Hello, I am sending this message to our ISA climbing community, long-time volunteers, and others who have expressed interest in receiving information of this nature from ISA. Thank you for your engagement in our organization. As we are getting ready to celebrate our Centennial in Atlanta, Georgia, US, next month, I am hyper-aware of how important our volunteers, members, and credential holders are to our organization's success.

As many of you know, ISA planned to hold our 2024 International Tree Climbing Competition (ITCC) in Atlanta on 25-27 October 2024. This plan was put on hold when the City of Atlanta notified us that they decided no tree climbing could occur in any owned or managed location, including our planned ITCC site. We quickly pivoted and with input from our local host, the Georgia Arborist Association (GAA), began the search for a location within the GAA footprint. This event is the ITCC, and we want to reassure you that we are committed to providing an exciting and challenging ITCC experience for all our competitors.

I understand that there is a level of frustration due to the delay in announcing the location for this October's event. Your patience and understanding during this time are invaluable to us. Please know that the ISA team, our ITCC Operations Committee, and I share your impatience and are eager to start planning for this significant event. However, we are bound to wait for the final approval and permits before making a public announcement. The permitting process is nearing completion, and we are awaiting two more departmental approvals before the permit is issued. Rest assured, as soon as we have the necessary paperwork, we will send out the announcements on the same day. I am optimistic that we will be able to announce the location soon, but unfortunately, this is currently beyond the ISA's control.

There has been a recent trend of challenges with locations and permitting for tree climbing events, both for ISA and its Chapters and Associate Organizations. We will be addressing this issue as a group at our upcoming ISA Leadership Workshop. Please be assured that we highly value your engagement in our organization, and we are dedicated to minimizing such changes and disruptions. We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and understanding, and we are grateful for your unwavering support during this challenging time. Please stay tuned to the ISA ITCC Facebook page, our ISA-Climbers Instagram, and your email for updates.

Read the offical ITCC Press Release