Introducing Fighting Spirits Inc. – We're Now Registered as a NFP (Project AIDA)

Alongside the initial updates associated with Project AIDA, we are happy to announce that we are now registered as a Not-For-Profit Organization in Canada. We have always operated as one, but this has made it official!

We are registered and on an official basis operate under the name “Fighting Spirits Inc.” (inspired by a Bakuten Shoot Beyblade OST track title Wink).

However, we plan to continue using “World Beyblade Organization” as well. We are in the process of researching and registering this as a trade name if possible.

Why we registered and what it means
Last year we announced all activities regarding entry fees, prize reimbursement, Blader Passports, and our shop were temporarily suspended due to new requirements imposed by our payment processing system PayPal. This is what pushed us down the long path towards registering.

For the time being this will continue, but the good news is that registering as an NFP has helped us to finally meet PayPal’s requirements. We are able to begin collecting and sending funds again and will do so once we have ensured that it is being done properly and efficiently.

We would also like to be clear that there is no change at this time in terms of the status of all staff as unpaid volunteers. When we begin collecting entry fees or open our shop again, all funds will go directly to funding the WBO itself (hosting, platform development, organizer prizes/equipment support, online contests, and so forth) as they always have.

While there are now new legal requirements for us to fulfill behind the scenes every year as per Canadian law, there will also be no major change to how members interact with the WBO as a result of this registration. That being said, as we have announced, some updates have been made to our Terms of Service. We encourage everyone to read it.

The process to become registered has been a long and arduous one and we are still learning. Although it has created a new set of responsibilities for us, it also has created the opportunity for us to do so much more moving forward without fear of restrictions like we faced with PayPal last year.

We hope you all will look forward to the future of the WBO from here!