{"id":70925,"date":"2026-05-06T18:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koiquestion.com\/the-league-of-rising-scales-time-for-clarity"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T16:00:31","slug":"the-league-of-rising-scales-time-for-clarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koiquestion.com\/en\/the-league-of-rising-scales-time-for-clarity","title":{"rendered":"THE LEAGUE OF RISING SCALES – Time for clarity"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘One League to rule them all’<\/b><\/h2>\n

Koi league, koi competition and the first real koi rankings<\/b><\/h4>\n

After a successful launch at the Belgian Koi Show and the Italian Koi Show, it is time for clarity. The video of<\/a> the introduction was watched and also in the reactions, digital and at the shows, the concept was welcomed as a breath of fresh air. All affiliated organizations with a Koi Show are right behind it and have committed to this first true Koi competition. And already on that we are super proud. In this article, space for context. The who, what and why behind The League of Rising Scales. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The reality behind every koi show<\/b><\/h4>\n

There is a reason why koi shows have such a strong appeal, and that reason lies not only in the koi themselves, but in what comes together in a single moment: preparation, expectation, judging and recognition. Everything seems to concentrate in a few days in which what has often been invisible for years before becomes visible. And yet, as soon as a show ends, something remarkable happens. The awards are presented, the winners are named, and almost immediately after that, things fall silent. The moment is over, and what is left is a result that stands alone, separate from what came before and separate from what will come after. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Why a koi league is needed<\/b><\/h4>\n

Anyone who has been in the hobby longer knows that this image does not reflect reality. No koi is formed in one weekend, no competitor develops in one moment, and no performance truly stands alone. What you see at a show is always a fragment of something bigger, a snapshot of a process that stretches over time, over choices, over insights and over experience. And that is precisely where the tension arises: reality is continuous, but the way we capture it is fragmented. <\/p>\n

As long as each show is seen as a stand-alone endpoint, an essential layer is missing. There is no way to connect performance, no way to visualize development, and no way to understand what someone is really showing over a longer period of time. You see who wins, but not who continues to perform. You see who stands out, but not who develops. You see peaks, but no line. n the standings. For that reason, no new shows are added during the season. Compare it to Formula 1. Not one race determines everything, but the season.
Not only the winner counts, but consistency, strategy and development<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\"Rob
Awards take on a value that extends beyond the honors on that one weekend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From separate shows to one koi competition<\/b><\/h4>\n

This fundamentally changes the experience: Shows become more meaningful. The run-up becomes more exciting. The afterglow becomes more relevant. And performances count over the long term. Not only the absolute top becomes visible, but also the hobbyists who perform structurally, grow and endure. The rankings increase: <\/p>\n

    \n
  • competitiveness, in a healthy way<\/li>\n
  • the support for all koi shows<\/li>\n
  • the attractiveness to younger generations<\/li>\n
  • and participant and audience involvement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    They create space for stories: local heroes, risers, newcomers, seasonal matches.
    Stories that now remain untold. For the hobby, this means: more dynamics, more continuity and more future-proofing. For KoiQuestion<\/abbr> it means a substantive role as an independent connector<\/strong>: not just reporting results, but interpreting, analyzing and giving meaning to the season. <\/p>\n

    \n

    SOON THE FIRST INTERIM REPORT WILL APPEAR<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The Participating Shows<\/h4>\n

    The League of Rising Scales was born from that understanding, not as an addition to the hobby, but as a correction to how we have viewed it so far. The league does not change anything about the shows themselves. The judging remains where it belongs, the results remain as established, and the organizations fully retain their roles and autonomy. What changes is the meaning of those results once they no longer exist in isolation, but are linked together. For the first season, it was decided not to include online Koi Shows because of the many criticisms surrounding possible edits. The League of Rising Scales spans the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and France with participating shows, but participants can of course come from all over Europe such as Germany and Denmark or Poland. <\/p>\n

    These are all the shows now competing in 2026:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n
      Belgian Koi Show (BKS).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Italian Koi Show (IKA).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      France Koi Show (FKA).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      European Koi Show (Koi Club Netherlands)<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Koi Cave Japan Festival (Koi Cave).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Koi Show Noorderlicht<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Holland Koi Show (NVN<\/abbr>)<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Young Holland Koi Show (NVN<\/abbr>).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Young France Koi Show (FKA).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Young Belgian Koi Show (BKS).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Young Koi Cave Koi Show (Koi Cave).<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Tosai<\/abbr> Koi Show<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \"One
      All participating organizations\/ shows brotherly on one flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      By linking predetermined koi shows within one season, a continuous framework is created for the first time in which performances can relate to each other. A show is then no longer an end point, but a measuring moment within a greater whole. A victory is not a conclusion, but a position within a development that extends over several moments. This shifts the focus from occasional success to consistency, from visibility to development, and from peak performance to the ability to repeat and sustain that performance. <\/p>\n

