" If I had not followed this course of action , I would have had the Americans against me in Lausanne ... and our international federation could not have been established as it was ."
Between 1948 and 2003 , under three presidents — Marcel Laureau ( France ), Henk Vermeyden ( Netherlands ), and Maurice Pierre ( France )— the FISM underwent few modifications : in 1952 the FISM Congress changed from an annual to a triennial event and in 1997 the position of Vice Secretary General was created to improve operational management .
In 2003 , under the presidency of Eric Eswin ( Netherlands ), the FISM underwent a real revolution in both its statutes and competition regulations .
Before 2003 there was no official limit on the number of competitors and the magicians could compete in multiple categories .
Changes introduced in 2003 : was established a maximum of 150 participants ( 100 for the stage competition , 50 for closeup magic ) and a new two-phase competition format ( Selection of category winners and a final performance of winners to determine the Grand Prix champion ). It was in this context that the name " FISM Convention " was officially changed to " World Championship of Magic ", to emphasize its role as the leading global competition for magicians .
In 2004 , a strategic document titled " The Future of FISM " further consolidated this new identity , placing the Championship at the center of the federation ' s activities .
Further Innovations and Continental Divisions from 2006 , the FISM introduced
additional innovations : the adoption of an official logo and a crystal trophy and the creation of six continental divisions ( FISM Asia , FISM Africa , FISM Europe , FISM Latin America , FISM North America and FISM Oceania ). The presidents of these divisions were automatically included in the FISM Executive Committee , strengthening its governance structure .
Since 2012 , the FISM has seen the presidency of two Italians , Domenico Dante ( 2012-2022 ) and Andrea Baioni ( 2022 and he is currently serving ), maintaining its structure without major transformations .
Today , FISM remains the most important magic organization in the world , and its World Championship of Magic is the ultimate competition for illusionists , setting the highest standards in the art of magic .
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