Shaping the future – IRV Annual Meeting 2024 in Hamburg / Germany

Small steps for big improvements – this is how the three intensive meeting days of the IRV annual seminar can be summarised. Members of the IRV Executive Board and Technical Commission met from 13-15 September in Hamburg and online to discuss proposed amendments and improvements to its portfolio of activities.

The initial starting point for discussions was provided by a combination of internal feedback from the various IRV Work Teams present at the World Championships in Almere (Competition Office, Media Team, Gym Wheel Code of Points, Cyr Wheel, Executive Board) and external feedback from the local organising committee and the Athletes’ Commission.

In general, there was agreement that the 2024 World Championships had been a great success, with particular praise for the local organising committee and its large team of volunteers from all over the Netherlands. However, it was also possible to identify potential areas of improvement that can benefit future world championships events.

Planned areas of improvement include the following:

• Development of a Detailed Timetable Template for the World Championships week, where the various and different needs of all involved parties are taken into consideration. A Working Group will be set up for this purpose and the Athletes’ Commission (and where appropriate member countries) will be consulted before any final decisions are made. The timetable template should also include a clear definition of the division of responsibilities between the IRV and the local organiser.
• Development of a World Championships “Playbook” that would provide a set of non-binding best practices for future local organisers to learn from previous hosts. A Working Group will be set up to start work on the development of such a playbook, which will be linked to the details contained in the IRV Framework Conditions.
• Development of a Digital Competition System (DGS) by adapting software currently in use in Germany for international use, including competition software, registration documents, results, etc. A Working Group will be set up for this purpose.

During implementation of the above, the IRV is committed to discussing relevant issues with its member countries and the Athletes’ Commission in an open and transparent process.

The meeting in Hamburg also provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing work and upcoming activities. The key points and decisions from the meeting are listed below:

• An updated version of the Gym Wheel Code of Points – resulting from the post world championships review process – will be published before the end of 2024.
• The new Straight-Line difficulty catalogue for Gym Wheel will be published in the first quarter of 2025 and will therefore not be valid until AFTER the TWC 2025 in Leipzig. It is the result of many years of work by a team of wheel gymnastics experts who will hand over responsibility to the current Code of Points Team at the end of this year. This is an important transition and transfer of knowledge that takes time and patience but will provide a solid platform for the continued work of the CoP team in the future.
• Cyr junior categories will be introduced at the next World Championships – along the same lines as for Gym Wheel, but with the condition that there must be at least 3 registered competitors in order for a competition to take place. The Cyr Team will also prepare a proposal for including the Cyr Battle as an official World Championships category.
• The rule of maximum two participants per country will be applied to the Gym Wheel All Around finals (not just the individual discipline finals).
• The IRV has received input from the Athletes’ Commission and some member countries regarding the future format of the Team World Championships. This topic will be further discussed by the Executive Board and a concrete proposal will be prepared for consultation with member countries.
• The IRV will organise a new edition of the IRV Club Trophy from December 2024 to February 2025 (details to be published in the near future).
• Upcoming IRV Certified Competitions are confirmed with the Danish Open taking place on 9 November 2024, the Austrian Open on 23 November 2024, and the Belgian Open on 12 April 202.
• The IRV Cyr Team will have the opportunity to take part in the CSIT World Sports Games from 3-8 June 2025 in Loutraki/Greece with 30 – 50 Cyr participants (details to be published in the near future).
• The IRV is planning a community event in 2025 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Otto Feig’s Rhönrad patent (details to be published soon).
• The IRV will further develop its Academy in order to make wheel gymnastics more accessible worldwide. It will follow up on an offer from the Athletes’ Commission to help recruit skilled volunteers to contribute to IRV Academy activities for specific tasks.
• The IRV is open to sponsors and looks for volunteers who want to help with fundraising.
• The IRV will strive to increase its presence on Social Media – also during the ‘off-season’.

More detailed discussions about a wide range of competition details meant that the meeting in Hamburg was full to the brim. Keep your eyes open for updated documents and news announcements in the IRV communication channels – we look forward to a new cycle of activity and collaboration with the wider wheel gymnastics community in the upcoming year.

Best regards from the entire IRV Team

30 September 2024