Below the answers from Assen Hadjitodorov, I posted the letter from Alexander Filimonov – IAFD President regarding the EuroArm 2015, European Armwrestling Championship for Disabled.
” EAF / WAF President answer
Dear EAF Members,
This is my answer to all propaganda that Alexander Filimonov, Igor Mazurenko and Marian Capla are leading against me in the public space.
I think that all questions regarding WAF/EAF business should stay only within WAF/EAF member’s internal network. WAF Constitution: “Article 6, Point 10. Congress sessions are private.” (Agenda points are part of the Congress Session).
I don’t see a single reason for which they accuse me about my leadership as EAF President. We have smoothly organization inside EAF and to ask for my and the General Secretary, Mircea Simionescu-Simicel resignation we need to have seriously breaks of EAF rules. I don’t see such a break of the EAF rules.
In this propaganda I only see the dirty attempt to sabotage the excellent organization of upcoming European Armwrestling Championship – EUROARM 2015.
I am doing all my best to have all of you here in Bulgaria and to celebrate together our 20 years of Bulgarian Armwrestling Federation and quarter century of EAF activity.I ask you to open your eyes and not permit this group to mislead you.
I and Mircea was elected for 4 years mandate. So far we did not made any breach of the rules, so I consider this request of our resignations absolutely without reason.
Moreover, next year we have regular elections of EAF and everybody is free to bid for next elections. Why this group can’t wait until next elections?Dear Colleagues, for 2 and a half years from my election in 2012, under my management, WAF achieved recognition by three of the most important sport organizations in the world. First one recognition and becoming WADA Code Compliant which was the keystone for recognition of SportAccord and IPC. We are in negotiations to include armwrestling into the 2024 Paralympic Games Program. We miss only Olympic Recognition but I believe that we will achieve it too.
Now I will answer on the questions:
First I will answer to accusations of Alexander Filimonov about possessing the power of EAF and WAF. I was elected with the majority votes of EAF and WAF members.
WAF Constitution: “Article 9, Point 3 Only Continental representatives can let their name stand for office on the WAF Executive Committee…”
Last year we changed this rule and from next elections everybody from the WAF members can let their name stand for WAF presidency.I feel myself like the legal elected president according with EAF and WAF rules.
About the accusation of financial fraud in EAF I consider it as an absolute lie. Every year the congress approves the financial report. Mr. David Eilerstain (Norway) has audited the 2013-2014 EAF Financial Report as the Congress appoint it and he had no remarks on the report presented.
About the accusation that I supervise the work of Doping Director and Doping Committee, I feel as a duty of the President to cooperate and supervise the work of all committees (Doping, Referee, Technical, Secretary etc.). The President is the legal representative of EAF and WAF in front of all major organizations and agencies as WADA, SportAccord, IPC and others.
I declare that I have excellent relationship with the Doping Director JF Andre. As result of this cooperation we increased the number of doping tests and decreased the costs of doping tests (you will see this on the next financial report).
Becoming WADA Code Compliant we took huge responsibility to follow their very strict rules, otherwise they will exclude WAF as a member.
I thing the Doping Committee made their best to work under WADA requirements. Of course we have to improve our work and knowledge about doping.
That is why, by my recommendation, our Doping Director Frederic Andre will participate for the first time into the official WADA Seminar in Lausanne-Switzerland this week. For the first time he, as Doping Director of WAF, will represent armwrestling in this important WADA Conference.You remember two years ago when Mr. Filimonov, who accused me, was breaking the doping rules, announcing the names of suspected athletes in his website, making this absolute confidential information public, breaking all WADA and WAF rules. The same information was published into the Igor Mazurenko website armpower[.]net. All this discussions are confidential information between WAF Doping Committee and positive tested National Federations. Even I as WAF President don’t take part in those communications. After my intervention they removed the articles from their websites.
Becoming WADA members I am doing all my best strictly to follow their rules.At the moment, Russian Federation and Mr. Filimonov are not in good standing with WAF because they again break several rules of WAF and Constitution namely:
WAF Rules: “4.2.2. Each positive test of an athlete oblige his national federation/ body to finance an additional doping test to be carried out on anyone of their athlets next World Championship.”
