The #WISD 2022 contest was welcomed by all 47 organizers with great enthusiasm leading to numerous applications. The participating countries clubs and national federations/associations demonstrated original and out of the box ideas to make their WISD events stand out and most importantly ensure that the kids and the whole public had an unforgettable time on the ice.
Applicants were assessed across two categories according to the size of their events: the first category gathered organizers having achieved more than 500 participants in attendance, while the second category involved those with less than 500 persons.
Moreover, each winner has received a prize money as follows:
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First Award Category (with more than 500 persons in attendance) – CHF 5000
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Second Award Category (with less than 500 persons in attendance) – CHF 3000
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Best #WISDance Award Category – CHF 3000
Overview of the winners:
Indonesia – Best WISD Winner (500+ participants category)
Indonesia, through its federation (Federasi Ice Skating Indonesia - FISI), organized the WISD in 9 cities reaching around 3600 participants celebrating the WISD across the whole country.
Indonesia differentiated itself across the following aspects:
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A wide range of activities organized that included free coaching sessions for beginners, fun games for the kids, contests with prizes and a one-day Free Pass voucher offered to attendees.
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Educative-oriented actions across the nine events led by the common theme “Free Skating”, which coincides with the ISU’s mission to encourage young generations to get on the ice and discover the thrill of ice skating sports.
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Extensive digital promotion and social media campaign with large reach and engagement rates.
”We are delighted to be the winners of the inaugural WISD. We wanted to use the WISD as a platform to grow the sport of ice skating across the whole of Indonesia and it is our dream to be considered as a serious skating nation in the coming years. Thank you to ISU and WISD for providing us with this opportunity to ignite a spark of ice skating in our tropical country.” stated proudly Ms. Susan Herawati, President of the FISI, Indonesia.
Mexico – Best WISD Winner (500- participants category)
In the second category considering events with less than 500 persons in attendance, Mexico - through the State of Léon’s Winter Sports Association, a member of the Mexican Federation of Figure Skating – is the second winner of the Best WISD contest.
“When we first heard of the ISU’s inaugural WISD we were thinking amongst ourselves whether organizing an event would be feasible for a small association like ours with only 200 members, managed by volunteers, and in a country where ice skating is not the most popular sport.” stated Ms. Hannia Huerta, President of Nuevo Léon’s Winter Sports Association. “But we took it upon ourselves as a challenge to celebrate this day along with the rest of the world and help boost the interest levels of young Mexicans to come and witness the beauty of ice skating.” declared Ms. Huerta.
Mexico distinguished itself by executing a variety of actions as follows :
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Social media promotions supported by internationally renowned skaters, and in particular the Mexican Olympian Donovan Carillo.
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Collaboration with local government sports representatives (INDENL) who communicated about the event through their official channels, and were also present on-site.
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Diversity and creativity in the activities on offer, including Exhibition conducted by the Skaters of the Association, Learn to Skate classes, Free Skating time, Flash Mob for the #WISDance and food for everyone.
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Live transmission broadcasted together with the federations from Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Argentina to share knowledge and create a sense of community among different Latin American nations.
Ice Academy of Montreal (CAN) – Winner of the Best #WISDance
Lastly, the best #WISDance 2022 Award was won by the Ice Academy of Montreal (CAN). The #WISDance signature choreography was originally created by the Club des Patineurs Lausanne Malley (CPLM), Switzerland, which was used as a great bonding factor amongst skaters from all participating countries.
Ice Academy of Montreal brought its own twist to the #WISDance by having children coming from different ages and backgrounds performing along with Skaters from the club, and resulting in a perfect fun-filled #WISDance video. Jamal Othman, President of Ice Academy of Montreal said: ‘”We are truly thrilled to win the Best #WISDance 2022- we loved the choreography and wanted to have fun with it and include everyone who joined us for the #WISD – it was all about enjoying the moment with your friends and family on the ice and let loose! We are happy for this honor and also receiving the opportunity to choreograph the #WISDance 2023 - so stay tuned and we look forward to continuing this great tradition in collaboration with the ISU”.
The ISU President, Jae Youl Kim stated: “Big congratulations to Indonesia, Mexico and Ice Academy of Montreal for winning the very first WISD Awards. We were delighted by the enthusiasm and participation of so many national federations and clubs in all parts of the world, even those that are not accustomed to practice ice skating sports. Seeing so many entries and submissions for the Best WISD contest was truly encouraging. We valued everyone’s efforts and ideas to create such a memorable inaugural WISD. So let’s keep up this energy and spirit for this year’s edition and do not to forget our mission which is to bring future generations of skaters on the ice, enjoy this sport and celebrate this wonderful festival with the entire family”.
In the coming weeks, the ISU will be sharing episodes and highlights of the events that took place worldwide. Stay tuned on the WISD and ISU websites, as well as on our social media accounts. Skate on!
About World Ice Skating Day
The World Ice Skating Day presented by the International Skating Union (ISU), is a one-day global festival dedicated to Ice Skating celebrated on the first Sunday of December. The key objectives are to make Ice Skating sports accessible to everyone in a fun and safe environment – for first-timers, amateurs, professionals or retired competitive skaters – by creating a memorable experience for the entire family. The concept of the World Ice Skating Day stemmed from the idea to popularize and share the spirit of Ice Skating worldwide through a celebration with a vision towards development, inclusion and fairness. For further information please visit World Ice Skating Day website.
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