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XXXVI IRF WORLD JUNIOR RACQUETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SANTO DOMINGO 2025 WRAP UP

The International Racquetball Federation would like to thank the Dominican Racquetball Federation and all its staff, led by President Rafael Fernandez and Secretary Ramon Acosta, for celebrating the amazing XXXVI IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo in 2025.
We would also like to thank Gearbox Racquetball for being the IRF’s Main Sponsor. The Sleek Black is the best ball and Garbox is the Official Racquet of IRF International Events.
We would also like to thanks ProKennex for being IRF sponsor and the Official Racquet for the official tournaments.
This event was made possible thanks to the support of the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Sport and Claro Dominicana
The continuous collaboration of the Dominican Olympic Committee and Centro Caribe Sports shows the great path to the Racquetball competition of the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026
A huge thank you to the more than 30 IRF staff who worked tirelessly for over 10 days. Referees, Tournament Desk staff, Social Media and Broadcast team, you did it perfectly one more time!
We also want to thank Opri Sports for outfitting the IRF Staff with professionalism and style throughout the event.
Congratulations to the athletes for your efforts and successes. Whether you won your division or just one game during the tournament, wearing your national uniform and showing how you can improve every day is the greatest achievement!
Finally, thank you to the National Federation leaders and coaches, and to the parents and families — this tournament is yours, and you made it possible! Thank you once again, and we look forward to seeing you next year to celebrate the next IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships, the most beautiful event!
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Thank you so much Splathead

The Executive Committee of the International Racquetball Federation would like to thank Splathead and its founder, Joe Hall, for their many years of unconditional support of Racquetball.
It is sad to hear of the company’s closure at the end of this year but we are sure that many others will follow his example of business and support for the sport.
We wish Joe every success in the future and hope that the Splathead apparel will continue to be worn by thousands of racquetball players around the world. We are sure we will meet again on a racquetball court!
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ASUNCIÓN, PARAGUAY ELECTED HOST CITY FOR THE 2031 PAN AMERICAN GAMES

 

 

 

The Paraguayan capital won the vote by 28 votes to 24 for Rio-Niterói. The vote took place at the Extraordinary General Assembly held in Santiago, Chile.

In an Assembly filled with excitement and unity among the member countries of Panam Sports, the continent elected the host city for the 2031 Pan American Games.

Asunción, Paraguay, won the election with 28 votes against the 24 obtained by Rio Niterói, out of a total of 52 votes.

It should be noted that the only country absent from the Assembly was Dominica, so the remaining 40 countries were able to cast their votes and participate in this election.

“I am very happy. Thanks to God and everyone’s support, our dreams are coming true. We are going to work hard for this and we are very happy. We greatly appreciate everyone’s support and we will never let them down. I dedicate this victory to all the Paraguayan people and to all the efforts made by the Americas to move forward,” said an emotional Camilo Pérez, President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee.

“I know that sometimes it is very difficult to press the little button to support David, it costs a little more. We always want to play it safe with Goliath. That’s why I’m very happy. We had a great competition, so I thank the President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Marco La Porta. I thank all my friends and especially my president, President Santiago Peña,” concluded the Paraguayan IOC member.

For the first time in history, Asunción, Paraguay, will host the continental event and will be the thirteenth country to organize the Americas’ biggest sporting event.

 

Source: Panamsports.org

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published the 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods 

 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published the 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List), which was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) during its meeting on 11 September 2025 and enters into force on 1 January 2026.

We also publish:

The List is one of the eight International Standards that are mandatory for all Signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). It designates which substances and methods are prohibited both in- and out-of-competition and which substances are banned in particular sports.

WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said: “We encourage athletes, their entourage and all stakeholders to acquaint themselves with the Summary of Major Modifications to avoid inadvertent use of substances and methods that are prohibited in sport for 2026. In particular, we kindly ask all Anti-Doping Organizations around the world to share the List and its related documents with athletes, their entourage, and other relevant stakeholders under their jurisdiction.

