World Yo-Yo Contest

Last updated
World Yo-Yo Contest by International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF)
VenueRotates annually
LocationEurope/Asia/USA
DatesFirst Official in 2013

The World Yo-Yo Contest (WYYC) is the culminating yo-yo competition of the worldwide competitive circuit and is considered the most prestigious yo-yo competition in the world. The winner of this competition in any of the six championship divisions is deemed the World Yo-Yo Champion; the World Yo-Yo Contest is the only event to award such a title. The contest attracts competitors from all over the world and an increasingly large number of spectators. The annual competition is currently run by the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF) and the national organization of each year's host nation. As of 2015, 33 countries [1] have sent competitors to the World Yo-Yo Contest from their respective national yo-yo contests. The World Yo-Yo Contest is also known as YoYoCon.

Contents

History

Source: [2] [3]

Unoffficial World Championship

1932: First held.

1933-1991: Not official and regular events. No events.

Modern Yoyo as sport since 1992.

International Jugglers' Association (IJA):

1992-1998: Montreal, Canada

1999: Hawaii, USA

2000-2012: Orlando, USA

The first World Yo-Yo Contest was held in London, England, in 1932. The winner was Harvey Lowe. [4] However, the contest was not held annually until 1992, [5] when Dale Oliver started one in Montreal, Canada during that year's annual International Jugglers' Association's (IJA) convention.

Official World Championship

Since 2013: Official World Championship

2013 World Yo-Yo Contest = 1st IYYF World Championship

The contest was held during this convention until 1999, when it was held in Hawaii. The 2000 contest was held at Universal Studios in Orlando, but in 2001, the event moved to the Rosen Plaza Hotel (Orlando), where it was held annually until 2013 by Gregory Cohen, owner and operator of YoYoGuy and Infinite Illusions. After the 2013 contest, an international coalition (the IYYF) was formed to organize a new, rotating contest which will be held in a different venue/country every year.

Location

Following the creation of the IYYF in 2013, The World Yo-Yo Contest now cycles between America, Europe, and Asia. This cycling is scheduled through 2018. The bidding process involves the IYYF and the interested National Organization. After finals of the 2016 WYYC on day 4, Steve Brown announced a bid for the 2018 WYYC in Shanghai, China.

Online World Yo-Yo Contest

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 World Yo-Yo Contest was slated to be held in Budapest, Hungary. The pandemic, however, caused organizers to cancel the 2020 competition. In 2021 and 2022, to mitigate the possibility of attendees getting sick, the Online World Yo-Yo Contest was created, giving prospective World Yo-Yo Contest competitors the opportunity to compete in an online setting. [6] The results of the 2021 online competition are given below.

StyleWinner2nd3rd
1AMir Kim (Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea)Akitoshi Tokubuchi (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Park Junsang (Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea)
2AShu Takada (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Satoshi Yamanaka (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Wasakorn Lattilertwit (Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand)
3AMinato Furuta (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Tomoya Kurita (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Mizuki Takimoto (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
4AKaoru Nakamura (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Tsubasa Onishi (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Yuki Uchida (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
5ASora Ishikawa (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Yoshihiro Abe (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Hideo Ishida (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
Women'sMiri Kim (Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea)Veronika Kamenská (Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic)Hobbit Xiao-Wen Wang (Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan)
Over 40Ricardo Marechal (Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil)Benjamin McPhee (Flag of the United States.svg  USA)Tomomi Matsuda (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)

There was also an artistic performance division (AP), in which two awards were given. The Entertainment Award went to YOYOBOYS (Robert Kučera & Zdenek Hybl) and the Artistic Award went to Naoto Okada. [7]

The winners of the Online World Yo-Yo Contest do not gain the title of World Yo-Yo Champion, however. The title they receive is that of Online World Yo-Yo Champion (in their respective divisions).[ citation needed ]


The winners of the 2022 Online World Yo-Yo Contest are below. [8]

StyleWinner2nd3rd4th
1AMir KimAkitoshi TokubuchiJunsang ParkRyuichi Nakamura
2AHiraku FujiiHajime SakauchiArata ImaiAkira Kato
3ATomoya KuritaMinato FurutaDongyoung KimThawhir Iqbal
4AKaoru NakamuraGunju EomTomohiko ZankaTaiyo Katsumata
5ASora IshikawaJihoo LeeYuki SakamotoNaoya Takeuchi
Women'sMiri KimXueqing YangZiyu MengKira Morrow
Over 40Lorenzo SabatiniRicardo MarechalTomoya IsoshimaTomomi Matsuda

