XVIII General Assembly

National Federations of the IFSC gathered together on 18 and 19 March, in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, for the XVIII IFSC General Assembly.

Some 54 delegates from 40 nations participated in the Assembly, which combined physical presence and online attendance. The meeting opened on 18 March with a video message from the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.

The audience also received messages from the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, Francesco Ricci Bitti, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO, Sarah Hirshland.

The General Assembly discussed the issue of the war in Ukraine, eventually deciding to increase the restrictions already placed on the two National Federations and move to suspend their membership.

IFSC Vice President Kobinata Toru presented the Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association with the first-place award in the National Teams Ranking 2021; IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych also presented USA Climbing with the second-place award. IFSC President Marco Scolaris presented delegates of Austria, Switzerland, and the USA with the 2021 IFSC Sustainability Award, for their sustainable event strategy following the IFSC Sustainability Guidelines.

The IFSC Executive Board has responded to a dispute the Chair of its Ethics Commission raised by unanimously adopting resolutions to ensure ongoing adherence to the IFSC statutes, rules, and regulations. The Executive Board charged the Ethics Commission with overstepping its remit and interfering in the Federation’s governance and ordinary course of business. The Ethics Commission has been ruled to violate the statutes by directly communicating to National Federations with information that is considered false and unfounded on the eve of the General Assembly.

As a result, the current Ethics Commission and all its members will be suspended, the Commission will be completely reformed, including its regulations and composition, and a new Commission will be appointed as soon as circumstances allow. Independent experts and experienced members of National Federations will conduct the reform process.

Two publications were presented to the delegates: a book commemorating the debut of Sport Climbing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and the Annual Report 2021.