Report on 4th IISA World Championships - Glogow 2022

Overgenomen van IISA/Ram Barkai facebook
Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it's done”, Together with Captain Webb's famous saying, “Nothing great is easy”, can sum up the road to IISA World Championship and the event itself.
Ice Swimming is a hugely mental sport that requires great focus and determination. When one hears the famous first call “Take off your clothes”, standing in front of your lane looking around, with the wind chill around 0C, grey skies, slight drizzle/snow, and the water temperature at 3C. You need real commitment to take off your clothes. However, that being the easiest call, the 2nd call “Get in the water”, requires even more determination. As you climb down the ladder into the dark icy water, front shoulder in the water, staring ahead at the end of your lane, waiting for the final signal which means “GO”.
Yet, when you see the sheer elation in one’s face when they finished and warmed up, after the swim. You know they have been through some form of a divine experience. That euphoria stays with you for a long time. It’s hard, possibly mad, it’s physically extremely demanding and it’s mostly in your mind – Welcome to ICE SWIMMING.
The road to IISA 4th World Championship started in 2018 on the way to the Murmansk 2019 World Championship. The world was a different place back then. Getting a World Championship competition off the ground is never easy, but when Covid introduced itself, the World and its people changed. We wanted to meet in Katowice 2021 and later in 2022, but it just didn’t work. We were lucky to find Glogow in late 2021, and we pulled all the stops to make it happen. The obstacles and challenges seemed to pile up and there were many times when the World Championship dream seemed to be fading away. So many tough decisions and choices, personal, practical, financial, political… you name them. The IISA Board met many times, late at night, discussing hard matters, tough decisions, yet, united and focused behind me on the success and safety of the event. The event itself had its own challenges, yet it was successful, swimmers swam, records broken, and new champions rose.
Many swimmers were disappointed for missing it, many simply could not come for many reasons. We missed you all, from all over the world. We heard your support, and we hope to see you all in the French Alps in January at the IISA World Championship 2023.
Ice Swimming, despite being so “hardcore” and extreme, is a unique team sport. One minute we compete against each other with all our heart and the next minute we help each other get dressed and warm, exchanging supporting words and encouragement. It was great to see all the comradery come out of in the ICE.
Thank you, all the Ice Swimmers, Ice supporters, and Frozen spectators. In some odd way, Ice Swimming has become the warmest sport out there. Thank you all who allowed us to make it happen.
The level of competition and professionalism in IISA has also taken a BIG step up! The fierce youth is coming to the ICE breaking records and taking us to a new level.
During Covid, we spent a lot of time, and money to improve the website, which is our backbone system. We now boast world records and world champion titles for all distances. We offer online certificates that remain in your BIO and allow you to download and print. We started the new IISA Observer Courses, and we will commence with more Observers courses very soon. We are going to introduce an Event director Course soon which will take Event directors through IISA Event Management System, entries, results, and records. The new system will soon require IISA Country Chair approval for every event. We are also looking [hard] to bring back the prestigious Red Jacket and introduce two new Jackets [watch this space] and some other achievement badges and frozen IISA accessories.
In the coming months, in the northern hemisphere summer, IISA will revisit various issues and rules based on our growing experience.
We have seen various open water swimming goggles and warm swimwear. We will inspect new products and swimwear. Until then, we will not allow any larger goggles and new swim attire. We will revisit relay rules and may expand the relay offering next year (possible Individual medley relay).… and much more. We expect GWR to come to shorter distances record in the near future.
As always, we welcome, suggestions, feedback, and advice. We can’t promise to implement everything, but we promise to listen to everyone and consider carefully.
Thank you frozen mad ones and all of you for helping us with our mad sport.
Until the next time, See you in the ICE.
as some started calling me
“the father of Ice swimming” :)))