The WCA Board of Directors is extremely happy to announce that Ryan Murphy has been appointed as the Executive Director as of 2 January 2026. In this role, he will oversee organizational strategy, external relations, and focus on growing the sport of competitive speedcubing worldwide.

Ryan previously served as Executive Director of the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of sport and public health by advancing high-quality anti-doping research and development. Founded in 2008 by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the PCC supported more than 60 percent of the world’s anti-doping research during his tenure.

Ryan serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Sports Industry Management Master’s program at Georgetown University. In this role, he has taught Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalization of Sport, as well as served as a Capstone Advisor.

Prior to joining the PCC in 2021, Ryan served as a Program Officer in the Sports Diplomacy division at the U.S. Department of State, a role he held from 2009 to 2021. He directly oversaw the International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI), managing the division’s annual global sports grant competition portfolio and focused on using sports as a diplomatic tool around the globe. Earlier in his career, Ryan was Senior Manager for Sport & Competition at Special Olympics International from 2004 to 2009, where he helped develop sport resources for coaches and administrators across the global Special Olympics network. Ryan also worked as an International Doping Control Officer with International Doping Tests & Management (IDTM) from 2003 to 2015, conducting doping control testing for athletes around the world.

Ryan earned an MA in International Sports Law from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, England, and an MSc in Sport and Recreation Management from the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, England. He holds a BSc in Kinesiology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

The WCA Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Ryan to the organization. His extensive leadership background and deep commitment to the integrity of global sport will be invaluable assets as we enter this next chapter of growth and community impact.

Source:: worldcubeassociation

Dear WCA Community,

The WCA Quality Assurance Committee (WQAC) is excited to welcome new members! Joining the WQAC is a great way to get started as a new WCA Volunteer, or to explore new ways to contribute to the WCA Community if you are already a WCA Volunteer. You do not need to hold any current position within the WCA to apply. We value different perspectives and experiences, and we’d love for you to join us! Information for applicants is below:

What does the WQAC do?

The WQAC is responsible for developing educational resources to support the WCA Community and advising in situations when WCA Volunteers are not maintaining the required skills for their positions. The official rights and duties of the WQAC are documented in WCA Motion 10.2025.8.

Am I qualified to apply to the WQAC?

The main requirements for applying to the WQAC are that you are at least 18 years of age and are proficient in writing English. We are most interested in applicants who have strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and collaboration skills. When applying to the WQAC, you must apply to at least one subteam, explained below.

Educational Documents (EduDocs) Team

The EduDocs Team is responsible for creating and maintaining educational resources for the WCA Community. These include the Competitor Tutorial, Organizer Guidelines, and the Delegate Handbook.

We are looking for applicants who:

• Have experience as a competition organizer or WCA Delegate.
• Have an in-depth understanding of how competitions are organized and run, including an awareness of varying local practices.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of WCA Regulations, Policies, and Motions.

Investigations Team

The Investigations Team handles concerns related to the quality of WCA competitions, Delegate conduct, adherence to the WCA Scramble Accountability Policy (WSAP), and other issues not directly overseen by other Committees or Teams.

We are looking for applicants who:

• Have strong knowledge of the role and responsibilities of a WCA Delegate.
• Have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including an understanding of cognitive bias.
• Are able to communicate professionally and clearly through email.

Projects Team

The Projects Team leads initiatives to improve WCA Volunteer training. The current largest project is the Learning Management System (LMS) Project, which includes a series of educational courses to support training WCA Volunteers.

We are looking for applicants who:

• Have strong knowledge of the role and responsibilities of a WCA Delegate.
• Have experience with educational platforms or training systems.
• Possess technical writing and documentation skills.

Application Period

Applicants may submit their application document to the WQAC Leader, Sarah Strong (sstrongworldcubeassociation.org), until January 17th, 2026, 23:59 UTC.

The application document must be a PDF file and include all of the following:

• A brief personal introduction.
• A summary of activities done within the speedcubing community.
• The motivation for applying to join the WQAC.
• The team(s) you are interested in joining.
• An explanation of how your skills and experience align with these team(s).

Applicants can expect a reply within 48 hours to confirm that their application has been received. The selection process will occur on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about the WQAC, you are welcome to contact the WQAC Leader at sstrongworldcubeassociation.org.

Source:: worldcubeassociation

Dear WCA Community,

The WCA Major Championships Team (WMCT) is happy to announce that Raleigh, North Carolina, USA has been selected to host the 2026 WCA North American Championship.

This team has significant experience in organizing Major Championships, having recently organized Worlds 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The 2025 World Championship was a big step forward for the WCA in many different aspects and we are confident its success will translate into an amazing 2026 North American Championship in Raleigh.

The competition website for the 2026 North American Championship has been announced as well. You can check it out here.

You can view the application documents for the WCA North American Championship 2026 here

Raleigh was the only applicant for the North American Championship.

All the other Continental Championships were already selected and announced in previous post, see the post for these here: European Championship and South American, Oceanic, African, Asian Championships.

Source:: worldcubeassociation

Dear WCA Community,

We are happy to announce that Roman Wofford will become the new Leader of the WCA Competition Announcement Team (WCAT). Roman was already working as a Senior Member of the WCAT.

Roman was selected by the WCA Board and approved in a vote, as described in Section 5 of our Motion about WCA Committees and Teams. This appointment is effective as of December 18th, 2025.

We thank Zeke Mackay, who will remain as a Senior Member of WCAT, for the work he has done as the leader, and wish Roman the best of luck in fulfilling his new duties.

Roman was one of the two applications we received. You can view all the candidacy documents here.

Source:: worldcubeassociation

Dear WCA Community,

We are happy to announce that Kyle Kayden Hayles will become the new Leader of the WCA Communication Team (WCT). Kyle was already working as a Member of the WCT.

Kyle was selected by the WCA Board and approved in a vote, as described in Section 5 of our Motion about WCA Committees and Teams. This appointment is effective as of December 18th, 2025.

We thank Zain Ali Behzaad, who will remain as a Senior Member of WCT, for the work he has done as the leader, and wish Kyle the best of luck in fulfilling his new duties.

Kyle was the only applicant for the role, and his successful candidacy document can be found here.

Source:: worldcubeassociation