Informationen vom WMA-Präsidenten, Torsten Carlius
Vor den 15. Senioren Weltmeisterschaften der Senioren in Carolina / Puerto Rico hat der Präsident der WMA, Torsten Carlius ein paar wichtige Informationen für die alle Senioren.
Anträge für die GeneralversammlungDie Generalversammlung in Puerto Rico wird am 10. Juni stattfinden. Dort wird es keine Wahlen geben, aber eine Menge Anträge die aus dem Council und von den verschiednen Nationen kommen. Diese Anträge werden in den kommenden Wochen auf der Homepage der WMA www.world-masters-athletics.org veröffentlicht. Einige Council-Anträge werden folgend vorgestellt:
Männer 35
Es wird angestrebt das Startalter der Männer auf M35 zu senken. Somit wäre eine Einheitlichkeit zu den Frauen vorhanden. Einige Nationen bieten bereits die Altersklassen M35 an und mit Sicherheit würde dies zu einer Belebung der Meisterschaften führen.
Nominierungen für Kandidaten
Das Council schlägt vor, dass Nominierungen für Kandidaten nur noch über die Nationen laufen sollen. Zurzeit erlaubt es die Satzung, dass das Council Kandidaten nominiert.
1. Senioren-Hallen-Weltmeisterschaft
Ab dem kommenden Jahr soll es die 1. Senioren Hallen-Weltmeisterschaften geben, sofern die Generalversammlung zustimmt. Die drei Bewerberstädte Malmö, New York und Sindelfingen wurden besichtigt, und das Council hat für Sindelfingen als Austragungsort gestimmt.
Mannschaftswertung Non-Stadia
Während den letzten Meisterschaften gab es einige Diskussionen bezüglich der Mannschaftswertung. Nun hat das Council ein Lösung gefunden, die hoffentlich Einheitlichkeit und Zustimmung finden wird. Ein Athlet kann in seiner eigene Altersklasse starten und gewertet werden und trotzdem in der Mannschaftswertung in einer jüngeren Alterklasse gewertet werden, wenn folgende Punkte zutreffen:
- das eigene Rennen und das der anderen Altersklasse muss zum gleichen Zeitpunkt stattfinden.
- In der jüngeren Altersklasse sind nicht genug Athleten um eine Mannschaft zu stellen.
World Masters Games
Während der Generalversammlung soll die Beziehung zwischen IMGA und der WMA geklärt werden. Die Hauptfrage wird sein, ob man mit der Situation leben kann, dass WMA Weltmeisterschaften und IMGA Meisterschaften alle vier Jahre im gleichen Jahr stattfinden werden. Es sollte eine Möglichkeit gefunden, bei der beide Meisterschaftsformen miteinander kooperieren und sich gegenseitig abstimmen.
Zukünftige Meisterschaften
Folgende Meisterschaften werden während der Generalversammlung in Puerto Rico vergeben:
- Non-Stadia in 2006
- Stadia in 2007
Für beide Meisterschaften gibt es jeweils nur einen Bewerber, Vancouver, CAN, für 2006 Non-Stadia und Riccione, ITA, für 2007 Stadia.
Während der Generalversammlung werden sich des Weiteren Manukau/Auckland, NZL, für 2004 Non-Stadia Meisterschaften und San Sebastian, ESP, für 2005 Stadia Meisterschaften präsentieren.
Der vollständige Text von Torsten Carlius kann nachstehend in Englischer Sprache gelesen werden.
From the WMA President, Torsten Carlius
We will soon meet for our 15th World Masters Athletics Championships Stadia in Puerto Rico and the preparations are going very well. We can expect very good Championships with high organisational skills.
Proposals for the General Assembly
In Puerto Rico we will as usual also have our General Assembly – this time on July 10. There will be no elections but I take for granted that we will have good and progressive discussions on the many proposals from the Council and our Affiliates. The proposals will soon be published on our website but I would like to comment upon some of the Council proposals already now.
Men masters from 35 years of age
This is a very important proposal to us and I do sincerely hope that it will be approved. Of course it is some kind of equality to have also the men in our movement from 35 years of age but the vital point is that we must offer athle- tics to all or we risk to lose many men between their twenties and the wel-come to join us from 40 years of age. I know that many countries have natio-nal championships for M35 but they are not offered international champion-ships and they cannot be part of our movement. A change is very vital and I am sure we will be able to have this proposal approved also by IAAF as it is a change also of their rules.
