The 2025 International Skyrunning Federation Annual General Assembly was held in L’Aquila, Gran Sasso, in the Abruzzo mountains, Italy, on August 2, 2025, concomitant with the Youth Skyrunning World Championships.
The ISF today counts a total of 50 nations, between full members, associate members and aspirant members. Twenty member countries were present or represented by proxy, several supported by colleagues. The assembly was chaired by Marino Giacometti, President and Pavlos Georgiades, Secretary General. Five other Management Committee Members participated.
Giacometti presented the President’s Report on the 2024-25 season, highlighting the positive developments of the CC Label, the Ranking, the ISF Card and License. He also outlined the need to increase the number of members for the ongoing IOC Road Map, and the progress of the ISF Strategic Plan and global revenues.
Other 2024 developments included the presence of ISF Referees at all championships and at a number of the Skyrunner® World Series races. The Anti-Doping Committee conducted tests at championships, and an anti-doping education project was launched.
The 2024 season saw a great concentration of events headed by the hugely successful Skyrunning World Championships in Soria, Spain with a record participation of 41 official nations. The 2024 ISF General Assembly was also organised here. In March the second SkySnow World Championships took place in Italy and in April, the Masters were held in Portugal. In June, the Youth World Championships headed for Montenegro and the VK OPEN Championships counted nine races in eight countries.
The 2025 season kicked off with the first SkySnow Continental Championships held in Italy and Japan between March and April. The South American Championships took off in June in Peru. July saw the European Skyrunning Championships organised at an iconic event in Italy celebrating 30 years with a strong participation of teams from 30 countries.
Key to the Annual General Assembly was the election of a new Vice President after the resignation of Italian Silvio Calvi after a valued long-term period as Advisor since the foundation of the ISF in 2008 and, since 2016, as Vice President, International Relations, and ISF representative of UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) which, thanks to a joint-initiative, he created the ISF unit-membership status.
“I was hoping to attend my last general assembly in L’Aquila and say thanks to everyone, one by one, but I needed to undergo some surgery which made it impossible to attend,” stated Calvi.
“I wanted to say thanks because supporting the ISF has been a special task over the years which has contributed to extend my life and stay young, at least in my heart. It is not possible to stay young forever, and this is the reason why I had to resign. Maybe we will meet again somewhere, who knows, and again, thanks to all for their efforts in the development of skyrunning.”
His post as ISF Vice President was taken by 35-year-old Rafael Aquino Leal, President of Skyrunning Brazil, who was elected by members. Aquino Leal has shown in just a few years what he is capable of – founding the Brazilian Skyrunning Confederation (CBSky) which is working on including the 27 Federative Units of Brazil and for recognition by the Brazilian Olympic Committee and Ministry of Sports.
Three editions of the Skyrunner® National Series counting as many as 20 races per Series, have been held in Brazil. He also pioneered the Vertical Kilometer®️ in the Americas holding four editions of the VK OPEN Championships. A training course for National Referees, 25 of them, has been developed to oversee all skyrunning events in Brazil and a robust anti-doping educational programme has also been created.
Since 2022, large teams have attended Youth, Masters, SkySnow and World Championships in Europe and in the South American Championships. Aquino Leal is driven by passion as a skyrunner himself with sound experience in extreme, iconic races such as Kima and the Monte Rosa SkyMarathon.
“It is with great honour and a deep sense of purpose that I face this new challenge as ISF Vice President. My willingness to work in ISF is a direct reflection of the passion and commitment that Skyrunning Brazil has demonstrated for the sport, and the conviction that I can work to replicate this success on a global scale.
“My experience in the expansion and consolidation of skyrunning in a continental country like Brazil gives me a unique perspective to drive global growth. It’s the perfect opportunity to bring this energy and capacity for execution and vision of the future to the ISF, strengthening the governance, visibility and development of skyrunning in every corner of the planet. By working tirelessly alongside ISF members, I am confident that we can take skyrunning to even greater heights, inspiring a new generation of athletes and cementing our sport as a global force.”
The 2025 skyrunning season is by no means over and continues with the Masters World Championships in Bulgaria, the VK OPEN Championships in Portugal, Italy and Bulgaria, and the North & Central American Championships in Mexico, closing the season in October.
The 2025 ISF Annual General Assembly concluded with the members, the Board and the Management Committee reaffirming their commitment to building a strong future for skyrunning – founded on hard work, competence, and the passion that inspires both athletes and those working behind the scenes for “Less cloud. More sky!”
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