Major modifications for 2026 

As outlined in the 2026 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes, the major modifications for 2026 include the following:

  • Further examples or clarifications have been added to the following substance classes to help athletes and their entourage better identify prohibited substances:
    • S1. Anabolic agents,
    • S2. Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics,
    • S4. Hormone and metabolic modulators, and
    • S6. Stimulants.
  • The dosing intervals of salmeterol have been changed to avoid potential ergogenic effects, though the maximum daily delivered dose remains the same.
  • More details have been given about the prohibition of withdrawal of blood and blood components.
  • The non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO) has been added to the Prohibited Methods as a new section, M1.4. The use of carbon monoxide for diagnostic purposes, such as total hemoglobin mass measurements or the determination of pulmonary diffusion capacity, is not prohibited.
  • Cell components (e.g., nuclei and organelles such as mitochondria and ribosomes) have been added to the existing prohibition of using normal or genetically modified cells.
  • It has been clarified in the Glucocorticoids Washout Table that use of sustained-release formulations may result in detectable glucocorticoid levels past the washout period due to prolonged systemic absorption.

 

Source:  https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-publishes-2026-prohibited-list

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Andrés Acuña Re-Elected to The World Games Athletes’ Committee

Racquetball athlete and 2022 World Games champion to continue representing athletes worldwide for a second consecutive term

The International World Games Association (IWGA) has announced that racquetball athlete Andrés Acuña, 2022 World Games champion, has been elected for a second consecutive term as a member of the Athletes’ Committee of The World Games.

The Athletes’ Committee serves as the official voice of competitors within the IWGA, ensuring that athletes’ perspectives, needs, and welfare are represented in decision-making processes. Its members are drawn from past participants of The World Games, with a balance across genders, sports, and continents.

Acuña’s re-election highlights his leadership and ongoing commitment to strengthening the role of athletes in shaping the future of The World Games. His international career, including his victory at the 2022 Games, and dedication to racquetball make him a valuable contributor to the Committee’s mission of promoting fair play, athlete welfare, and representation on a global scale.

With its newly appointed members, the Athletes’ Committee now reflects an even broader diversity across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania—strengthening its role as a platform where athletes worldwide can influence the future of The World Games.

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RACQUETBALL CONFIRMED ON THE LIMA 2027 SPORTS PROGRAM

During the upcoming Pan American Games to be held in Lima in 2027, bowling and racquetball will be part of the competition program, following approval by the Panam Sports General Assembly that is currently taking place in Asuncion, as part of the activities leading up to the II Junior Pan American Games, which will begin on Saturday, August 9.

With these two sports, there will be 38 sports in the continent’s premier sport event, to be held in Lima, the capital of Peru, in 2027.

The ratification of these sports was announced at the LXIII Panam Sports General Assembly in Asuncion, Paraguay, an event attended by the president of the country, Santiago Peña Palacios, IOC vice president Gerardo Werthein, Panam Sports President Neven Ilic, and the continent’s top sports authorities.

“At the request of many National Olympic Committees and because of what these sports represent for our continent, the Panam Sports Executive Board, with the approval of the General Assembly, has decided to include bowling and racquetball in the Lima 2027 sports program. With this, there are now 38 sports that will be held at our Games in the capital of Peru,” said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.

It should be noted that both bowling and racquetball will be part of the program for the fifth consecutive time since the Guadalajara Games in 2011.

Racquetball has been part of the Pan American Games since the Mar del Plata Games in Argentina in 1995, although it was not included in the Rio 2007 Games.

Bowling was admitted to the Pan American Games since the eleventh edition held in Havana, Cuba in 1991. This sport was first held at the Pan American Games in Caracas in 1983, as an exhibition sport only.

