Lausanne, Switzerland – 4 October 2026 – The International World Games Association (IWGA) held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) today at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the eve of the SportAccord IF Forum.
The International Member Federations present at the EGM (close to 70 IF representatives, 34 with voting rights) voted on proposed constitutional amendments and transitional arrangements designed to strengthen governance continuity and facilitate the implementation of a revised Executive Committee (ExCo) structure.
The proposed constitutional amendments and transitional arrangements were adopted by the majority of the International Member Federations present at the EGM.
The approved changes provide for the introduction of three Vice-President positions. Under the transitional arrangements, Mr. Jan Fransoo, the current Vice-President, will assume the position of First Vice-President, while Mr. John Lliejund, the current Treasurer, will assume the position of Vice-President and will no longer hold the Treasurer title.
The EGM today approved the election of the additional Vice-President for the remainder of the current ExCo mandate, bringing the total number of Vice-Presidents to three.
Additional Vice-President elected
The two candidates presented to the EGM were Mr. Pete Dyer of the Tug of War International Federation and Mr Thomas Konietzko of Paddle Worldwide.
Following the vote, Mr Thomas Konietzko was elected as the additional Vice-President, receiving 30 votes, compared with 4 votes for Mr. Pete Dyer. No abstentions were recorded.
The additional Vice-President will serve for the remainder of the current ExCo mandate, which runs until 2030.
IWGA President Anna Arzhanova said:
“I would like to congratulate Mr Thomas Konietzko on his election and thank both candidates for their commitment to the IWGA and their willingness to serve our Association. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all our International Member Federations for their support and constructive engagement in this important governance process. Their participation and trust are essential as we continue to strengthen the IWGA and prepare for the future.
These governance changes represent an important step forward for our Association. They will help us ensure continuity, strengthen our leadership structure and support the IWGA as we continue to grow and evolve. I look forward to working with our Executive Committee and all our Member Federations to build on this progress and deliver on our shared ambitions for the future.”
The IWGA also paid tribute to Tom Dielen, IWGA ExCo Member from 2006-2018 and Vice-President from 2023-2026, for his longstanding commitment and valuable contribution to the Association. In recognition of his service, he has been named Honorary Life Member of the Executive Committee.