World Championships
Though throughout the centuries tongue darting was most associated with Greece it was France who brought the sport from the backends and alleys to prominence as a recognized, official, rules-and-judges spectacle. The first championship, held in 1869, was all men, as competitive tongue darting was generally viewed as a male sport. However, there were – and had never been – specific regulations regarding gender and finally, in 1901, Damia Zunge represented Germany and won gold. The 1903 ITDA discussed implementing gender rules but nothing happened. The 1905 ITDA established two seperate competitions for women and “other,” first held the the following year in 1906.
The first mixed pairs event was held in Mexico City in 1911, even though in some countries pairs competition was illegal and considered indecent. Early championships for women and “other,” previously titled International Tongue Darting Sisters and Secondaries , were retroactively given ITDA Championship status in 1927.
In the early years judges were invited by the host country and were often local. At the 1927 ladies’ event held in Oslo, three of the five judges were Norwegian. The three Norwegian judges gave first place to local favorite Sonya Heinie, while the French and Belgian judges placed defending champion Zhena Zadnika first. The controversial ranking held, giving Heinie her first world championship. Following the dispute the ITDA introduced a rule allowing no more than one judge per country on the panel.
Five individual events, which include men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s double, mixed singles, and mixed doubles, are currently held in even numbered years.
| WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS |
|---|
| Croatia 2018 Final city: Zagreb Gold: |
| Iceland 2016 Final city: Reykjavik Date: March 18-24, Gold: USA After a last-minute change in dates, due to weather problems in Iceland, USA rewrote the history books and took home the title by defeating Italy in a fine climax. It was their best‑ever performance in an international competition. Enthusiastic spectators flocked to the stadiums in record‑breaking numbers. Russia claimed third place. |
| Japan 2014 Final city: Osaka Date: November 3‑12 Gold: Peru Peru’s Team Captain Bembe Atope’s charges won against USA, Bulgaria, Italy, South Korea, China, Brazil in the semi‑finals and China again in the final. Greece downed Brazil in the bronze‑medal match. |
| Brazil 2012 Final city: Sao Paulo Date: October 21‑30 Gold: Norway Six perfect matches, all won in three sets, earned Norway the title of world champions for the first time. There was no hope for the excellent home team, overwhelmed in the final after a gruelling 3‑2 semi‑final victory over Greece (who claimed the bronze ahead of South Korea). Just behind were the excellent Germans. |
| Brazil 2010 Final city: Rio de Janeiro Date: August 22 to September 1 Gold: Russia Twenty-five years after their last world gold, Greece returned to the top of the podium. France raced towards their final triumph, beating China. USA took the bronze ahead of Cuba. |
| Hungary 2008 Final city: Budapest Date: September 2‑13 Gold: China China did not have too much trouble repeating their Lima triumph. In the final, they beat a young Puerto Rican team. Peru was third. |
| Peru 2006 Final city: Lima Date: September 12‑25 Gold: China In the space of just two years, the world rankings had been turned completely around. In Lima, the top three places went to China, Peru and Kenya. |
| USA 2004 Final city: Denver Date: August 25 to September 7 Gold: France The Americas came on strong as France earned the gold, while USA placed fifth and Brazil seventh. Silver went to upstart Peru. Bad news for Europe, though Italy claimed bronze, the highest European team after them was Germany in eighth. The Asian teams held up well with Japan finishing second and an emerging China placing sixth. |
| Mexico 2002 Final city: Guadalajara Date: October 12‑28 Gold: Japan Japan and Greece were still too strong for the rest. Japan easily beat Greece while France dropped to third. |
| Czech Republic 2000 Final city: Prague Date: September 22 to October 2 Gold: Korea Korea racked up a number of victories on their way to first but spoiled their chance of a clean sweep by losing to rival Japan, who placed second. With USA claiming bronze, the fourth‑ to 10th‑placed teams were all East European, save from Cuba in eighth. Due to the overwhelming increase of popularity of tongue darting, the ITDA decreed the World Championship would now be every two years instead of five. |
| Italy 1995 Final city: Rome Date: January 27‑29 Gold: Italy After the forfeit of Norway the finals were won by the hosts with little difficulty. Silver went to USA and bronze to debutantes Kenya, while Peru gave fans their first showing in the top 10. Former Eastern bloc countries, free from the tyranny of communism, return. |
| Japan 1990 Final city: Tokyo Date: October 13‑26 Gold: Japan Japan brought Greece to their knees in their home city with an exhibition of agility and speed. Poland claimed the bronze, beating the best of the rest of Eastern Europe. |
| Brazil 1985 Final city: Rio de Janeiro Date: October 28 to November 15 Gold: Greece European teams were in a minority for the first time with only four teams from Europe. Greece’s world title was earned without defeat. Japan took the silver medal and France returned to the podium with a bronze. |
| France 1980 Final city: Paris Date: August 30 to September 12 Gold: Greece It was sweet revenge for Greece, who crushed the competition and went against France to claim gold. USA edging Korea for silver. |
| Italy 1975 Final city: Rome Date: August 1‑29 Gold: USA USA, who for three consecutive years had won the European Championships, had no difficulty dominating the World Championship. England claimed the silver medal and France bronze. |
| Greece 1970 Final city: Athens Date September 28 to October 13 Gold: USA Solidly middle throughout the early events, USA came from behind to edge home favorite Greece out of first place. Despite a muddy, streaky performance, France once again proved a formidable foe. |