Current champions

As mentioned above, the World Yo-Yo Contest did not take place in 2020, 2021, or 2022. In 2021 and 2022, the Online World Yo-Yo Contest was held in its place, the champions thereof receiving the title of Online World Yo-Yo Champion (as opposed to World Yo-Yo Champion). The World Yo-Yo Contest returned in 2023, when the competition was held in Osaka, Japan. The 2024 World Yo-Yo Contest was held from July 31 to August 3, in Cleveland, Ohio. The results of said competition are given below. [9]

StyleWinner2nd3rd
1AMir Kim (Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea)Jakub Dolejš (Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic)Hunter Feuerstein (Flag of the United States.svg  USA)
2AHajime Sakauchi (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Arata Imai (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Chun Hay Chan (Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong)
3AMinato Furuta (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Sora Tahira (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Tomoya Kurita (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
4ARyan Connolly (Flag of the United States.svg  USA)Kaoru Nakamura (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Koyo Hashimoto (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
5AJihoo Lee (Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea)Naoki Uemae (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)Sora Ishikawa (Flag of Japan.svg  Japan)
AP

List of past World Yo-Yo Champions

Winners by country and players (1993-2013 Unoffficial World Championship)

Hiroyuki Suzuki of Japan winning his fourth World Title in 2012. He also won in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Hiroyuki Suzuki Winning World Title.jpg
Hiroyuki Suzuki of Japan winning his fourth World Title in 2012. He also won in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

The World Yo-Yo Contest has historically been dominated by the Japanese-taking home 85 World Titles in the past 22 years. [10] The United States has also had a lesser dominance, taking home 27 World Titles.

Shinji Saito remains the most decorated yo-yoer of all-time with 13 World Titles. Hajime Miura is second with 8 World Titles to his name.

CountryGoldSilverBronze
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 807567
Flag of the United States.svg  USA 272831
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 11
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 1
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 122
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 1
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 2
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 11
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan 121
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 2
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 1

Historical notes

World Yo-Yo Contest (2000-2012)

In 2003, Brazil's Rafael Matsunaga became the first player outside Japan or the United States to win a World Title, doing so in 5A (Counterweight). In 2004, Hiroyuki Suzuki won his first World Title. Both Daisuke Shimada and Shinji Saito won their third World Title in as many years. Hiroyuki Suzuki became the first player to ever win back-to-back titles in the 1A division in 2005. Shinji Saito continued his dominance, winning his fourth World Title in the 2A division. Kentaro Kimura won the 3A division with what is considered the greatest 3A routine of all time in 2009. In 2010, Canada's Jensen Kimmitt became the first player outside Japan or the United States to win a World Title in 1A. Without Shinji Saito entering the 2A division, Yashushi Furakawa won the World Title. Singapore's Marcus Koh became the second player outside of the United States or Japan to win in the 1A division when he won in 2011. Shinji Saito also returned from a year competition hiatus to win the 2A division for a record eighth time. In 2012, Switzerland's inmot!on became the first team outside Japan or the United States to win the Artistic Performance (AP) division. It was also the first ever World Title won by European competitors.

IYYF World Yo-Yo Contest (Post-2013)

In 2013, Hungary's Janos Karancz became the first European to win the 1A division at the 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest. 2013 was also the first, and only, year to feature a top-3 in 1A with no players from Japan or the United States. In 2014, Rei Iwakura completed a flawless routine in the 4A division en route to his third World Title.

In 2018, Hajime Miura won both the 3A and 4A division (the latter, competing from the wild card stage), making him the first and only player to ever win two major style divisions (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A) in the same year. Notably, until 2024, he was the only player in history to have more World Titles than appearances at Worlds. He would win the 3A World Title again in 2019 but would get his first ever non-1st place in the 4A division, where he performed a full 3-minute soloham routine, placing 7th.

Mir Kim won the 1A division in both Online World Yo-Yo Contests and won again in the 2023 and 2024 World Yo-Yo Contests. He was the first player from South Korea to win a 1A World Title, and also had the highest scoring 1A freestyle ever in 2023, with a final score of 99.7/100.

2024 was the first year Hajime Miura competed in the World Yo-Yo Championship and did not win at least one World Title, coming fourth in the 3A final due to major deductions. Miri Kim was the first female competitor to appear in Open Division 1A Finals, placing 13th. 2024 was the first year since 2013 to feature a top-3 in 1A with no players from Japan.

