The IFSC welcomed five new Member Federations to its family at the XIX General Assembly in Singapore, taking the total to 99 from across the globe.
The addition of Iceland, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon and Morocco means that the International Federation is just shy of the 100 mark, representing a steady increase from the 57 founding members in 2007.
All application requests to join the IFSC were ratified by the General Assembly. In addition, the GA also approved a number of country representation and organisational name changes, while confirming that it would waive the annual fees once again for the Ukrainian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UMCF).
The 2023 admissions are: Iceland – represented by the Icelandic Climbing Association (ICA/Kí); Kosovo– represented by the Kosovo Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation (KMSCF); Kuwait – represented by the Kuwait Climbing Committee (KCC); Lebanon– represented by the Lebanese Federation of Sport Climbing and Mountaineering (LFSCM); and Morocco– represented by the Royal Moroccan Federation of Ski and Mountain Sports (FRMSSM).
Azerbaijan now has a new representative body, with the Azerbaijan Mountaineering Federation (AMF) being approved to take over the promotion and development of climbing in the country from the Air and Extreme Sports Federation of Azerbaijan (AESFA), which has subsequently had its membership terminated.
The Member Federation of the Philippines was confirmed as a Full Member, having previously been recognised as a Continental Member. The representative body also changed its name to Pilipinas Climbing, having previously been known as the Sport Climbing Association of the Philippines (SCAPI).
There were also name changes for the federations of Portugal and Venezuela. Portugal is now represented by Federação Promotora de Escalada de Competição – having previously been Federação Promotora de Montanhismo e Escalada – and Venezuela is now represented by Federación Venezolana de Escalada Deportiva (FEVED) – previously known as Federación Venezolana de Montañismo y Escalada (FEVME).
New Caledonia’s membership was terminated on the request of the former Observer Membership body, the Comité Régional de la Montagne et de l’Escalade de la Nouvelle Calédonie, as it will now be governed by the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME).
It was also announced that the 2023 membership fees for the Ukrainian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation will once again be waived.
Leslie Romero of Venezuela competes in Boulder © Daniel Gajda/IFSC