Hystory of the organization of FIRS
(courtesy of Mr George Pickard)
The Federation Internationale de Patinage a Roulettes (FIPR) was formed in 1924 as an international sport organization to conduct roller hockey competitions between the few national federations which were already engaged on an informal basis in such competitions in western Europe. This fundamentally hockey oriented group was originated in Montreux, Switzerland in April of 1924 by two Swiss sportsmen, Fred Renkewitz and Otto Myer, who had close ties to the International Olympic Committee. Myer was IOC Chancellor. Four European countries were represented at this meeting: Switzerland, Great Britain, Germany and France. The first President of the FIPR was Fred Renkewitz, who served from 1924 until 1960. Immediately a plan was developed to hold an April 10, 1926 European Championships in England, which was then the dominant power for Rink Hockey, the British having organized this sport on a national level since before WWI. The 1926 championships had six countries participating, which included the addition of teams from Belgium and Italy. Under the Presidency (1964 to 1973) of Victoriano Oliveras de la Riva, a Spaniard, the FIPR changed its name to Federation Internationale de Roller Skating (FIRS) in the mid 1960's to become officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the international governing body for all roller skating. There was much interest, originating in Europe, for making the sport of roller skating a participant in the Olympic Games. Such IOC recognition is first necessary for inclusion in the Olympic Games. In the 1970’s, the General Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) gave similar membership recognition to FIRS.
The first World Championship organized by FIPR was for Rink Hockey (Ball and Cane) in 1936, hosted by Stuttgart, Germany. At the insistence of it growing number of member nations, the next world championship was conducted in 1937 in Monza, Italy for Roller Speed Skating on the Road. In 1938 a FIPR World Championship was held in London, England for Track Roller Speed Skating and in Ferrara, Italy for the second Road Speed Skating World Championship. In 1939, the second Rink Hockey world championship for FIPR was held in Montreux, Switzerland, after which all World roller skating championships were interrupted by World War II and did not resume again until 1947. In 1947 Rink Hockey returned with its third world championships in Lisbon, Portugal. Artistic Roller Skating conducted its first FIPR World Championships in Washington, USA also in 1947. From that time, the three disciplines of FIRS conducted annual World Championships again, expanding to include all continents of the world. Roller hockey, under FIRS, became a Demonstration Sport at the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona. The latest and fourth discipline of roller sports, Inline Roller Hockey organized the first such World Championship in Chicago, USA in the summer of 1995. The FIRS membership, during a June 2000 Congress in Zell Am See, Austria, authorized a second title change for the International Federation, substituting “Roller Sports” for the previous description “Roller Skating”, at the same time retaining the FIRS acronym, but replacing the former globe logo with the one shown above.
The earliest history may be verified by the book “Roller Skating – History and Introduction” published by FIRS in Spring of 1982, authored by Rolf Noess of Freiburg, Germany, who was then the Secretary/General of FIRS, and Camille Fetler of Bordeaux, France who had served as President of the FIRS Rink Hockey from 1958 until 1976 and subsequently was awarded with FIRS Honorary Life Membership.
Following the Congress’ resolution on September 2017 in Nanjing (China), the FIRS has changed its denomination to World Skate, the first step towards a managerial set up attentive to the needs of its base.
World Skate: a simple, direct and clear brand that undoubtedly can express the Federation’s mission. Starting from the wheel, emphasis has been put on movement rather than on the object, in order to highlight the sense of freedom and the speed of our disciplines. The colours green and grey reference the Federation’s eco-friendly and urban calling, highlighted also by an energetic and exciting typography. The result is a brand that definitely represents World Skate’s generational
Current References:
WORLD SKATE
Sabatino Aracu (President)
Av, De Rhodanie, 54
1007 - Lausanne - SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 21 6011877
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
BANK ACCOUNTS
EUROS - €
Beneficiary: FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE ROLLER SPORTS
Bank UBS Lausanne
Place Saint-François, 16
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Account n. 0243-186105.60E
IBAN CH640024324318610560E
BIC UBSWCHZH80A
DOLLARS - USD
Beneficiary: FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE ROLLER SPORTS
Bank UBS Lausanne
Place Saint-François, 16
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Account n. 0243-186105.61M
IBAN CH580024324318610561M
BIC UBSWCHZH80A
SWISS FRANCS - CHF
Beneficiary: FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE ROLLER SPORTS
Bank UBS Lausanne
Place Saint-François, 16
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Account n. 0243-186105.01Y
IBAN CH350024324318610501Y
BIC UBSWCHZH80A