IRV General Assembly says thank you to Günter Fischer

After more than 30 years of dedicated service to the IRV, Günter Fischer hands over his of Vice President to newly elected Katharina Heymann

It all began with a glitch. Günter Fischer wanted to play football, but his mother said no because she did not want to wash muddy clothes. Instead, he was enrolled in the local wheel gymnastics club in Würzburg, Germany – a life-changing decision.

Günter first became involved as an athlete, training and competing with great success. From 1995 onwards, he was a member of the renowned and internationally acclaimed DTB Schauturngruppe. Shortly afterwards, he began serving the IRV – and has continued to do so ever since.

As Vice President, he was re-elected numerous times and was primarily responsible for competitions. Amid all the excitement and hectic activity of the World Championships, there was always one person who kept everything under control – Günter. In addition, he played a key role in many of the decisions and reforms that modernized our sport, including the introduction of routines performed to music, the introduction of vault for women, the writing of the framework conditions for all IRV competitions, the introduction of the IRV certified competitions…. Günter was accessible for every question and weighed in all his experience to shape our sport and to ensure fair competitions.

After more than 30 years on the IRV Executive Board, Günter decided not to stand for re-election at the 2026 General Assembly. The entire wheel gymnastics community bid him an emotional farewell and thanked him for his outstanding service and dedication.

Thank you, Günter.

IRV Judging Officer Katharina Heymann was nominated by Austria to fill the vacant position of Vice President. She was elected by an overwhelming majority at the General Assembly, and the IRV is proud to welcome another woman to its Executive Board.

As Katharina’s area of expertise is judging, she will continue to contribute to this field in her new role as Vice President. We wish Katharina every success and look forward to a bright future for the IRV.