Championship divisions

The World Yo-Yo Contest has 6 championship divisions that award the title of 'World Yo-Yo Champion'

Division nameOther nameExplanation
1ASingle Hand String TrickThe player uses a long spinning yo-yo to perform "string tricks" that typically require manipulation of the string.
2ATwo Hands Looping TrickThe player uses two responsive yo-yos simultaneously to perform reciprocating or looping maneuvers.
3ATwo Hands String TrickThe player uses two long spinning yo-yos and performs tricks with both simultaneously.
4AOffstringThe player uses an offstring yo-yo, often releasing the yo-yo into the air and attempting to catch it on the string.
5ACounterweightThe player uses a yo-yo with a counterweight on the other end of the string rather than having it attached to a finger.
APArtistic PerformanceThe performer uses any type of yo-yo or other prop for an open-ended performance which emphasizes choreography and stage presence.

Championship division structure

There are a series of preliminary rounds before the final round at the World Yo-Yo Contest. In the past, anyone could enter the World Yo-Yo Contest. Competitors were allowed a one-minute routine, and a set number of players would make the finals. The preliminary rounds have been evolving over the years to accommodate the growing popularity of competitive yo-yos around the world.

In the 1A division, there are currently four rounds of competition. In 2A-5A, there is currently only the Preliminary (1 minute) and the Final (3 minute). [11]

Any player can enter the Wild-Card round
Top-10 at a sanctioned National Competition/Multi-National Competition seeded directly to Preliminary Top performing competitors from Wild-Card
Top-3 at sanctioned Multi-National Competition & sanctioned National Champions seeded directly to Semi-Final Top performing competitors from Preliminary
Previous Year's World Champion seeded directly to Final

Sanctioned seeding competitions

Players can earn a seed to various rounds of the preliminaries through multi-national competitions, national competitions, [12] and the previous year's World Yo-Yo Contest.

  1. European Yo-Yo Championship (Kraków, Poland) [12]
  2. Las Vegas Yo-Yo Championship (Las Vegas, United States)
  3. Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championship (Singapore, Singapore)
  4. Latin American Yo-Yo Championship (Mexico City, Mexico)
  5. Previous year's World Yo-Yo Contest (No specific location)
  6. One of 33 IYYF [13] approved National Competitions

Defunct divisions

The World Yo-Yo Contest has also held other championship divisions that are now defunct either because it was replaced or had judging standardization issues.

Division nameOther nameYearNote
TMTeam1999–2001
MTMega Team1999
X2000–2002Included all tricks and styles not eligible for 1A and 2A. In 2003, it was separated into 3A, 4A and 5A divisions.
CBCombined2006–2009Players compete and demonstrate skill in multiple styles. Due to difficulties with judging, this division was removed. Shinji Saito was the winner all four years it was held.

Non-championship divisions

In addition to these World Divisions, the World Yo-Yo Contest also hosts additional divisions such as the 'Women's Division' and, in 2015, the 'Over 40 Freestyle'. There is also numerous yo-yo modifying and design contests, known in the field as modding. These non-championships divisions do not award the title of 'World Yo-Yo Champion'.

Division NameOther NameExplanation
Yo-Yo
WFWomen's FreestyleWomen freestyle for 3-minutes. They can enter both Women's and Open.
Over 40Over 40 FreestyleMen and Women over 40 freestyle for 3-minutes. They can enter both 'Over 40' and Open.
Diabolo
DLDiabolo Ladder
DFDiabolo Freestyle
Sports
SLSports Ladder
SFSports Freestyle
Spintop
SLSpintop Ladder
SFSpintop FreestyleThis is a World Title as certified by ITSA but not a yo-yo division title.
Mod
MDModThe player produces and designs a self-made yo-yo.

Participating nations

There are 33 countries currently registered [14] with the IYYF that have the right to seed a National Champion into the semi-final round at the World Yo-Yo Contest. IYYF is also in communication with several other countries [15] (denoted by *), but, currently, these countries do not have the right to seed a National Champion to the semi-finals.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Interscholastic League</span> Regulatory organization in Texas, U.S.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organization of its type in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas State High School Activities Association</span> Sanctioning body for high school activities in Kansas, United States

The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the U.S. state of Kansas at the high-school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Hurling League</span> Annual inter-county hurling competition

The National Hurling League is an annual inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the league system.

Steve Brown is an American competitive yo-yo player, competition judge, yo-yo designer, and yoyo blogger currently based out of North Olmsted, Ohio. He is currently the editor for YoYoNews.com and a co-producer of the Triple Crown of YoYo events. In 2001, the National Yo-Yo League named him as one of eight National Yo-Yo masters. He has designed multiple yo-yos, including the "Cherry Bomb" for Team Losi. While employed by Duncan Toys Company as marketing and promotions coordinator, Brown invented and patented freehand yo-yo play where instead of being attached to the finger, the string is actually attached to a counterweight, and designed a line of yo-yos for the new style. He also authored a book called Duncan Yo-Yo Trick Book while employed by the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Band Association</span> Youth marching band organization

The Western Band Association (WBA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes high school music education in California, Arizona and Nevada. Specifically, the WBA organizes many marching band competitions for high school students. Its championships event is considered to be the second-largest single marching contest in the country.

