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Original Word Document of the following minutes of
the meeting held on 24th June 1999. Note that both are still in draft form.
Minutes of the meeting held on 24th June 1999 at Olympic Pool, Kranj
Present:
Mišo Cuhalev ( Slovenia, Federation Chairman)
Igor Detela (Slovenia, Commission Chairman)
Miro Peternelj (Slovenia, Chairman)
Aleš Vicar (Slovenia)
??? Italian lady from CMAS – can someone please help me with her name?
M. Galal Ghoneim (Egypt)
M. Adel Farahat (Egypt)
Lionel Dumeaux (France)
Cliff Underwood (Great Britain)
Neil Dixon (Great Britain)
Martin Reed (Great Britain, minute-taker)
Antoine Mourad (Great Britain)
Gábor Nyúl (Hungary)
Moreno Sanguin (Italy)
Giorgio Trotter (Italy)
Kees Bakx (Netherlands)
Rob Schipper (Netherlands)
Dick Trap (Netherlands)
Laurent Alquier (Spain)
Božana Ostojic (Yugoslavia)
Miro Peternelj thanked everyone for attending, and stated the subjects that would be discussed during the meeting:
Dick Trap then added a further subject
Topic 1: CMAS
Dick expressed disappointment that other countries wanted to take part in the tournament, but through organisational reasons were prevented from doing so.
Miro explained that Belgium had their own special reasons for not being able to attend.
Antoine Mourad explained that the CMAS ruling on eligibility of countries to compete in CMAS competitions stated that only one team could represent one national body. In other sports England, Scotland and Wales can compete as separate nations, but because all countries of the United Kingdom are represented by a single member body, under CMAS rules they cannot.
Cliff Underwood stated that Scotland and Italy had on a previous occasion had the opportunity to join CMAS, but had at the time chosen not to do so.
Antoine stated that if CMAS could give a guarantee that ///CAN’T REMEMBER THIS BIT/// he would personally speak to the President of CMAS to ask him //CAN’T REMEMBER THIS BIT//
Cliff stated that such a decision could only be made in the presence of a full body of CMAS representatives.
Neil Dixon stated that an opinion should be made to CMAS in the form of an informal show of hands to be made there and then.
Cliff asked if we were talking specifically about Scotland and Wales, or potentially about other nations where multiple nations are currently governed by a single CMAS representative. He stated that it was important to be absolutely specific when dealing with CMAS, and that we should consider the needs of any other multi-nations before broaching the subject with CMAS.
Dick said that this subject should be raised during the CMAS committee meeting at the World Championships in Tasmania in 2000. This was seconded by Cliff, who added that a study on this very subject was put into place at the CMAS Committee Meeting at the 1998 World Championships in San Jose, and was currently under way. However, this should not stop the assembled nations from making a »strong recommendation« to CMAS.
Miro then gave the floor to Božana Ostojic, as a representative of a nation that consists of multiple sub-nations. Božana stated that anything that could enable more teams to compete in the World Championships or in Zone Championships could only help to advance the whole sport, and that she was fully in favour of »sub-nations« – as viewed by CMAS - being able to compete in CMAS competitions as independent nations in their own right.
Miro stated that he had been happy for Scotland to attend the 1999 European Championships as a guest team – even though in the end they did not take part - and went on to thank Rob Schipper for taking the time to come to P.H. Kranj’s home tournament in February 1999 and pass on his knowledge to the Slovenian referees, thereby helping to raise the level of the sport in Slovenia. Miro stated that guest teams and individuals with knowledge and experience of the sport should be welcomed wherever they are willing and able to develop the sport.
Antoine proposed the formation of working parties to develop the sport with a fifteen (15) year scope. A paper would be developed and formally presented to CMAS.
Cliff stated that if such a study is already under way, this effort should not be duplicated. Cliff then went on to read out a draft message to CMAS in which member nations formally proposed to CMAS that eligibility for entry to CMAS events should be expanded to allow multiple teams to be entered from national governing bodies where the governing body covers multiple nations.
//ADD QUOTE//
Rob Schipper then asked for the topic to be closed and the next topic to be opened.
