Italy’s Marco Scolaris has been elected as IFSC President to lead the organisation for the next four years, continuing the role he has held since the IFSC’s inception in 2007.

Scolaris won the vote ahead of candidate Tijl Smitz of Belgium - 48 votes to 35 - to head a new Executive Board that was also voted for at the XXII IFSC General Assembly in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Gaining a 57.83% majority, Scolaris’ campaign and manifesto was built on a focus of athlete’s well-being and resources, growing Para Climbing and further strengthening Climbing’s position in the Olympic sphere, and shaping the event calendar at the IFSC and National Federation level.

The election ensures continuity for the federation that was founded in 2007, with Scolaris the first, and currently only, President of the organisation and a founder of the IFSC.

The new make-up of the IFSC Executive Board will see Australia’s Naomi Cleary, France’s Pierre You, Japan’s Toru Kobinata and USA’s Anne-Worley Moelter as Vice-President’s following the assembly election vote. They will join athlete representatives Shauna Coxsey and Sean McColl who will remain on the board until their replacements are named at an election among the athletes in September of this year.

Cleary, Toru and You were all previously on the Executive Board and will continue for the next four years.

Other candidates who ran for Vice-President were Netherlands’ Joachim Driessen and Czechia’s Jan Bloudek.

The IFSC Executive Board also includes members representing the continents with South Africa’s Christopher Naude representing Africa, China’s Li Guowei representing Asia, Germany’s Burghilda Beste representing Europe, New Zealand’s Stephane David representing Oceania, and Puerto Rico’s Rene Sepulveda representing Pan America.

Singapore’s Anthony Seah also ran for the Asia representative position, with Li elected ahead of him.

The former IFSC Executive Board’s final order of business was to preside over the appointment of the Disciplinary and Ethics Commissions for the 2025-2029 term.

Dagmawit Berhane, John Bowen, Patti Rube and Lorenzo Vigasio make up the Ethics Commission with Deana Labriola, Ursa Pirc, Achille Reali and Loic Timmermans forming the Disciplinary Commission. Both were voted on by the General Assembly.

Both Commissions still have one vacant position which will be filled in due course.

Coming to the end of her term as General Secretary, USA’s Debra Gawrych was proposed as an IFSC Honorary Member with the General Assembly unanimously confirming the proposal.

Closing remarks were made by IFSC President Scolaris and President of the Cyprus Mountaineering & Climbing Federation Pavlos Georgiades, the host of the XXII General Assembly.

The 2026 IFSC General Assembly is set to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with Yasmin Gahtani presenting a proposal from her federation to host to the delegates, and subsequently being confirmed by vote.