WAF Constitution: “Article 4, Sub-section 6. Bylaws pertaining to this constitution will come into effect immediately after having been approved by WAF Executive Committee and ratified by the WAF membership. A delay to implement a change may be granted if it deems to be beneficial to WAF.”
Publishing the Executive meeting discussions and voting on the internet.
WAF Constitution: Article 7 “31. Meetings of the Executive Committee are private.”About IAFD
The congress voted that “New disabled federation (IAFD) become member of WAF and we will continue working under the new rules for disabled separating disabilities by blind, deaf, physical disabilities”.
So far no one from IAFD had sent request to WAF for membership according the WAF Constitution:
“ARTICLE 15: MEMBERSHIP
Sub-sections:
1. A national armwrestling organization wishing to become affiliated to WAF must first apply to their Continental Federation.
2. WAF will supply the membership form to be filled out by the country applying for membership. This form will cover all the points needed to be affiliated. Some of these points are:
a. List of executives.
b. A copy of their constitution.
c. $300.00 EURO annual membership fee.
d. All phone and fax numbers. Mailing addresses and e-mail addresses if applicable.
3. An application for membership implies complete acceptance of the WAF Constitution and rules.
…
5. After all WAF formalities are completed, the new member will be given an official welcome at the WAF Congress.”
At the moment IAFD is a private organization created by Alexander Filimonov and we still don’t know who else because we haven’t received any official documents from them.
In 2013 he mislead and lied WAF Executive board that only separate organizations for disabled people can be accepted as member of IPC. Following is the IPC Membership Manager, Mrs. Claire Margas answer to this matter: “It is fine if the able-bodied federation is managing sports for people with an impairment as well, there is no need for a separate organisation.”
Alexander Filimonov stated also in front of the WAF Congress that WAF with all juniors, seniors and masters divisions can not become IPC recognized because of the same reason.After we start negotiations with IPC no one from IPC knew about IAFD (they recognise only one International Federation per sport).
First requirement of IPC was to be WADA code compliant, to have more than 32 members and to have more than 4 consecutive years of international para-sport activity (IPC Handbook Page 26). IAFD do not comply with any of IPC requirements.In the propaganda that Filimonov and Mazurenko are spreading against me they stated that because of the work of IAFD, WAF became IPC Recognized, what is absolute a lie.
During the first IAFD world championship for disabled in Poland, they completely ignored WAF as organizer of this championship. They also charged fees for member countries and athletes “passports” against previous agreement made with WAF Executives when Filimonov stated that WAF members will pay only competitors fees as in WAF. There was lack of communication from their side.After this event they decide to have the second IAFD World Championship for disabled this year again in Poland. After 2014, WAF Congress and WAF Executive board never approved this and never gave the status of IAFD as independent organization who can decide what to do with the disabled sport.
The organizer of World Armwrestling Championship for disabled can be only WAF, the same for Continental Championships, the organizer can be only Continental Federation members of WAF.
They break one more WAF rule giving permission to American Armwrestling Federation (not WAF member) where Igor Mazurenko is General Secretary (see attachment) to manage the disabled sport in USA.
According WAF Constitution Article 3: “The countries may have as many active armwrestling organizations as they want, but they may only be represented by one national body from each country.” Those members can represent armwrestling in the world or Continental level. In the USA the representative member is USAF with President Simon Berriochoa. That kind of rule violation is inadmissible.With all this illegal actions IAFD proved that they don’t respect at all WAF Constitution, WAF Rules and WAF member’s decisions.
Yesterday we received a written letter (attached) from Filimonov in which he threaten that he will cancel the disabled European Championship in Bulgaria. Last year EAF was the organizer of Disabled European Championship. When we have changed this? Who give him this right? When and where EAF approved IAFD to manage the European Disabled Championship? Again he is going to break our rules.
About the WorldGames for amputee athletes, WAF as the only legally organization recognized by IPC, manage para-armwrestling activities world wide. WAF have not ever received an invitation or request to organize this event.
Anyway the WAF General Secretary sent the information of participation to those games to all WAF members. All this actions from IAFD show ignorance of guidelines of WAF and EAF and breaking our rules. This is another evidence that they want to sabotage this year European Championship.I declare that I have never been involved into IAFD Establishment, never seen their statutes, never participate in their meetings and never approved to be part of it.
