The next World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) will take place in Germany in 2018. The WRTC Sanctioning Committee announced October 5 that it had granted the application of a group representing the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC), the Bavarian Contest Club (BCC), and the Rhein Ruhr DX Association (RRDXA) to organize what are often called “the Olympics of Amateur Radio.” In July German participants of WRTC-2014 in New England initiated a petition, urging the WRTC Sanctioning Committee to name Germany as the site of the next international competition among elite teams of Amateur Radio contesters. 

“The German application was very well prepared and, knowing their experience, we all expect another outstanding meeting and competition among world's best contesters,” WRTC Sanctioning Committee Chairman Tine Brajnik, S50A, said in a post to the CQ Contest reflector. He added that the committee would be making public information regarding the qualifying process. It is not known if the committee considered any other applications.

Last year, as preparations were still underway for WRTC-2014, the WRTC Sanctioning Committee put out a call for WRTC-2018 sponsors, noting the importance of giving the contesting community “as much time as possible to prepare for each event.” The Sanctioning Committee evaluates requests to host a WRTC and selects the winning applicant. An announcement regarding the location of WRTC-2018 had been expected at the closing ceremony for WRTC-2014, but no formal proposals had been received at that point.

A World Radiosport Team Championship features approximately 50 two-person Amateur Radio teams competing in a test of operating skill. The event takes place concurrent with the IARU HF Championship in July, although WRTC rules vary from those of the IARU event. All stations use identical antennas and power level and operate from equivalent sites in the same geographical region in an effort to eliminate all variables except operating ability. WRTC-2014 included 59 competing teams from 29 qualifying regions around the world.

The first WRTC was held in 1990 in Seattle in concurrent with the Goodwill Games there. Subsequent events have taken place in San Francisco (1996), Bled, Slovenia (2000), Helsinki, Finland (2002), Florianopolis, Brazil (2006), Moscow, Russia (2010), and New England (2014).

In addition to Brajnik, members of the WRTC Sanctioning Committee include Ward Silver, N0AX; Dan Eskenazi, K7SS; Bob Cox, K3EST; Rusty Epps, W6OAT; Martti Laine, OH2BH; Jukka Kulha, OH2MA; Atilano Oms, PY5EG; Sergio Almeida, PP5JR; Harry Booklan, RA3AUU, and Roman Thomas, RZ3AA. — Thanks to The Daily DX