The chosen sports are the following:

  1. Aquatics – Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, Open Water
  2. Athletics
  3. Badminton
  4. Handball
  5. Baseball (men) / Softball (women)
  6. Boxing
  7. Canoe – Sprint, Slalom
  8. Cycling – Track, Road, Mountain, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle
  9. Cricket
  10. Equestrian – Jumping, Dressage, Eventing
  11. Sport Climbing
  12. Fencing
  13. Water Skiing
  14. Football
  15. Gymnastics – Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline
  16. Golf
  17. Judo
  18. Hockey
  19. Karate
  20. Weightlifting
  21. Wrestling
  22. Skating – Artistic, Speed, Skateboarding
  23. Pelota
  24. Modern Pentathlon
  25. Rowing
  26. Rugby 7
  27. Squash
  28. Surf
  29. Archery
  30. Shooting
  31. Taekwondo
  32. Tennis
  33. Table Tennis
  34. Triathlon
  35. Sailing
  36. Volleyball – Indoor and Beach
  37. Racquetball
  38. Bowling 

The Panam Sports General Assembly continues on Friday, August 8, with presentations by the Organizing Committee of the host city for the next Pan American Games in Lima in 2027 and the candidate cities for the 2031 Pan American Games, Asuncion and Rio-Niteroi.

From www.panamsports.org/en/news-sport/bowling-and-racquetball-enter-the-lima-2027-sports-program/

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III Basque Racquetball Championship Singles 2025

Last wednesday, july 30th, the Basque Beach Tennis and Minority Sports Association organized the 3rd Basque Racquetball Championship (Singles). We met as usual at the San Ignacio municipal sports center (Bilbao). At the moment, we can’t play on a regulation racquetball court, but we’ll try to build one in the future. Six players gathered that afternoon, similar to last year at this time.

We played three rounds. In the first round, we divided the six players into two groups, and they played against each other. Then we played the match for 3rd and 4th place, and the final. Egoitz and Jon were the best in their groups and went on to play in the final. In the final, Egoitz won by a fairly wide margin. In the match for 3rd and 4th place, Joseba Zubiaurre could have beaten Lander, but Lander played very well.

If all goes well, we’ll meet again in December to play the 3rd Bilbao Tournament, possibly in doubles.

Here are the results:

 

Group A

Egoitz Campo 2-0 Lander Campo (11-2, 11-4)

Lander Campo 2-1 Joseba Fernández (11-8, 9-11, 11-10)

Egoitz Campo 2-0 Joseba Fernández (11-3, 11-4)

Group B

Joseba Zubiaurre 2-0 Daniel Barrientos (11-3, 11-5)

Jon Proaño 2-1 Joseba Zubiaurre (11-6, 7-11, 11-8)

Jon Proaño 2-0 Daniel Barrientos (11-1, 11-2)

Match for the 3º and 4º position match

Joseba Zubiaurre 2-0  Lander Campo (11-4, 8-11, 11-2)

Final

Egoitz Campo 2-0 Jon Proaño (11-4, 11-2)

 

Classification of the III. Basque Racquetball Championship (Individual) 2025

1-Egoitz Campo (Basque Country)

2-Jon Proaño (Basque Country)

3-Joseba Zubiaurre (Basque Country)

4-Lander Campo (Basque Country)

5-Joseba Fernández (Basque Country)

6-Daniel Barrientos (Basque Country)

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World Racquetball Day 2025

 

2025 Worldwide Racquetball Day Invitation to Racquetball Area of the World Leaders

 

Hello, Racquetball Family Around the World!

USA Racquetball warmly invites you to partner in an exciting concept that involves the entire Worldwide Racquetball community, both Indoor and Outdoor!

2025 Worldwide Racquetball Day, September 6, 2025

This worldwide event will be September 6, and wouldn’t it be wonderful to see hundreds of racquetball tournaments being held that same weekend in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America?

 

  • Provide an event for racquetball players of all skill levels
  • Build visibility for Racquetball around the globe
  • Create unity for racquetball lovers worldwide
  • Mentor and train a few new tournament directors

 

The world is a big place, but we have some ideas to offer to help bring us all together:

  • Social media, websites, and email to ensure the word gets out to all players
    • Common hashtags and like/share/forward on information all along the way
    • World map of tournament locations with links to event entry information
    • Results published for all event division winners

We would love to hear your ideas, too!

In summary:

The International Racquetball Federation and sponsor Gearbox endorse and support Worldwide Racquetball Day!

  1. To get more countries and locations involved, will you and the rest of our worldwide racquetball leaders publicize Worldwide Racquetball Day and encourage tournament directors and club owners in your areas to host a tournament on September 6 ?

    2. If events are already scheduled on your tournament calendars that weekend, we would love to include them in promoting 2025 Worldwide Racquetball Day!