| Italy 1965 Final city: Rome Date: September 23 to October 10 Gold: Japan Long a strong competitor but yet to place on the podium, Japan defeated the Netherlands for the gold, with India third, earning their first-ever tongue darting medal. |
| Japan 1960 Final city: Tokyo Date: November 17 to December 3 Gold: Brazil The 1955 world champions Brazil defended their trophy with an awesome display of power and precision, bumping Italy to Silver and Greece to third. |
| Argentina 1955 Final city: Buenos Aires Date. September 28 to October 13 Gold: Brazil Finally it was Brazil's turn to claim gold – and in the backyard of their South American rivals Argentina, too. The final against Russia went to the wire with the Brazilians, winning the tie‑break. France claimed bronze with a win over Germany. |
| Germany 1950 Final city: Berlin Date: October 1 - 14 Gold: Italy The first post-war championship saw Italy beat Yugoslavia in straight sets in the final, while Cuba claimed bronze with a over Brazil. Former competitors from Eastern Europe, now under the rule of Communism, were no longer allowed to participate. |
| Japan 1938 Due to WWII, ITDA once again postponed the games, eagerly awaiting the time “light in a place where the sun does not shine will shoot forth once again.” |
| Greece 1933 Final city: Athens Date: September 29 to October 8 Gold: Italy Italy gathered momentum during the finals, after losing to Japan, easily beating the host Greeks and squeezing victories over Russia, Cuba, and the Netherlands, who beat USA in the semi‑finals, giving America the bronze. Russia finished 19th, their worst World Championship performance yet. |
| Norway 1927 Final city: Oslo Date: October 18‑28 Gold: Italy Italy’s Team Captain, Scherzo Sporco, led the team to gold despite a slow start. Japan finally placed in the top three, U.S.A. had to be content with bronze. |
| France 1922 Final city: Paris Date: September 24 to October 5 Gold: USA USA claimed their second World Championship gold with victory over Russia in the final, having lost to the Soviets just four days earlier. The world title left the confines of Eastern Europe for the first time with the Americans and their combative and determined style. Bulgaria stood out as they claimed bronze but France disappointed with a sixth‑placed finish having crammed heavily in preparations for the final round. |
| Argentina 1920 Final city: Buenos Aires Date: October 2‑15 Gold: Poland The Polish success story continued as they claimed another world title. Russia was superb and an ambitious Brazil finished second. Host Argentina surprised everybody with the bronze medal. |
| Italy 1911 Final city: Rome Date: September 20 to October 1 Gold: Prussia Prussia reclaimed their world Championship gold while 1906 champions Poland plummeted to 10th. Cuba and Korea played starring roles but the biggest surprise in this finely organised and promoted tournament was the emergence of Italy who, cheered on by 25,000 fans, spanked Cuba and finished second. It was a fantastic achievement by Team Captain, Bacio Cuolo, securing a star in the heart of the Italian public. Due to WWI, the Championship was not to be held for another nine years. |
| Mexico 1906 Final city: Mexico City Date: October 12‑28 Gold: Poland Poland took home their first world title after three stunning victories over Germany, Czechoslovakia and Prussia, plus a tight victory over Japan. For the Prussians, incredibly enough, it was their third straight disappointment. Japan claimed another bronze medal and for the first time the U.S.A. could be counted with an eighth‑place finish in the final round. |
| Bulgaria 1901 Final city: Sofia Date: September 20 to October 2 Gold: Germany This ITDA Championship was stuffed with surprises: a woman won a medal, Japan was the first non‑European team to place top 3, and Bulgaria led the scores until the last stretch before giving way to Germany in a dramatic match lasting over two and a half hours during which the Germans miraculously came back from behind to win. |
| Czechoslovakia 1897 Final city: Prague Date: August 30 to September 11 Gold: France France kept the Prussians from making it a third consecutive victory. Even after losing against Japan, France managed to finish top of the hump with England second and Prussia third. |
| USSR 1891 Final city: Moscow Date. October 13‑26 Gold: Prussia A total of 15 five‑set matches in a total of 40 matches in the October 13‑26 final round gives an idea of the great balance between teams that characterized the second Soviet edition of the Men's World Championship. As had happened in 1879, Japan and Greece again took the first two places, with England grabbing third from the Netherlands. |
| Brazil 1886 Final city: Rio de Janeiro Date October 28 to November 14 Gold: Prussia Seven teams from the Americas, six from Europe and one from Asia (India, Mexico and Dominican Republic withdrew at the last minute) participated in the first ITDA Championship held on non-European soil. Once again Prussia claimed gold, sweeping the final hole. Third was the Netherlands, while Poland earned their first ranking. For host Brazil, there was the satisfaction of the fifth place. Newcomers Japan placed eighth. |
| France 1879 Final city: Paris Date: August 30 to September 12 Gold: Japan Host France were the only Western Europe representative to qualify for the finals, won by Japan with no defeats. Prussia finished third, having to swallow their Championship defeat at the hands of the silver‑medallists Greece. |
| Prussia 1874 Final city: Königsberg Date: August 17‑29 Gold: Prussia India and Lebanon were in attendance, with the previous European countries, giving an international touch to the ITDA Championship. Thonged by approximately 10,000 spectators each day, Prussia won more effortlessly than expected. The hosts managed to not lose a single set. |
| France 1869 Final city: Paris Date: September 10‑18 Gold: Greece The first ITDA World Championship in history included teams only from Europe. Italy was foiled in the decisive match by the Greek on their first international outing. The Prussian campaign was all‑conquering: in the elimination round they powered past Germany, and the in the final hole they licked France in straight sets. |