World Championships
IRF President Keith Calkins attended the World Championships, and opened his follow up report with enthusiasm: I just returned from one of the IRF's most successful tournaments in our short history, conducted inside an air conditioned tent at Sudo Electric Technical High School. One complete glass court and seven portable courts with glass back walls were designed by an engineer in Korea and constructed in two weeks, using 125-150 workers to complete the project.

Calkins also reported on the Asian Racquetball Congress, at which Dr. Cho Wangki from Korea was elected to the Presidency. Dr. Cho Wangki was also selected by the Executive Board to fill the vacant Asian position and he will become the Vice President of Asia on the Board. The IRF looks forward to working closely with him as his leadership is expected to move this Federation forward during the next four years.

The bi-annual championship had returned to Korea, after being played in Anyang in 2004, and drew national team athletes from around the globe, representing over 30 countries.

Both of the Open singles champions were successful in defending their 2008 titles, with wins by Team USA's Rocky Carson and Rhonda Rajsich. USA also earned Men’s Doubles gold, with a win by Ben Croft and Mitch Williams, while the Women’s Doubles champions were Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas Solis of Mexico. View all the draws & results, including the Friendship Cup playoffs.

World Senior Championships
Organizers of the 22nd Annual World Senior Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have released the 2010 Application and Entry Form, containing full details on the end-of-summer event.

This premier event for senior men and women has taken place each year since 1985 and the New Mexico Sports Authority signed on as its official Title Sponsor in 2008. Players and spectators offer world-class competition and camaraderie, while first-rate event staff and volunteers provide great southwest hospitality at a resort destination. The event supports The Olympic Dream for racquetball, and has raised over $350,000 toward that goal.

US OPEN Moves to Minneapolis
After 14 years in Memphis, the US OPEN Racquetball Championships will be moving to the great City of Minneapolis in 2010 and beyond. The long-running event will be hosted by Lifetime Fitness, using a trio of its nearby metro facilities, October 20-24, 2010.

US OPEN Event Director Doug Ganim stated, “This is an incredibly exciting time in the history of the US OPEN. Due to its explosive growth, we found ourselves with the challenge of identifying a new host city that could handle the size and scope of the tournament now and into the future. We were already using four different clubs in Memphis ... this year we'll have more courts in three venues.” [ read full press release ]

IRF World Junior Championships Date Change
Opening ceremonies for the 22nd IRF World Junior Championships will take place on Sunday, November 14, followed by a full week of competition - from November 15-20 - which is one month earlier than previous years. The Spectrum Club in Los Angeles, California will host the pre-Thanksgiving week event.

Host Hotel Reservations OPEN ... The Hilton Woodland Hills has activated its online reservation page for players and families planning to attend the World Juniors.