Throwing axes is hungry work. In order to help you plan ahead, we’ve compiled a food option & recommendation guide for each of the IATC 2023 venues.

Matt Brown, a thrower with Maniax Perth, has put together his IATC Toronto Hit List that compiles a range of suggestions and tips for places to eat and things to do. Thanks for sharing Matt!

On Sunday, June 11 at Homecoming, there will be 3 food vendors on site so you don't have to miss any of the action! Cherry St Bar-B-Que, Sumo Seafood, and Gangster Cheese will be there in the afternoon so get your ticket to Homecoming now! Check out our Instagram and Facebook for more information about menus and hours.

Two short weeks ago, we announced that, on January 29, 2023, 9 Regional hosts would open their venues for the IATF Regionals Tournaments - a highly anticipated day of global competition happening in your backyard. And, the excitement continues to mount as registration opens on November 1st, 2022! So mark that date in your calendar and be sure to register early!

These competitions pave the way to the International Axe Throwing Championships, and this year has been made even more exciting with the addition of an automatic entry into Round 2 of the International Axe Throwing Champion’s Wilson Cup for Regionals winners.

As promised, here are the rest of the details! But first, if you missed the dates and the 9 Regionals Hosts announcement, you can catch up on these details here.

Where and When You Can Register to Compete

Registration opens November 1st, 2022, at 2 PM ET

Registration for all Regional Tournaments, happening on January 29th, 2023, will be managed through the IATF this year in order to streamline the entire process. On November 1, 2022, from 2 pm, you can register through our website, at www.iatf.com. We will put out an updated social post with all the venues and their registration links when registration opens. Registration will also be available via accessible links on the home page or via the tournament page (clicking on “Tournaments” in the main navigation bar).

Tournament Registration Fees and Value

Registration Fees are set at $80 USD

All Regionals Tournament registration fees are set at $80 USD, and 50% of all registration fees, collected, for each tournament will go toward the CASH prize pools at that tournament. Each tournament will have a prize pool payout for the top 8 throwers. And, as indicated above, the first-place finisher in each tournament will receive an automatic spot in 2023 Round 2 of the Wilson Cup (more details below).

Pool Play Round Robin Format - Followed By Single Elimination

Back by popular demand, this year's IATF Regionals tournaments at the 9 Host locations will be following a Pool Play Round Robin format. This format, by design, gives players more matches and better value. It further strengthens the competitive opportunities by guaranteeing each thrower 3 matches, with a minimum of 50% of competitors playing in at least 4 matches.

How does Pool Play Work?

This format starts with a group stage, with all players divided into groups of 3 and 4 depending on the tournament size. Each player will throw 3 matches within the group in a 3 out of 5 round match format before any elimination takes place. Once all Group Stage matches are complete, the top 2 throwers from each group move onto a single elimination tournament bracket.

Guaranteed Wilson Cup Round 2 Entry

As detailed in the original announcement post, all ‘Regionals’ first-place winners will receive the prize money, and the coveted “skip the line” guaranteed spot in Round 2 of the 2023 International Axe Throwing Championships Wilson Cup in Toronto, Canada.

While anyone can participate and win these Regional Tournaments and the prize money and accolades they come with, the guaranteed Round 2 entry is only applicable to IATF throwers who have competed in an IATF-sanctioned league season (Standard or Premier Ruleset League) between March 12, 2022, and Jan 28, 2023. As a further reminder, as last year’s Wilson Cup winner has already received a guaranteed spot in Round 2, they cannot take advantage of this additional placement prize. If a winner doesn’t meet the requirements for this guaranteed entry per the details above, it will be given to the next eligible winner (second place, third place, and so on).

REMINDER: Any player who wins a Round 2 entry into the Wilson Cup must still also compete in Round 1 for seeding purposes.

If you’re looking to plan out the rest of your road to the International Axe Throwing Championships, make sure you bookmark the IATC Dates Announcement and review the last Regionals Announcements.

We’re looking forward to watching all the competitions during regionals, and we wish you all the best of luck!

As always, if you have any additional questions, please send them to info@iatf.com, and we will get back to you.

IATF REGIONALS ARE COMING!

The countdown has begun! It’s been four months since 256 competitors from all 9 IATF Regions came together to celebrate community, competition, and the best axe throwers in the world at the 2022 International Axe Throwing Championships in Toronto; only four months since we bestowed the Wilson Cup and the title of World’s Best Axe Thrower to Dave Cycon. Now, we’re looking to see how the competitive field will be shaped for 2023. Who will be the next champion?

We’re excited to start announcing details about the IATF Regionals Tournaments. The IATF Regionals are a set of nine tournaments held on a single day across the IATF regions of the world. Regionals have always come with the opportunity to compete with the best, win prize money, and make your name and skills known throughout the world. This year, the stakes are even higher with the addition of a guaranteed qualification for Round 2 of the International Axe Throwing Championship’s Wilson Cup. This is the same for all nine tournament winners.

In this first post, we outline the core details of this highly anticipated set of tournaments: the dates, entry and winning requirements, and of course, the venues sanctioned to host in their regions. More importantly, stay tuned to our socials and website, over the next few weeks, for more announcements detailing: registration fees, how to register and reserve your spot in the regional tournament of your choice, the tournament format, and more. Please also refer to the FAQ section for answers to all the common questions.