      Also notable are the Young koi Shows where you can thus grab Grand Champion<\/abbr> points with Koi up to 65cm.Strategy suddenly matters.<\/p>\n

      One League to rule them all!<\/b><\/h4>\n

      This system only works when it is clearly and tightly defined from the beginning. Therefore, a season is not a loose collection of shows, but a predetermined framework in which exactly which events are part of the whole. Only the shows designated and published through KoiQuestion<\/abbr> before the start of the season are part of the league. This demarcation is not a practical choice, but a substantive necessity. Once the composition of the season could change during the term, the basis on which performances are compared shifts, and thus the reliability of the rankings disappears. For this reason, no new shows are added during the season. <\/p>\n

      If a scheduled show does not go ahead due to any circumstances, it automatically expires without replacement because the system follows reality and does not try to correct or reconstruct it.<\/p>\n

      \"Within
      Within The League Of Rising Scales, there is more interpretation for all awards in a broader context<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      The basis of any ranking: official results<\/b><\/h4>\n

      From then on, the structure is fixed and everything that follows is built on one consistent foundation. That foundation consists of the official, publicly released results of member koi shows. These results are the sole source for processing within The League of Rising Scales. KoiQuestion<\/abbr> adopts this information as established, without substantive modification, without reassessment and without correction. This leaves the responsibility for judging entirely with the respective show organizations, and creates a clear separation between establishing results and linking them. <\/p>\n

      This also means that the league is not a place for substantive discussion of results. If a contestant perceives a result as incorrect or unjust, that discussion lies with the organization of the show in question and not within the league. The League of Rising Scales does not add a new truth or replace existing judging; it merely adds structure to what has already been publicly established. Precisely because the system does not change anything about the content of the results, it creates confidence in the way those results are brought together. <\/p>\n

      Koi league participation and registration<\/b><\/h4>\n

      Participation in the koi league follows automatically from participation in affiliated shows. Any name appearing in the official public results will be included in the standings, without separate entry and without additional action by the participant. The name as published in the results is leading. KoiQuestion<\/abbr> adopts this name and uses it as the basis for all further processing. <\/p>\n

      Only when it is demonstrably and beyond doubt established that different spellings refer to the same person or entity, can merging take place. A request can be made for this, which will be reviewed by KoiQuestion<\/abbr>, with no guarantee of alignment. This procedure keeps the system as close as possible to the original source and keeps interpretation to a minimum. <\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Wim de wit in conversation with Tiebo Jacobs<\/abbr> about his victory at the Belgian Koi Show<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Point awards within the koi competition<\/b><\/h4>\n

      Points are awarded to the registered name and not to the koi itself. This prevents results from becoming disconnected from the context in which they were achieved and keeps the responsibility clear with the participant as recorded in the results. When a koi is registered in another participant’s name, points accrue to that name regardless of actual ownership outside of the results. <\/p>\n

      Within this structure, a distinction is made between hobbyists and professionals, with a participant’s status being determined per season and remaining unchanged throughout the season. A professional is defined as any party actively and commercially involved in the koi industry, including traders, importers, breeders with commercial activities and owners or shareholders of companies directly related to the industry. <\/p>\n

      The Awards<\/h4>\n

      In a few days we will publish the exact points per award and the awards that will be presented; how and when. The distinguishing thing is that over an entire season you can also indicate who is the best hobbyist of a country and\/or province and who is the best scoring dealer of the country or the ability to distinguish themselves on variety. Local heroes should ensure that the hobby is also shown in an inspiring light more and more often on a regional level. The Koi hobby is then no longer reserved only for those men with deep pockets, because that guy from the village next door I work with in shifts and won. After two seasons you have the best newcomer and also an All Time Champion over several seasons. <\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      A nice addition is that we are also bringing a shift in those prizes. No thirteen-in-a-dozen cups, but an engraved katana, Kabuto helmet or scroll. From value to valuable. <\/p>\n

      Responsibility and welfare within koi competition<\/b><\/h4>\n

      Although the koi competition encourages participation in koi shows and increases the visibility of performance, at no time does it constitute an incentive to subordinate the welfare of koi to competition. The responsibility for the responsible use of koi lies entirely with the participant, and the system grants no entitlement or incentive beyond that. <\/p>\n

      The bigger picture: why this system exists<\/b><\/h4>\n

      As such, The League of Rising Scales is not a loose addition to the hobby, but a structure that makes visible what is already happening without changing or taking over that behavior. By connecting existing results into one continuous whole, it creates for the first time a way to truly understand performance in context, not as single moments, but as part of a story that continues to evolve. <\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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