Enough for Alexander Filimonov behaviour.Now I turn to Igor Mazurenko.
You know that we are friends since 2000 when he started to get involved in armwrestling.
In all this 15 years I helped him very much. When he was arrested, Willy Deneumostier, Marian Capla and Fred Roy wanted to exclude him from armwrestling and to cancel the World Championship in Poland. I was the man who stopped those actions against him.
I prepared him a special letter to the Police court declaring that Igor is not a criminal and he is a very active member of EAF and WAF. Last year when he started the application for US green card I gave him supporting letter to the US Government.
As a gratitude for all the help I gave him during those years now he turns against me asking for my resignation.Now I will tell you the reasons:
Last year during the last day of World Championship in Lithuania, he personally gave order to his employee Marcin Mielniczuk and stopped the starting of the 4th competition day. Absolutely illegally and against the WAF rules because he believes that Marcin is working for Mazurenko Promotion and the software is Mazurenko Promotion property. When I approach him and tell him he cannot stop the WAC and he cannot give that order, he said that he will not allow to start before Vydas Mikelionis will pay him the money for the medals and for the tables that Vydas bought from Mazurenko Promotion (this is a private business between Mazurenko Promotion and Lithuanian Federation and WAF is not involved in this).
After his refusal I went to the stage and announce in front of all WAF members and competitors why we cannot start the Championship. After my intervention and announcement on the stage the championship started.
Exactly before the award ceremonies, Mazurenko Promotion told us that if Vydas or WAF do not pay over 11.000 euro they will not give the medals (54 medals). That was the reason we didn’t gave medals to the champions in the forth day.
After that Mircea offered Mazurenko Promotion to buy the medals
Email correspondence
Mircea: “… Can you sell 18 sets of medals and three sets of cups?”
Mazurenko: “…Vidas owes me currently 5 650 euros. I took everything I could from him. All championship tables and even tables of Druskininkai. Everything deducted from the debt. And now I have to sell it. Vidas lying, and all the time gives me a new terms. Medals are all I have left. When I sell it to you I’ll never get the money from Vidas.”
According to the Mazurenko Promotion price list one medal cost 6 euro.As WAF president I consider that WAF rules are higher than any friendship and I tried not to let the private business of Igor interfere with WAF business.
You saw he had a selling stand where he sold t-shirts and other promotional materials from which he earned thousands of euros.
Also Mazurenko Promotion brands appear on the tables, on the advertising background and on the video screens as sponsors. Mazurenko Promotion haven’t pay a coin to WAF and we received a letter from the Lithuanian Federation stating that they haven’t received any money for the advertising or selling space.
Without permission Mazurenko Promotion used WAF logo on their promotional materials, t-shirts and sold them without paying a coin to WAF.
Now we are witnesses of how he appropriate the title of “World Armwrestling Championship” – WAC registering his company in USA with this name.
I consider this absolutely illegally and I am against anybody to use this title except WAF. The title “World Armwrestling Championship” belongs to our WAF, not to Igor Mazurenko.All his actions showed that he is worried only about his private interest first. It took me 15 years to recognize his real face.
Now I turn to Marian Capla
Why Marian, who was against Igor, IAFD and Filimonov turned his position 180 degrees and went into coalition with those persons who permanently breech our rules.
What they offered you Marian?
The position of EAF General Secretary for one year and the position of EAF President to the next elections? Filimonov aims for the WAF Presidency with your help?
Marian, don’t be a chess pawn in their hand. You see how they act against me when I defend the WAF and EAF Rules. Don’t permit them to get you involved in their dirty games.Their only goal was two appropriate the disabled sport from WAF and to use it for private interest and from what I understand they now trying to shark up the EAF Management.
Dear EAF members don’t let this coalition misleading you, they don’t have real reasons to ask my and Mircea resignation.
In conclusion I believe that our sport should create friendship relations, respect to each other and respect to our rules.
Let not the envy, ego and private interest lead us in our work.
I expect all of you here in Sofia.Best Regards,
Assen Hadjitodorov ”