TOURNAMENT HOSTS & DATES:

Review the details below to determine which axe-throwing venue is hosting your regional tournament this year. For any questions on how regions are setup, please review the following link: https://internationalaxethrowingfederation.com/regions/

ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

While these tournaments and their prize money are open to anyone, eligibility to participate in the International Axe Throwing Championships and the Wilson Cup, as well as entry into Rounds 1 & 2 of the IATC Wilson Cup, require that a player has completed at least one official IATF league (Standard or Premier ruleset) qualifying season. This includes the new Marathon Leagues format. Recreational leagues do not qualify.

FAQS

Am I Restricted To Throwing In My League’s Region?

No, you are not restricted to any specific regional tournament. Throwers are welcome to register and throw in any single regional tournament.

What Will The Prizes Be?

There are 9 Regional Tournaments, and the First Place winner of each region will receive a guaranteed Qualification to Round 2 of the IATC Wilson Cup. On top of that, each regional tournament will have a prize pool, reflecting 50% of the registration fees, and will pay out the top 8 places.

Can Anyone Participate Even If They Don’t Qualify For The IATC?

Yes, anyone can participate and play for the prize pools. However, as specified, players must have participated in an IATF Sanctioned League (Standard or Premier Ruleset) to win guaranteed qualification for Round 2 of the IATC Wilson Cup. In the event that a non-qualifying player wins their tournament, the Round 2 entry would immediately pass onto the next qualifying winner in order (to the second place winner as long as they qualify and the third place winner if they do not.).

What Happens If a Non-IATF Qualifying Thrower Wins Their Regional Tournament?

As stated above, anyone can participate and win the prize money. However, in the event that a non-qualifying player wins their tournament, the Round 2 entry would immediately pass onto the next qualifying winner in order (to the second place winner as long as they qualify and the third place winner if they do not.).

Will The First Place Winners Skip Round 1 of the Wilson Cup?

No. Winners that automatically qualify for Round 2 of the IATC Wilson Cup must still participate in Round 1 for seeding purposes, but their qualification for Round 2 is still guaranteed.

What Is The Cutoff Date For Completing A Sanctioned League Season?

To be eligible for the automatic qualification for an IATC Round 2 spot, a player must have completed a qualifying IATF league between March 12, 2022, and January 28th, 2023.

How Were Host Venues Selected?

Venues were selected, among all IATF Member organizations, based on their central location in their regions. Specifically, the IATF calculated the concentration of throwers in each region and matched that with a venue that represents a central location to support the necessary size of the tournaments.

What Happens If Last Year's IATC Wilson Cup Winner Takes First Place?

The winner of the IATC 2022 Wilson Cup was already awarded an automatic qualification to round 2 of this year’s championships. As such, they are ineligible to win another Round 2 qualification. In the event that they win their Regional Tournament, the Round 2 qualification spot would immediately pass onto the next qualifying winner in order (to the second place winner as long as they qualify and the third place winner if they do not.).

We’ll be sharing more details in the coming weeks so stay tuned to our social and website channels, so you don’t miss out on registration, and your chance to compete for the coveted Wilson Cup by qualifying through the regional tournaments. We will be announcing details on registration fees, how to register and reserve your spot in the regional tournament of your choice, the tournament format, and more.

As always, if you have any additional questions, please send them to info@iatf.com, and we will get back to you.

Following feedback from the community, we very recently committed to enhancing and clarifying the language and the imagery for rulesets 4.1 - Axe Specifications. We are pleased to now share these enhancements.

While these rules have not gone through any additional changes, the layout, formatting, and accompanying images have been re-designed to provide more clarity on what is and what is not a legal competition throwing axe. Hatchet and Big Axe specifications have also been combined into one page of the rulebook.

These axe specifications are designed to be comprehensive and to provide everybody with the confidence to customize to best suit their needs while maintaining the integrity and entertainment value of this sport. We strongly encourage all throwers, modifiers, and manufacturers to read this newly presented document from top to bottom in order to understand the rules in their entirety.

We here at the IATF are not looking to stifle creativity, nor prescribe that you must throw ours and only our axes for competition. However, we do need to ensure that axes are fair for unified competition and the entertainment value and integrity of the sport.

We are always thankful for the direct engagement of the axe-throwing community and appreciate and encourage all your feedback on these and other rules. Should you still have any questions or feedback, you can send them directly to info@iatf.com.

A REMINDER THAT:

HATCHET DIMENSIONS THAT HAVE NOT CHANGED:

• weight (1.5-2.5 lbs, total weight head and handle together)
• handle length (13"-17", from knob to eye)
• head length (5"- 7", entire length of the head from blade to butt)
• blade length (3"- 4", entire length of the blade from toe to heel)
• minimum head height (1.5", measured vertically, parallel to the handle)

HATCHET DIMENSIONS ADDED:

• maximum head height (4", measured vertically, parallel to the handle)

BIG AXE DIMENSIONS THAT HAVE NOT CHANGED:

• weight (2.75-3.75 lbs, total weight head and handle together)
• minimum handle length (25", from knob to eye)
• head length (6"-7.5", entire length of the head from blade to butt)
• blade length (3.5" - 4 5/8", entire length of the blade from toe to heel)
• minimum head height (2", measured vertically, parallel to the handle)

BIG AXE DIMENSIONS ADDED:

• maximum handle length (32”, from knob to eye)
• maximum head height (4 5/8", measured vertically, parallel to the handle)

We have also included clarity around what “Grossly Modified” means throughout the document.

IATF RULEBOOK CHANGES

Please click the following link to view the enhanced Rule 4.1 Axe Specifications and remember to read and understand these in their entirety. If you have any questions or require more clarity, please reach out directly via email to info@iatf.com.

We wish you all the best in your ongoing competitions!