|
Dear Friends:
I write to you in my
capacity as a private citizen and lifelong backer of the deaf sports
movement. I primarily address this very important communication message to all National Sports Associations that practice winter sport
disciplines and this message is also copied, for the purpose of
education and awareness, to other non-winter sport National Sports Associations
and the non-English-speaking members of the CISS Executive Committee. In
the last few days three individuals contacted me ( one of them was an individual
from the ice hockey-mad nation of Canada; you know that ice hockey is a pastime in Canada ), who sought my advice and opinion. These
individuals expressed to me their
trepidation and deep reservations about one rule - the Deaflympic Games Rule
7.E - and how this rule will affect the
Deaflympics, especially the coming Winter Games to be held at Sundsvall,
Sweden, in 2003.
For your information,
the Rule 7.E states the foollowing: THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM ( of the Games ) SHALL ONLY INCLUDE SPORTS AND EVENTS THAT
HAVE PRELIMINARY REGISTRATIONS FROM AT LEAST 5 COUNTRIES AND
FROM AT LEAST 3 REGIONS...
Thus, these three
individuals' basic apprehension was that the Rule 7.E may decrease
the number of participants, sports, events and even to cancel some sports
at the 2003 Winter Games.
Since my mind is now
very occuppied with the ongoing lawsuit against the three persons, and out
of my deep love and concern for the international
deaf sports, I am taking the time and
the liberty in giving my comments and input
regarding that rule.
1) If we adhered to
the rule 7.E for the last Winter Games held at Davos, Switzerland, in
1999, we would have such a picture:
a) Ice Hockey ( at
Davos nations participating were Sweden, Russia, USA, Canada, Finland and
Switzerland - total 6 nations and 2 regions; the result: the event would be
cancelled.
b) Nordic Skiing (
men: Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, USA, Germany, Ukraine and Switzerland - total 9 nations and
2 regions ); the result: the event would be cancelled.
c) Nordic Skiing (
women: Sweden, Russia, Norway, Finland, Ukraine, USA, Italy and Germany -
total 8 nations and 2 regions) the result: the event would be cancelled.
d) Snowboarding ( at
Davos it was a demonstration event, women: USA and Italy - 2 nations and 2
regions ); the result: the event would be cancelled.
The other sports that
were featured at Davos - men's and women's alpine skiing and men's snowboarding - would be safe as they had required number of nations and regions participating according to the Rule
7.E.
Thus, as you already
see, only alpine skiing and men's snowboarding would qualify for the
medal event status at Davos pursuant to the Rule 7.E.
2) Now about the most
probable scenario at the Sundsvall Games in 2003, according to the Rule 7.E.
To my best knowledge
and belief, ice hockey among the deaf is played and practiced in the two
different continents - Europe and the Americas. Therefore, I foresee that there will be no chance for this sport
to be officially included to the 2003
Games program if we strictly adhere to the
Rule 7.E. How will, for example, the
CISS handle the ice hockey matter - the
premier and the crowd-attracting event
at the Games, i.e., there will be, let's assume, 5 to 9 nations ( 3 to 7 from
Europe: Russia, Sweden, Finland or Germany or Austria or Czech Republic or
Switzerland ) and 2 from the Americas ( USA and Canada ) registered by
November 1, 2001, for the sport? Since these 5 to 9 nations will represent 2
regions, will the CISS allow ice hockey
be as a medal event in spite of the fact these 5 to 9 teams will be coming from the 2 ( not 3 ) regions? Will Lovett ( the "elected" and
"re-elected" CISS President ) and Ammons ( the
"elected" and "re-elected" CISS Secretary Treasurer )
commit another rule
violation ( as they already did en masse at the recent Rome Summer Games ) by letting ice hockey to be played as a medal event at Sundsvall
As for the Nordic
Skiing, it is virtually an-all European sport plus it has a very limited number of skiers from the Americas region. But it is
quite impossible to guarantee the
participation of the deaf nordic skiers at the Games coming from the
regions Asia-Pacific and Africa. Therefore,
this sport, too, shall be excluded from
the 2003 Games program pursuant to the Rule 7.E.
Women's Snowboarding
will have the bleakest picture as we will not be able to attract sufficient
number of entries, nations and 3 required regions in the sport in 2003.
Overall, the 2003
Games, if we follow the Rule 7.E, will have only men's and women's alpine
skiing and probably men's snowboarding as the official medal events!
3) On the other hand, let's look as to what will
happen with the Rule 7.E at the next Deaflympic Summer Games to take
place in a faraway town of Melbourne,
Australia, in 2005.
With the strict
enforcement of the Rule 7.E, I predict that the following sport
disciplines will be excluded from the 2005 Games program:
water polo men's
handball women's handball men's orienteering women's orienteering.
Thus, I must be blunt
and straigthforward, that Rule 7.E is not made in the best interest of the
international deaf sports movement! It is an unrealistic and very
detrimental rule to our deaf sports, especially in the short run!
Who would know that
such an unpopular rule was written
down by the current English-speaking
CISS Legal Commission members? By the way, the three members of that four-member CISS Legal Commission, who
were implicated in drafting and accepting such an unrealistic rule, are the defendants on my ongoing lawsuit case - Lovett (
the one who received $22,000 and $13,500 from the CISS Treasury in 1999
and 2000, respectively ), Ammons ( the one to get $17,250 from the CISS Treasury in 2000 ) and Jordan ( Lovett's and Ammons' "top-rated"
and "genial" advisor ).
In order 1) to secure
the continuity of the Winter Games, 2) to increase the size of the
Games - Winter and Summer - from the participation point of view,
etc., and 3) to showcase the comprehensive abilities of the deaf sportsmen and sportswomen in various sporting
disciplines, especially in winter sporting events, to the world, I alert
each National Sports Association to do
something now with the Rule 7.E. How about each National Sports Association by
urging the CISS EC to repeal or to revise or to soften
the Rule 7.E under the rationally exceptional
circumstances? The sooner we act the
better!
Or, Lovett and Ammons,
who faced a fiasco as the chief Games supervisors
at the recent Rome Games, will again
face another debacle as the chief supervisors at the 2003 Winter Games and 2005 Summer
Games because these new Games
will have ( I hope I will be wrong ) the limited competitions pursuant to the Rule 7.E.
Finally, let me echo
Lovett's words that were pointed at me when I was attempting to run for the new CISS EC member position at Rome:
"I AM NOT SURE
WHAT ELSE YOU COULD CONTRIBUTE TO CISS AS A MEMBER OF THE CISS EXECUTIVE FROM THE GENERAL PERSPECTIVE!"
( Lovett's e-mail
letter to Pinchas dated April 18,2001 ).
Are my above-mentioned
comments and input on the Rule 7.E awakening, thoughtful, valuable, helpful
and worthwhile ones to the cause of the CISS and the deaf sports
movement
Yours Truly,
Rafael I. Pinkhasov
Pinchas
|