SportAccord + Armwrestling = LOVE ? │ by XSportNews.com
UPDATE: Many updates were made to this article on 18 August 2016 (first published on 14 May 2015).
Please read what it is written and vote in the Poll posted below (scroll down):
Keep in mind this important fragment from the WAF article:
” WAF applied for full membership at SportAccord with 52 members from which only 28 where considered eligible, recognized members by National Sport Authorities. According to the current rules we needed 40. This statute would had given us the possibility to obtain the other requested national recognitions easier with the SportAccord Membership (Provisional).
By 2% of the votes, the proposal of the SportAccord Council haven’t obtained the 2/3 majority needed to made statuary changes.
At the moment WAF have the Observer status in SportAccord General Assembly and our application is open. We keep on working to collect the missing 12 National Recognitions. “
2. Mircea Simionescu-Simicel (the General Secretary of WAF) is also from Romania,
3. In Romania armwrestling is not recognized as a sport (UPDATE: This article was first published in May 2015. In July 2016, after 14 months, armwrestling received the National Recognition as a sport in Romania, but there is still no Armwrestling Federation in Romania). There is no Armwrestling Federation in Romania, it is a country where the sport of Armwrestling is missing the National Recognition.
From 6:37 (the video player is set to start at that point, if you have Flash enabled), David Owen from Inside the Games asked Marius Vizer what has actually been decided in terms of where future SportAccord Conventions will take place.
Marius Vizer also explained why many SportAccord Conventions will take place in Russia, watch his answer in the video:
World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) at SportAccord Convention: Assen Hadjitodorov, Marius Vizer, Mircea Simionescu-Simicel, Lisa Allan, Eric Saintrond, Oleg Matytsin, Claude-Louis Gallien │ Image Source: waf-armwrestling.com
Press release 24.04.2015
It is a great recognition for World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) at the SportAccord Convention, Sochi – Russia, 19-24 April 2015.
For the first time in the history of armwrestling WAF was represented, presented and recognized by SportAccord General Assembly in front of the President of International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, in front of the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, in front of the President of FIFA Sepp Blatter and in front of 109 International Federations, members of SportAccord.
Due to our application situation, SportAccord Council proposed to add a point in the constitution in order for WAF to receive the Provisional Member status.
WAF applied for full membership at SportAccord with 52 members from which only 28 where considered eligible, recognized members by National Sport Authorities. According to the current rules we needed 40. This statute would had given us the possibility to obtain the other requested national recognitions easier with the SportAccord Membership (Provisional).
By 2% of the votes, the proposal of the SportAccord Council haven’t obtained the 2/3 majority needed to made statuary changes.
At the moment WAF have the Observer status in SportAccord General Assembly and our application is open. We keep on working to collect the missing 12 National Recognitions.
WAF attended many important meetings with major sport organizations, international sport federations (members of SportAccord), national governmental sport authorities, national Olympic committees, media partners and other guests.
One of the most important was the meeting with the organizer of the World Combat Games, Mrs. Lisa Allan with who we started the discussions to include armwrestling into the program of 2018 World Combat Games in Lima-Peru. We have big chance to successfully pass all the requirements.
Another big achievement was the meeting with the President of International University Sports Federation (FISU), Mr. Claude-Louis GALLIEN. We received information and advice on how to apply and achieve FISU membership and we started the preliminary discussions to organize the 2017 World Armwrestling Students Championship under the umbrella and patronage of FISU.
WAF President and WAF General Secretary had an official meeting with SportAccord President Mr. Marius Vizer. We discussed the solutions to the current situation and he assured us of his full support.
WAF had an exhibition space together with Malaysia Tourism Agency.
WAF represented our sport, the stand where we set up a table was highly appreciated by our meeting guests, organizers, delegates, management of major international federations, media, authorities and visitors.
President of SportAccord Mr. Marius Vizer itself stopped to our armwrestling table and had a more casual meeting with WAF President and General Secretary.
For the first time all those major sport organizations met World Armwrestling Federation, acknowledge about our sport and for sure will support us for next General Assembly. They all enjoyed our sport. We received many encouragements to go further and recognize this sport at the highest international level.
Marius Vizer, president of the International Judo Federation, (IJF) watches at the SportAccord International Convention in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, May 31, 2013. Vizer was elected Friday as president of SportAccord, an umbrella body representing Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations. Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky │ Source:newstimes.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — In a potential direct challenge to the IOC and the Olympics, judo federation chief Marius Vizer plans to organize a global world championships every four years for all international sports federations.
Vizer was elected Friday as president of SportAccord, an umbrella body representing Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations. He defeated International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset of France 52-37 on the final day of the SportAccord convention in St. Petersburg.
The 56-year-old Vizer, a Romanian-born Hungarian, succeeds former cycling federation president Hein Verbruggen, who led the umbrella organization since 2004.
Vizer won on a platform of transforming SportAccord into a more powerful and lucrative body. The centerpiece of his project is to stage a “United World Championships” every four years for Olympic and non-Olympic sports.
Vizer said he plans to organize the first event in 2017 and hopes all 91 member federations take part.
“The event will be organized in a country and events divided in different cities and different regions according to the infrastructure and different facilities necessary to every sport,” Vizer said. “And, of course, in a period convenient for all international federations.”
The location of the first championships hasn’t been determined.
“I have the intention to establish offices worldwide and one of the countries which is part of this program can also be the first organizer,” Vizer said.
Vizer’s event would seem to pose a threat to the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Games. It could also conflict with existing world championships in high-profile sports such as track and field and swimming.
But Vizer, who has been president of the International Judo Federation since 2007, sought to downplay any rivalry with the IOC.
“I don’t think they have to be worried because it’s a different event with a different background, a different strategy,” he said. “And of course we will do everything in partnership, agreement with all international sports organizations.”
Vizer said he has not discussed the plans with IOC President Jacques Rogge, who steps down in September after 12 years in the job.
Rogge told reporters that Vizer’s proposal goes against the position of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, an umbrella body of the 28 sports in the games.
“ASOIF not later than 10 days ago came up with a declaration that the international program is already too congested and that there are too many events,” Rogge said. “So this is something that has to be discussed not only between the IOC and SportAccord, but also within SportAccord itself.”
Rogge said he expects Vizer to meet with his successor after September’s election to discuss collaboration.
Vizer described his proposed championships as a “commercial” venture to support national federations and dispelled the notion it would compete with the Olympics.
“The Olympics are something very different and special,” he said. “They are the highest value which we have today in sport.”
Vizer said he has been in touch with sponsors and broadcasters about the project but declined to give details. “
