International Association of Memory

Summary

The International Association of Memory (IAM) is an international organization that connects the various national memory sport federations and acts as a governing body of international memory competition. The IAM was founded on 5 July 2016[2] and has its headquarters in Munich, Germany.[3]

International Association of Memory
Formation5 June 2016; 7 years ago (2016-06-05)
TypeInternational organization
HeadquartersMunich, Germany[1]
Websitewww.iam-memory.org

The organization was originally founded by a subset of memory competitors and organizers who had previously been involved in competitions run by the World Memory Sports Council (WMSC), the memory sport organizing body which hosted the first World Memory Championships in 1991. 45 competitors and arbiters signed their names to the initial announcement letter. The IAM carried over event structure, rankings, and titles from prior WMSC competitions.[4] Following its inception, the IAM has maintained its own ranking system distinct from that of the WMSC.

The organization describes itself as a "worldwide federation with the overarching vision of bringing memory sports to everybody and providing a free and democratic environment for the memory community."[5] In December 2018, the IAM elected its first board, which consists of 10 members, two from each of the five participating continents.[6]

Competitions edit

The first IAM competition took place in San Diego, California in 2016, in partnership with Memory League.[7] Its first World Memory Championship took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, in December 2017.[8][9] The IAM hosted its second annual World Memory Championship in Vienna, Austria, in December 2018.[10][11]

Traditional IAM events are largely identical to the events originally created by the WMSC. The World Memory Championship, for example, is a three-day competition consisting of the following 10 events: 15-minute Names & Faces, 30-minute Binary, 1-hour Numbers, 5-minute Images, 5-minute Numbers, 5-minute Dates, 1-hour Cards, 15-minute Words, Spoken Numbers, and Speed Cards. In 2017, the IAM replaced the 15-minute abstract images event used by the WMSC with a 5-minute concrete images event.[12]

The IAM has hosted championships in the US,[13][14][15] UK,[16][17] Germany,[18] Spain,[19] Sweden,[20][21] Denmark,[22] Indonesia,[23] France,[24] Canada,[25] Austria,[26] Egypt,[27] Libya,[28] China,[29][30][31] India,[32] Mongolia,[33] Australia,[34] Korea,[35] Japan,[36] Philippines,[37] Singapore,[38][39] and Taiwan.[40] A full listing of competitions, results, rankings, and national and world records can be found on the IAM's statistics website.[41]

Building on the WMSC model, the IAM instituted a new world ranking system, which incorporates competitors' three most recent competitions rather than only using their highest-scoring competition.[42] The organization has also imposed a "levels" system and adjusted their metrics for the Grand Master of Memory title.[43]

Partnerships edit

In addition to their traditional, 10-discipline memory championships, the IAM partners with Memory League to offer competitions which are entirely digital, have head-to-head matches, and are composed of shorter disciplines.[44] The five Memory League disciplines are one-minute memorization of names, words, images, numbers, and cards.[45]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Legal information". Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  2. ^ "IAM Announcement Letter | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Legal information and Impressum | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. ^ "IAM Announcement Letter | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ^ "About us | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Meet the newly elected IAM International Board | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  7. ^ "World Memory League Championship 2016 | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Jakarta hosts World Memory Championship 2017 | The Jakarta Post". www.thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Memory champion Yanjaa Wintersoul believes anyone can learn to remember | NBC News". www.thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. ^ "World Memory Championships 2018 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Top Nass official wins global memory contest", in GDNonline.com, December 2018.
  12. ^ "IAM announcement – 5-min Images: version, standard and database / new standards for other disciplines | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. ^ Gary Pettus, "UMMC med student's memory again holds all the cards", in The Clarion-Ledger, January 2018.
  14. ^ "Extreme Memory Tournament 2016 | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. ^ "IAM US Memory Open 2016 | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  16. ^ "UK Memory League Championship 2016 | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Tournament Report from the 2016 European Open in London | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  18. ^ "German Memory League Championship 2017 | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Great Results and a World Record at the IAM Spanish Open | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  20. ^ "Tournament Report Swedish Open 2017 | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Scandinavia Memory League Championship 2017 | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  22. ^ "A championship for memory in Europe", in WTVY.com, November 2018.
  23. ^ "World Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  24. ^ "French Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Canada Memory League Championship 2018 | Memory League". memoryleague.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  26. ^ "World Memory Championships 2018 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Egypt Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Libya Open Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Indonesian Students Win Grandmaster of Memory Titles at Asia Memory Championship", in Netral News, August 2017.
  30. ^ "Hong Kong Open Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Asia Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  32. ^ "India Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  33. ^ "Mongolia Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  34. ^ "Australian Memory Championships 2016 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Korea Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  36. ^ "Japan Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Philippine Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  38. ^ "Poly student scores personal bests in Open Memory Championships; Singapore 7th overall", in StraitsTimes.com, October 2017.
  39. ^ "Singapore Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  40. ^ "Taiwan Open Memory Championships 2017 | International Association of Memory Statistics". www.iam-stats.org. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  41. ^ "World Records | International Association of Memory statistics". iam-stats.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  42. ^ "New world ranking proposal – send us your feedback! | International Association of Memory". iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  43. ^ "IAM WMC: Level System and news on the Grandmaster title | International Association of Memory". iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  44. ^ "About us | International Association of Memory". www.iam-memory.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  45. ^ Joao Medeiros, "The science behind the best memorisers in the world", in Wired UK, August 2015.

External links edit

  • International Association of Memory
  • International Association of Memory Statistics