It was noted by the minute-taker that the informal show of hands proposed by Neil Dixon had not physically taken place, but that there seemed to be unanimous agreement from those around the table that it was good for the sport for rules restricting eligibility to be modified, in order that more teams could be allowed to compete in CMAS competitions.
Topic 2: European Championships, 2001
Miro then introduced as the next topic the location of the 2001 European Championships, and asked for nominations.
Božana proposed Yugoslavia.
Martin Reed proposed Italy as an alternative, based on his experience of a tournament held in Italy the previous September (1998).
Giorgio Trotter and Moreno Sanguin stated that Italy would not be happy to host a tournament of this scale.
The proposed time of year was then discussed. All agreed that June was not a good time, as many teams had players who were students, and therefore had examinations at this time of year.
Antoine proposed the weekend of Easter.
Many representatives named times of the year that were not acceptable, but Easter was deemed by all participants to be acceptable.
Intermediate Topic: part CMAS, part European Championships 1999
Miro stated that he had wanted to involve television in the 1999 European Championships in order to publicise the sport. He recognised that CMAS reserved all rights to television coverage, and to this end he sent a fax to CMAS in Rome on this subject, but received no reply.
Rob stated that this lack of response was unacceptable behaviour from a professional world governing body.
Dick stated that from a publicity point of view it was a pity that this tournament had not been covered by Eurosport, or similar.
Rob stated: »It’s good for the sport, in future just do it, don’t ask«.
Gábor Nyúl then asked why we needed to be part of CMAS.
Cliff stated that if Underwater Hockey were to withdraw from CMAS, those withdrawing nations would be blacklisted by CMAS in all other underwater sports governed by CMAS.
Many representatives then expressed the opinion that the only solution was to reform CMAS – specifically the areas of CMAS that were not performing the functions required by its members – rather than to break away from it and form an alternative association. Cliff stated that one aspect that was already coming out of the San Jose working party was that the organisation aspect of CMAS tournaments would be devolved from the direct responsibility of the central CMAS committee and given to the individual tournament organisers.
Topic 3: European Championships 1999
Igor Detela stated that as well as reforming CMAS each member nation needed to discipline its own national committees to submit timely entries for Zone Championships.
Miro stated that some nations had asked if there would be a refund of part of the tournament entry fee, but that unfortunately this would not be possible. When organisation work on the 1999 European Championships began, sixteen nations announced that they would be taking part. On this basis, sponsors were procured.
However, by the time of the official deadline, only three nations had submitted entries. This therefore led to the withdrawal of the sponsors, and therefore money lost to the Championships funds.
Miro also expressed dissatisfaction that France had withheld the submission of their entries for the European Championships until after the end of the conflict in Yugoslavia. He asked if the roles had been reversed whether or not France – if they had been hosts – would have accepted entries from Slovenia five days before the start of the Championships.
He also said that as a Slovenian he was offended that France had not thought to look on a map and see that Slovenia was geographically nowhere near Yugoslavia, and therefore nothing whatsoever to do with Yugoslavia or the political situation in that region.
He stated further that even by that point in the Championships – Thursday evening, with the Finals taking place less than two days later - the entry fees from France had still not been received, and that if all monies had still not been received from France before the end of the tournament, all French results in the tournament would be null and void.
Lionel Dumeaux then said that France is very involved in the development of underwater hockey. France wanted to send teams to the European Championships because it was good for the sport.
Miro said the entries from France had been accepted, despite their lateness, because it was good for the sport for France to be able to participate.
Lionel said that he and the other French representatives could communicate with their bank tomorrow and for a confirming fax to be sent from the bank directly to the pool. He also seconded the nomination of Yugoslavia as the host of the 2001 European Championships.
Galal Ghoneim stated that if a nation were to develop, it must be helped by those nations who already have experience and expertise in the sport. Božana stated that Underwater Hockey is an amateur sport, and that it is expensive for individuals to finance their own travel to tournaments. The Egyptian rep said that discounts on travel, accommodation and other such could be arranged, but that in return the teams invited must give guarantees that they will attend.
Antoine thanked on behalf of the BOA the Slovenian organising committee for their help with transport from the airport, accommodation etc. This was echoed all round, and the meeting was closed.
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