The Kentucky Marching Band Championships are an annual contest held by the Kentucky Music Educators Association that takes place each fall over the course of several weeks to determine the Kentucky high school marching band state champion in five respective classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa High School Athletic Association</span> Regulator of Iowa high school athletics

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, (IGHSAU) is an associate member. Iowa is the only state that maintains separate governing bodies for boys' and girls' athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship</span> American high school basketball tournament

The Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament held each spring in the United States. It is organized by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

The European Yo-Yo Championship (EYYC) is the European competition of yo-yo organized and sanctioned by the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF), and is one of 4 annual multi-national yo-yo competitions from which winners receive seeds to compete in the semi-finals of the annual World Yo-Yo Contest.

Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championships (AP) is Asia's most renowned and premier yo-yo competition organized by Spinworkx, a company based in Singapore since 2003. The competition has grown steadily since its inception in 2003. Spinners from around the region get to compete with current world champions, trade tips and tricks with the best in the scene, raising the standard of spinning.

Shinji Saito is a Japanese competitor and a performer in yo-yo. He won the World Yo-Yo Contest 8 times in 2A and 4 times in CB. He has the most world titles of any yo-yoer in the history of yo-yo competition.

International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF) is an international Yo-yo organization that promotes World Yo-Yo Contest and European Yo-Yo Championship and develops and promotes yo-yoing as a sport on a global level.

The U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest is the culminating yo-yo competition of the National Yo-Yo League (NYYL). The winner of this event in any of the five divisions is deemed the US National Yo-Yo Champion — the only event to award such a title in the United States. The winner of this competition gains the seed to the semi-final at the World Yo-Yo Contest as the United States representative. The contest has traditionally taken place in Chico, California, home to the National Yo-Yo Museum. Players qualify for the U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest through one of the nine NYYL sanctioned Regional competition. The National Yo-Yo League is the officially recognized organizing body for the United States competitive yo-yo circuit. In addition to the contest, they present US National Yo-Yo Museum awards and other honorary awards given to individuals who have contributed significantly to the yo-yo community. There are presently no plans for the 2018 competition.

The 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest was the culminating yo-yo competition of the worldwide competitive circuit. The winners from this competition in any of the six championship divisions were deemed the current World Yo-Yo Champion until the 2014 World Champions were crowned. The competition was run by Gregory Cohen with the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF). The competition took place at the Rozen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, USA from August 8–10, 2013.

Latin American Yo-Yo Contest (LYYC) is the South American competition of yo-yo organized and sanctioned by the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF), and is one of 4 annual multi-national yo-yo competitions from which winners receive seeds to compete in the semi-finals of the annual World Yo-Yo Contest.

The 2017 National Hurling League was the 86th season of the National Hurling League for county teams.

The 2018 National Hurling League was the 87th season of the National Hurling League for county teams.

The 2019 National Hurling League is the 88th season of the National Hurling League for county teams.

Evan Nagao is a musician and competitive yo-yo player. He is known for being the 2018 World Yo-Yo Champion and 5 time US National Yoyo Champion.

References

  1. "Member Organizations". iyyf.org. December 19, 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. "The Biggest Winners in 21 Years of the World YoYo Contest - YoYoNews". web.archive.org. August 25, 2013.
  3. "World Yo-Yo Contest – IYYF.ORG". iyyf.org.
  4. Hopkins, Michelle (2009-04-19). "'Great ambassador' passes away". Richmond News. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  5. Branch, John (2008-08-18). "Competitors Go To Extremes in World Yo-yo Contest". NY Times. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
  6. "About – Online World YoYo Contest". owyyc.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  7. "Results – Online World YoYo Contest". owyyc.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  8. "OWYYC 2022 FINAL RESULTS". Online World Yo-yo Contest. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  9. "Results – World YoYo Contest 2024". wyyc2024.com. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  10. "The Biggest Winners in 21 Years of the World YoYo Contest - YoYoNews". yoyonews.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-25.
  11. "Change in WYYC15 seeding from Multi-National Contests – IYYF.ORG". iyyf.org.
  12. 1 2 "U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest", Wikipedia, 2018-02-01, retrieved 2020-01-14
  13. "IYYF.ORG – International Yo-Yo Federation" . Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  14. "Member Organizations – IYYF.ORG". iyyf.org.
  15. "Other Recognitions – IYYF.ORG". iyyf.org.