IAKS SWITZERLAND

GENERAL MEETING IN ZURICH ON 4 MAY 2023

President Roger Gut welcomed 30 members to the IAKS Switzerland General Meeting 2023 on the premises of the Sports Department of the City of Zurich. After the challenging pandemic years, he was able to report on some highlights in the review of 2022.

• IAKS members had the unique opportunity to take an exclusive look at the OYM (On Your Marks) elite sports centre in Cham, which opened in 2020. In cooperation with ASSA and Swiss Sport Managers, they inspected the sports complex with the first glass sports floor in Switzerland.

• Together with the Federal Office of Sport, IAKS Switzerland organised the D-A-CH (Germany-Austria-Switzerland) meeting in Magglingen to discuss current topics in the sports facility sector.

• The seminar "Individual Sport in Public Spaces" was held in Ittigen near Bern. In addition to exciting presentations, there was a tour of the Wankdorf parkour and exercise facility.

• Membership grew from 124 to 130 members in 2022.

President Roger Gut and the other Executive Board members were unanimously re-elected for the next two years –with one exception. After many years on the board, Alice Däppen stepped down for her well-deserved retirement from IAKS Switzerland duties. She has known the IAKS since 1971 and has been involved since the founding of the Section in 1989. For the last 15 years, Däppen has been run- ning the IAKS Switzerland office and has been working for the IAKS Switzerland for a total of 28 years. President Roger Gut thanked Däppen on behalf of the entire IAKS Switzerland for her tireless work for the good of the organisation. To applause, the General Meeting made her an honorary member in recognition of her great services.

Nicole Howald was found as her successor at the office and elected unanimously.

Following the General Meeting, Ralph König, Head of the School Sports Department of the City of Zurich, gave an interesting presentation on the development plans for the municipal sports halls. In a second presentation, Thomas Kägi from Carbotech AG reported on a follow-up study on the life cycle assessment of grass sports pitches.

After an excellent lunch, those attending were given a guided tour of the triple-section gymnasium of the Birch school complex and of the Staudenbühl school swimming facility, which also gave rise to many inspiring insights and exciting conversations.

The outlook for the year promises some interesting events: The fact-finding trip to Ticino and northern Italy in August 2024, the FSB trade fair and the IAKS Congress in Cologne at the end of October 2023 and the IAKS Switzerland autumn "Sports halls" seminar in Magglingen in November 2023.