Nominations of candidates
The Council also proposes that nominations of candidates for Council office shall only be made by Affiliates. To-day our Constitution allows the Council to nominate candidates but we feel it is time to remove this rule and bring our Constitution in line with International Sport Associations' procedures, i.e. all nominations shall come from Affiliates only. This will place the right and power where it should be, i.e. with the Affiliates.
World Masters Championships Indoors
I have commented upon this proposal previously and hope that it will be a rea-lity from 2004. If approved, we will have a complete programme for our masters, i.e. Stadia, Non-Stadia and Indoors. As you know, the Council got three bids to host these Inaugural Championships in 2004, i.e. from Malmö, SWE, New York, USA, and Sindelfingen, GER. We have made the necessary inspection visits and have three really experienced and competent bidders. In the Council vote Sindelfingen was the winner with 7 votes, New York 5 votes and Malmö 2 votes and I take for granted that our Inaugural World Champion-ships Indoors in 2004 will be organised in Sindelfingen.
Team scoring Non-Stadia events
Over the last Championships we have had hard discussions re the rules for team scoring in the Non-Stadia events. Let me first state that these changes have been made in a positive approach to stimulate to more participation in these events and to try to secure a system that cannot be abused. We have got many comments on these changes.
However, now the Council has a proposal that can hopefully gain unity and a clear majority. Still starting from the views to stimulate to increased participa-tion and a system that cannot be abused the Council proposes that an athlete competes individually in his/her own age group but will be permitted to drop to a lower age group for team scoring only if certain requirements are met:
- the lower age group shall be in the same race as that in which the
athlete competes individually
- the athlete's country does not have a sufficient number of athletes in
that age group to make a full team in that age group
to which some administrative rules are added. I think that this is the best possible way to handle the team scoring and hope we can agree upon it and have a solution for the future.
World Masters Games
The World Masters Games will also be on our agenda at the General Assem-bly in Carolina and it is important that we sort out our relations with IMGA and the World Masters Games. I guess you remember the discussions last au-tumn re the dates for the 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton – discus-sions that ended with a later start of the Games than planned and a still later start of the track & field events to avoid a clash with our World Masters Championships Stadia in San Sebastian.
The main question is of course if we can live with a situation where we have our WMA World Masters Championships Stadia and the World Masters Games in the same year every four years. It is of course not satisfactory even if the dates clashes will be avoided in the future as IMGA will award the World Masters Games much earlier in the future – the 2009 Games already during 2004.
I have personally used much time and many efforts to get the World Masters Games more in line with our World Championships and much has happened (WMA Technical Delegates, drug testing, recognition by the International Olympic Committee and so on) and I am to-day convinced that World Masters Games will grow still more and become a strong manifestation of master sports. We were once talking of the possibilities to organise our World Masters Championships Stadia within the World Masters Games every four years but, if questioned to-day, my answer would be no. Over the last years the financial conditions have changed and WMA would be a loser in such a marriage. How-ever, there must be a place for us both and we must just find the way to coor-dinate and cooperate. We will discuss how now in Carolina and I am sure we will find a good solution.
Future Championships
At the General Assembly now in Carolina we will also award some future World Masters Championships in addition to the Indoors, i.e.
- Non-Stadia in 2006
- Stadia in 2007
For both we have just one candidate, i.e. Vancouver, CAN, for the 2006 Non-Stadia and Riccione, ITA, for the 2007 Stadia. The Council has been on both sites and is very confident that both championships will be very well organi- sed.
At the General Assembly we will also get presentations from Manukau/Auck- land, NZL, re our 2004 Non-Stadia Championships and from San Sebastian, ESP, re our 2005 Stadia Championships. We have followed their prepara- tions closely and can confirm that they are running very well. It will be very interesting to listen to their delegations.
Finally I do hope that we will meet in Carolina as many as possible in some weeks and I do wish you all the best success at our 15th World Masters Championships Stadia. Good Luck to all of you.
Torsten Carlius
WMA President
