December 31, 2025: After the conclusion of the 2025 iF3 Masters Worlds, the iF3 hired Michael Geistlinger to independently review, analyze, and report on the events that occurred at the competition. Mr. Geistlinger is a former arbiter for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and has served as a legal advisor for many different international sports federations over the course his career. The intent of his report was not to assign blame or give credit for the various aspects of the event nor was it to determine whether decisions made in the moment were the correct ones, but rather he was tasked with identifying technical, procedural, and strategic improvements and changes that the iF3 can make in order to ensure greater consistency in execution across future iF3 events.
The report was compiled using 3 primary sources including a report from the iF3 President, a report from the Australian Functional Fitness Federation President and Head of the Local Organizing Committee, and a “Lessons Learned” summary from the Australian Functional Fitness Federation Secretary General. These sources represent the first hand experiences and perceptions of those who submitted them, they are not sworn statements or legal testimony.
Mr. Geistlinger’s report can be read here.
iF3 President, Gretchen Kittelberger commented on the release of the report stating, “The iF3 thanks Michael Geistlinger for his work examining the circumstances around 2025 Masters Worlds and providing recommendations that will allow us to improve as an organization. We feel his report was a fair and accurate assessment of the event and focused on the issues where future change would be most feasible and meaningful, without getting bogged down in minutiae that would detract from the primary iF3 goal of providing a consistent and high quality competition experience no matter where we are in the world. We also appreciate Michael’s ability to provide recommendations that are commensurate with where we are both financially and developmentally as a governing body. We look forward to further internal discussions in the new year about how to practically implement these recommendations for upcoming events.”
Upon receiving a copy of the report, out of respect for those named in the report, the iF3 offered the primary named parties an opportunity to review the report before it became public and, if desired, submit statements to accompany the release of the report. The parties were not permitted the opportunity to have the report modified or have information stated within the report changed as this would affect the integrity of the independent report. If you would like to read the submitted statements you may do so here. Please note, the opinions expressed in the statements are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of or opinions of the iF3.
