The newly established IBSA Showdown Sports Committee, effective at the end of 2024, has already held two extensive online meetings on January 6 and February 3, 2025. These meetings were filled with productive discussions, fresh ideas, and, most importantly, efforts to implement changes aimed at improving tournament organization guidelines, refining the World Ranking system, establishing a referee committee, developing classification and licensing policies, and setting the strategy for the IBSA Showdown event calendar.

Qualification Criteria for Top Events

The previous Sports Committee awarded the 2025 World Championships to the Italian city of Silvi Marina (near Pescara, in the Abruzzo region), located on the Adriatic coast. The new Sports Committee is actively working on several key aspects to ensure a first-class event in collaboration with the Italian Blind Sports Federation (FISPIC).

As part of the new strategy to integrate Showdown into the Paralympic sports framework, a qualification criteria manual has been issued for the World Championships. This manual allocates fixed slots, wild cards, and free places for emerging countries based on the IBSA World Ranking cutoff as of January 6, following the completion of the 2024 season. You can read and download it here:

“Currently, the World Championships and any future European Championships will take place according to the IBSA World Ranking system, which will be published in advance. We aim to give the best athletes worldwide a fair chance to compete while also providing limited spots for new countries. We also plan to host the first-ever Asian Championships and are currently in discussions with a potential host candidate from South Korea,” said Mr. Zdeněk Barlok, IBSA Showdown Sports Committee Chairman.

New IBSA Showdown World Ranking Points

IBSA Sports Committee members have actively worked on revising the IBSA Showdown World Ranking system, with the following outcomes:

• The World Championships will be assigned a quota of 6. https://ibsasport.org/event/2025-ibsa-showdown-world-championships/
• A new IBSA World Ranking for non-European athletes has been introduced and will be updated after each Showdown event.
• Female athletes will now receive ranking points only up to 20th place in the final standings (currently in a testing phase).
• A new seasonal World Ranking, running from November 1 to September 30, has been created and will be updated after every Showdown event. This ranking will determine qualification for the Top 12 event, which will take place every October.
• New continental championships, including the Asian Championships, will be assigned a quota of 2 for 2025 and 2026.

“We recognize the inconsistencies in the current IBSA Showdown World Ranking system and have begun the process of refining it to ensure an up-to-date and accurate ranking that includes all active players. It will take some time, but by the end of 2025, the improvements will be evident,” said Barlok.

New Tournament Organization Guidelines

The IBSA Showdown Sports Committee is working on implementing better financial conditions for referees, ranking managers, and technical delegates to attract more professionals to the sport.

*”We also want clear policies to ensure transparency regarding the number of referees a host country’s LOC can use and to prevent conflicts of interest where referees from the same country officiate matches involving their own athletes. While we acknowledge that this will create additional work for head referees and match table officers, we have finally reached a solution and will implement it on a trial basis.

Additionally, we have outlined ‘Must-Have’ and ‘Nice-to-Have’ conditions for any country wishing to host an IBSA World Ranking event, ensuring they adhere to the required guidelines,”* said Barlok.

Top 12 Renamed to IBSA World Masters

Following the introduction of the new seasonal IBSA World Ranking, the IBSA Showdown Sports Committee, along with player representatives, decided to rename the Top 12 event to the IBSA World Masters, where the top male and female athletes will compete annually in October for Quota 5 World Ranking points. The new qualification criteria are as follows:

• The top 10 male and female athletes from the IBSA seasonal World Ranking will qualify.
• The highest-ranked non-European athlete in the seasonal World Ranking will qualify. (If a non-European athlete is already in the top 10, the next highest-ranked non-European athlete will receive the slot.)
• The host country of the IBSA World Masters will receive a wild card to select one male and one female athlete to compete.
• Starting in 2025, the IBSA World Masters will be hosted in new or emerging countries that have never organized this event before, ensuring equal opportunities for all nations.

“We are currently in discussions with several new countries interested in hosting this prestigious event, but we remain open to additional proposals from those eager to contribute to the growth of Showdown,” said Barlok.

New Showdown Event Calendar Policy

The IBSA Showdown Sports Committee unanimously agreed on a roadmap to establish Showdown as a Paralympic sport as soon as possible, with a strategic focus on inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games. To support this effort, a structured event calendar has been proposed, ensuring all stakeholders—countries, athletes, coaches, and staff—can plan effectively. The key events include:

• The World Championships will take place every two years (2025, 2027, 2029, etc.).
• The 2027 World Championships will be an official part of the IBSA World Games, following IBSA regulations.
• The European Championships will also occur every two years (2026, 2028, 2030, etc.).
• The Asian Championships and other new continental championships will be held annually, starting with Asia in 2025.
• The IBSA World Masters (formerly IBSA Top 12) will take place every October, preferably in a new or emerging country.
• IBSA Showdown World Ranking tournaments in Europe will remain in the calendar, with an additional annual tournament outside Europe starting in 2025.
• An Under-25 youth event is planned for 2025 or 2026, with a Quota 2 ranking allocation.

Further Changes in Progress

*”We are aware that additional changes are needed, such as new equipment policies, rule updates, and strategic improvements. We aim to finalize these by the end of June.

I must emphasize that all Sports Committee members have contributed significantly and worked extremely hard. I sincerely thank them all. In our first two online meetings, we prioritized key initiatives that will significantly improve Showdown,”* said Barlok.

Showdown is advancing rapidly, opening doors to new continents and opportunities. Thanks to the dedication of passionate individuals—many of whom work on a volunteer or part-time basis—the goal of inclusion in the Paralympic community is within reach. Though the path is long and not always easy, the collective effort will ultimately lead to success.