisations in sporting world. The AIMS conference held on the 19th of April, at the Swisstech Centre in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne was a great success with major and highly respected names in the world of sport, the conference was not only informative but also left a great sense of solidarity towards a united goal – that is the betterment of the world through sport. The conference was lead by welcome speeches from Mr Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of ASOIF and SportAccord Convention, Sir Craig Reedie IOC Vice President and President of WADA and President of ARISF Mr Raffaele Chiulli. The various speakers congratulated AIMS on it’s progress and development through the year, under the leadership of it’s president. Following the welcome notes, were very informative presentation from other special speakers that included: IOC representatives, Sport Director Mr Kit McConnell and Head of Sport Partnerships and Coordination, Mrs Jenny Mann; Peace and Sport and World Olympians President, Mr Joël Bouzou; CEO of IWGA, Mr Joachim Gossow; WUC Director FISU, Mr Paulo Ferreira; Director ThinkSport Mrs Anna Hellman; including host city presenters, HE Mrs Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports, […]
History has been made! A historical MoU has been signed between the IOC represented by IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach and AIMS represented by its counterpart Stephan Fox. The signing ceremony was witnessed by 4 Vice Presidents from the IOC, and IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; this is a testament of the importance of the signing. AIMS, the umbrella group of 23 international sport federations, which are members of SportAccord, now have the right to be included in the “Olympic Movement Directory”. AIMS proudly supports and promotes the vision and mission of the Olympic movement by sustaining and developing sports, importantly through the education of youth through sport and to continue to be credible in sport through applicable principles of the Olympic Movement. The IOC acknowledges the role and leadership of AIMS, and its valuable contribution to support the Olympic Movement. “I must thank the IOC President Dr. Bach for his vision, for his mission and for his support of sport and for the international federations which are striving to gain individual recognition by the IOC whom nevertheless work towards good governance and the overall development of sport for the good of society. Today, 23 international sport federations showed their gratitude to the IOC […]
The place and dates of the third President’s SAMBO Cup to be held in the UK have been decided. After London and Manchester, the tournament has moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. This is where the attention of SAMBO athletes from around the world who want to fight for the prestigious challenge trophy will be focused on September 24. Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh’s main sports complex, has been chosen as the venue for the already traditional tournament. This is where all major competitions, as well as concerts (Elton John will be performing here this summer), are held. As in previous years, the organizers of the President’s Cup are planning some pleasant surprises for both spectators and SAMBO tournament participants. You may be interested to know that Princess Katarina, a descendant of two European royal dynasties, is the chair of the organizing committee. She is a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria on her mother’s side and of the King of Serbia from the famous Balkan Karađorđević dynasty on her father’s side. In turn, Michael Wynne Parker, President of the Commonwealth SAMBO Association, announced that members of several ancient Scottish clans had already expressed their intention to attend the tournament. The Consul General of the Russian […]
FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann has been elected President of SportAccord after overcoming the President of World Underwater Federation Anna Arzhanova at the SportAccord General Assembly. Patrick Baumann is an IOC member and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Secretary General was elected the new SportAccord president today at the SportAccord Convention in Lausanne. Mr. Baumann said that he acknowledges his challenge and will be “trying to build an atmosphere which can bring us all together.” He says SportAccord can serve as “the voice of sport.” AIMS is looking forward to a close cooperation with the new President and will continue to play an important part within the recognised world of sport.
A historic joint welcome dinner hosted by IWGA, ARISF and AIMS was held at the Olympic Museum on the night of the 18th of April. The room was filled with representatives from over 60 international recognised sporting federations grouped together in ARISF and AIMS and many of them also members of IWGA and included in the World Games program. IWGA, led by President Jose Perurena, who is also an IOC Member; ARISF members, led by President Raffaele Chiulli and AIMS represented with Stephan Fox as President; all present to celebrate the opening of the SportAccord Convention for 2016 in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne and no place would be more fitting than the Olympic Museum in the Olympic capital. Mr Chiulli shared on the expectations of the SAC and the warmth of coming together as a family for the united love of sport. The night was especially honoured by presence of the IOC President Dr Thomas Bach along with the 4 IOC Vice Presidents, the Director General and Deputy Director General,the IOC Sport Director, the IOC Head of Relations and many others, showing the level of cooperation between the IOC, the IOC recognized umbrella groups and federations and multi sport organisations. […]
The opening ceremony of the Russia – SAMBO – United Kingdom exhibition took place today, April 26, in Russia’s State Duma. The event coincides with the competitions of the annual President’s SAMBO Cup in the UK and other projects of the International SAMBO Federation. Guests viewed the exhibits before the opening ceremony. Photos were arranged on stands in the style of famous British architectural monuments tracing the history of the President’s SAMBO Cup in the UK and other joint Russian-British projects. These include a meeting at Kensington Palace on the 75th anniversary of SAMBO, a performance by sambists in the style of James Bond, a meeting of Russian and British war veterans, and other events. The Challenge Cup itself was in the place of honor at the exhibition. Guests wanting a glimpse of the future had an opportunity to take photos in a special stand‑in cutout of a Scotsman in a kilt and SAMBO jacket. The third President’s SAMBO Cup will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland this September. Have a quick look at the exhibition by watching this special video: It’s interesting that the opening ceremony of the exhibition began by involving one of Russia’s best known politicians in SAMBO. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, […]
The AIMS Council had their first 2016 meeting, held in the Olympic City of Lausanne. All AIMS Executive Board members flew in for this important meeting that has many important topics. The Council discussed the final changes of the new statutes before forwarding it to the General Assembly. The procedure for the historical IOC signing, the new AIMS office in Lausanne and many other important topics were productively discussed. A special gift was given to her Excellency Mrs Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul the Minister of Tourism of Sports, who flew in especially for this meeting to visit the SportAccord convention and a special thank you was conveyed to her for hosting the welcome dinner for the 2015 AIMS Conference that was held in Bangkok.
All 23 international federations which are members of AIMS heartily congratulate the 5 sports which have been recommended by unanimous IOC Executive Board decision to feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Baseball/Soft ball, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Karate, and Skateboarding will be forwarded to the IOC General Assembly in Rio. AIMS sincerely thanks the IOC for their vision on the Olympic Agenda 2020 and this historical decision is one of the many important objectives of Agenda 2020. AIMS will continue to work closely with the IOC as an IOC recognised IF umbrella group and will continue to work closely with the other 4 recognised umbrella groups, ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF and SportAccord. AIMS will continue its very good contribution to support the Olympic Movement.
Ron Froehlich needs no introduction in the world of sport, as an icon and a man that has dedicated his life to sport and a true contributor to the good of society using its power. A SportAccord Council member for many years, the driving engine of the World Games, a leading figure in International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG), and so much more. Ron shows that age is only a number and it was an honour to have him with us, to receive advice and guidance that has always been generously given to us in the past and undoubtedly the future. On behalf of the 23 international sporting federation, we say thank you Ron!