A Statement From the Global Axe Throwing Commission

The Global Axe Throwing Commission was created to support the growth of double-bit axe throwing and to help provide consistency, fairness and structure as our sport continues to develop internationally.

Over the past several weeks, there has been considerable discussion within our community about GAC processes, communication, competition rules and the selection of hosts for future championships.

Some of the concerns being raised are fair.

While information has been communicated through Country Representatives and other channels, we recognize that our current system has not always made important information easy for the wider axe throwing community to find. We also recognize that some of our processes need to be more clearly defined and documented.

As our sport grows, our organization needs to grow with it.

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐧𝐞

International double-bit axe throwing has developed considerably in a relatively short period of time.

The first World Championship was held in Germany in 2017, before the GAC existed and before there was any formal international process for selecting a host.

Sweden followed in 2019, with Canada selected through discussions among the countries involved at the time to host the next championship.

Planning for the Canadian World Championships ultimately helped lead to the creation of the Global Axe Throwing Commission. As the event grew and organizers pursued government funding and sponsorship, it became clear that the sport needed an international governing organization.

The Canadian Championships, eventually held in Barrington in 2022 following the COVID postponement, introduced another level of organization and production to the Worlds, including an indoor competition venue and national television coverage.

England hosted in 2024, followed by Sweden in 2026.

Each of these championships has been different. Each host has contributed something to the growth of the sport, and each event has also shown us areas where clearer standards would benefit competitors, organizers and officials.

There have only been five World Championships.

The GAC and the World Championships have, in many ways, grown together.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠

When the international axe throwing community was smaller, many decisions could be made through conversations between a relatively small number of countries and organizers.

That is no longer enough.

More countries are participating. More organizations are interested in hosting international events. Championships are becoming larger and more complex, and the financial and organizational commitments involved can be significant.

That growth requires clearer processes.

The GAC is therefore reviewing and strengthening several areas of its operations, including hosting standards for World and European/North American Championships, host application and selection procedures, competition formats and rules, technical and equipment regulations, the respective responsibilities and authority of the GAC and host organizations, procedures for making changes to established competition formats or rules, and how official information and decisions are communicated.

𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐀𝐂 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬

One area where greater clarity is particularly important is the process for hosting future championships.

Going forward, we want there to be a clear distinction between an organization expressing interest in hosting a GAC event and the GAC issuing a formal call for proposals for a specific championship.

When a formal hosting process is opened, prospective hosts should know what is required before they apply.

Our goal is for future calls for proposals to clearly identify the minimum hosting requirements, application deadline, evaluation criteria, selection process, decision-making authority and anticipated date for announcing the successful host.

Existing expressions of interest and hosting submissions will not simply be disregarded as these processes are developed. Organizations that have already approached the GAC about future events will be given the opportunity to participate in the applicable formal process.

For clarity, the GAC has not yet issued a formal public call for proposals to host the 2029 World Championships. Information about that process will be released publicly once the hosting requirements and application process have been finalized.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨

Developing better documents and procedures is only part of the solution. We also need to communicate them better.

Country Representatives will continue to be an important connection between the GAC and axe throwing communities around the world. However, significant GAC information should not depend solely on information being passed from one person or group to another.

Formal calls for championship hosts, application deadlines, significant rule changes, competition documents, major decisions and other important information should also be publicly accessible.

We are working toward making this information easier to find through the GAC website and our public communication channels.

This will also provide a permanent reference point so athletes, organizers and countries can access the same information.

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

None of this means that everything that has come before was unsuccessful.

Quite the opposite.

The international axe throwing community has built five World Championships, established competitions across numerous countries and created friendships and traditions that now extend around the world.

But the systems that helped us get here will not necessarily be the systems that take us forward.

The lessons learned from Germany, Sweden, Canada and England, and from the many national and international competitions held between them, give us an opportunity to build something stronger.

Our goal is not to create unnecessary bureaucracy. It is to make expectations clearer for everyone.

Competitors should know the rules.

Hosts should know what is expected of them.

Countries should understand how decisions are made.

And our community should be able to find important information when they need it.

The GAC Board is committed to doing that work.

We appreciate the people within our community who continue to volunteer their time, host competitions, represent their countries, raise questions and offer constructive feedback. All of those contributions help move double-bit axe throwing forward.

There is more work to do, and we will continue to share information as these updated processes and documents are completed.

𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐱𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