Dear WCA Community,
With this message, we inform you on a change regarding the countries that the WCA recognizes. This change may affect some of you who are currently registered for these countries.
In the current situation, the WCA uses a list that is maintained on a public Wikipedia page, extended with some sovereign areas. There are many inconsistencies on this list: some countries are just states or provinces of another country, some areas are countries but were never accepted as countries because of local geopolitical reasons.
In the new situation, the WCA uses a list called the “WCA List of Recognized Countries”. This new list is based on the UN charter and defines all countries that are eligible to be represented by a competitor in WCA competitions. This change also involves an update of the relevant regulations, so that inconsistencies between the Regulations and the recognized countries will be resolved.
A significant number of countries on the previous list were not officially recognized countries and some territories were equivalent but treated differently. This leads to changes for some of our community members. These changes affect competitors from Aruba (now part of the Netherlands) and Puerto Rico (now part of the United States). Unfortunately, all former National Records of Aruba and Puerto Rico will not be recognized anymore.
Some countries were renamed:
If you are affected by this and would like to get more information, please contact the WCA Communication Team via communication@worldcubeassociation.org and we will give you a bit more detail behind the changes.
The World Rubik's Cube Championship 2017 will take place on July 13 - 16, 2017 in Paris, France. Check out the World Rubik's Cube Championship 2017 website for more information and registration.
The CubingUSA Nationals 2017 will take place on July 7 - 9, 2017 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Check out the CubingUSA Nationals 2017 website for more information and registration.
Mulun Yin (阴目仑) won the Beijing Open 2017 with an average of 8.27 seconds. Kaijun Lin (林恺俊) finished second (8.76) and Hang Li (李航) finished third (9.71).
World records: Kaijun Lin (林恺俊) 5x5x5 Blindfolded 3:47.50 (single).
Carlos Méndez García-Barroso won the CVDB Open 2017 with an average of 8.39 seconds. Manuel Prieto de Antón finished second (11.72) and Alberto Pérez de Rada Fiol finished third (12.10).
The Swisscubing Cup Final 2017 will take place on August 19 - 20, 2017 in Liestal, Switzerland. Check out the Swisscubing Cup Final 2017 website for more information and registration.
Sean Hartman won the Windsor Classic 2017 with an average of 10.86 seconds. Katie Hull finished second (10.87) and Jared Stinson finished third (11.04).
North American records: Raymond Goslow 3x3x3 With Feet 33.13 (average), Tommy Cherry 3x3x3 With Feet 28.50 (single).
Michał Rzewuski won the DLS Czerwiec 2017 with an average of 7.69 seconds. Maciej Czapiewski finished second (8.06) and Igor Ośmiałowski finished third (8.41).
The Twist and Shout Summer 2017 will take place on July 29 - 30, 2017 in Flen, Sweden. Check out the Twist and Shout Summer 2017 website for more information and registration.
The Lluís Vives Open 2017 will take place on December 23, 2017 in Valencia, Spain. Check out the Lluís Vives Open 2017 website for more information and registration.
The Manaus Plaza Open II 2017 will take place on October 21 - 22, 2017 in Manaus, AM, Brazil. Check out the Manaus Plaza Open II 2017 website for more information and registration.
The Petoskey Cubing 2017 will take place on August 5, 2017 in Petoskey, Michigan, USA. Check out the Petoskey Cubing 2017 website for more information and registration.
The Bicho Legal Open 2017 will take place on August 19 - 20, 2017 in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. Check out the Bicho Legal Open 2017 website for more information and registration.
Feliks Zemdegs won the Latin America Cubing Tour - Arequipa 2017 with an average of 7.03 seconds. Jayden McNeill finished second (8.22) and Antoine Cantin finished third (8.92).
World records: Feliks Zemdegs 4x4x4 Cube 19.36 (single).
Oceanian records: Feliks Zemdegs Rubik's Cube 6.45 (average), 4x4x4 Cube 25.01 (average).
Feliks Zemdegs won the Latin America Cubing Tour - Montevideo 2017 with an average of 6.73 seconds. Jayden McNeill finished second (9.43) and Antoine Cantin finished third (9.54).
World records: Feliks Zemdegs 7x7x7 Cube 2:21.81 (average).
Oceanian records: Feliks Zemdegs 7x7x7 Cube 2:15.96 (single).
The Zwolle Open 2017 will take place on August 19, 2017 in Zwolle, Netherlands. Check out the Zwolle Open 2017 website for more information and registration.
The Nha Trang Open 2017 will take place on July 23, 2017 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Check out the Nha Trang Open 2017 website for more information and registration.
Feliks Zemdegs won the Latin America Cubing Tour - Cochabamba 2017 with an average of 6.45 seconds. Antoine Cantin finished second (8.44) and Jayden McNeill finished third (8.83).
World records: Feliks Zemdegs 7x7x7 Cube 2:18.96 (average).
Oceanian records: Feliks Zemdegs Rubik's Cube 6.45 (average), 4x4x4 Cube 25.81 (average), 7x7x7 Cube 2:16.32 (single).
The Anders Larsson Memorial 2017 will take place on September 17, 2017 in Sundbyberg, Sweden. Check out the Anders Larsson Memorial 2017 website for more information and registration.
The SNZ Northern 2017 will take place on July 23, 2017 in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Check out the SNZ Northern 2017 website for more information and registration.
Martin Vædele Egdal won the Kvissel Open 2017 with an average of 8.26 seconds. Daniel Vædele Egdal finished second (10.59) and Jakob Gunnarsson finished third (10.60).
Matheus Barbosa de Miranda won the Brasileiro 2017 with an average of 8.70 seconds. Pedro Henrique da Silva Roque finished second (8.73) and Antonio Gabriel Freitas da Silva finished third (9.88).
South American records: Pedro Henrique da Silva Roque 4x4x4 Cube 30.84 (average).
The South Cube Open 2017 will take place on July 15, 2017 in Loja, Ecuador. Check out the South Cube Open 2017 website for more information and registration.
Jacob Hutnyk won the Vancouver Open Summer 2017 with an average of 8.88 seconds. Ethan Rusnak finished second (9.50) and Kevin Hays finished third (9.74).
Hunor Mogyorósi won the Andritz Humenné Open 2017 with an average of 8.53 seconds. Tomáš Zatroch finished second (9.99) and Vilius Ribinskas finished third (10.71).