    3. Please send us your thoughts, and if you are interested in being a part of 2025 Worldwide Racquetball Day and helping make racquetball history, forward the names and email addresses of your colleagues and country leaders who would benefit from this information.

Sincerely, 


Cindy Tilbury (cindy.tilbury@att.net)

 

 

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III Basque Racquetball Championship Doubles 2025

On April 11th, the Basque Beach Tennis and Minority Sports Association, the Racquetball section, organized the 3rd Basque Racquetball Championship (Doubles). This time, the following players were playing: Daniel Barrientos, Mikel Torde, Egoitz Campo, Joseba Zubiaurre, Jon Ander, and Jon Proaño.

We met again at the San Ignacio Municipal Sports Center in Bilbao. Until we find a court to play racquetball, or even build one, we will meet at San Ignacio. In this tournament, since there are three pairs, we play all against each other.

Egoitz and Mikel Torde won both matches and won the tournament; they proved they were the best pair. Jon Proaño and Jon Ander finished in second place after defeating the pairing of Joseba Zubiaurre and Daniel Barrientos in a very close match. It was a fun and intense afternoon. We had a great time and were sweating profusely. We love racquetball and will try to make progress. In July or August, if all goes well, we will compete in the 3rd Basque Racquetball Championship, but this time in the singles category.

Here are the results of the 3rd Basque Racquetball Championship (Doubles):

Results

 Egoitz Campo/Mikel Torde 2-0 Jon Ander Gil/ Jon Proaño (11-5, 11-6)

Egoitz Campo/Mikel Torde 2-0 Joseba Zubiaurre/Daniel Barrientos (11-7, 11-8)

Jon Ander Gil/ Jon Proaño 2-1 Joseba Zubiaurre/Daniel Barrientos (7-11, 11-8, 11-9)

Classification of the III. Basque Racquetball Championship (Doubles) 2025

1-Egoitz Campo (Basque Country) / Mikel Torde (Basque Country)

2-Jon Ander Gil (Basque Country) / Jon Proaño (Basque Country)

3-Joseba Zubiaurre (Basque Country) / Daniel Barrientos (Basque Country)

 

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Racquetball Growing in India

March 24, 2025

From Alok Mehta, President, Racquetball Association of India (RAI)

Racquetball Growing in India

Racquetball is starting to grow in India, with recent events in Sirsa, Haryana marking an important step forward for the sport.

First Court in Northern India

The first racquetball court in Northern India was built at The Mount School in Sirsa, Haryana. This facility now serves as a foundation for training, development, and promotion of racquetball in the region.

Exhibition Match and Training Camp

IRT professional Thomas Carter and I, Alok Mehta, captain of Team India, played an exhibition match to demonstrate how racquetball is played. Following that, we led a two-day training camp to introduce the sport and coach players in fundamentals and technique.

India’s First National Tournament

We also hosted India’s first annual racquetball tournament, with 32 players from 14 states competing across four divisions: Men, Women, Under-19, and Under-16. The event saw high energy and commitment from players, showing that the sport has strong potential in India.

Local and Institutional Support

The event received strong backing from local authorities and the Indian Olympic Committee, both of whom are interested in growing the sport further. Leaders including Gurubeant Singh, Nand Singh, Mahendra Kamboj, and Yogesh Kalra were instrumental in organizing the event and supporting court construction.

Local authorities who helped build the court and supported the training camp have expressed interest in working with the Indian government to expand racquetball across the country.

Global Contributions

We are thankful for the support from international organizations and individuals who provided gear and assistance, especially to India Racquetball Association (IRA) and it’s authorities:

• IRT (International Racquetball Tour)

• IRF (International Racquetball Federation)

• ISRA (Illinois State Racquetball Association)

• Gearbox Racquetball

• Along with many dedicated individual contributors

Call for Support

We invite the global racquetball community to help us continue this momentum. You can contribute by:

• Coaching or mentoring players

• Donating equipment

• Assisting with tournaments and events

• Partnering to develop new courts

With continued support, racquetball can become a widely played sport in India.

Alok Mehta

President

Racquetball Association of India