C:\Mine dokumenter\epf\Congress\Congress-Minute-03.doc

European Powerlifting Federation

Reported by Arnulf Wahlstrom

Minute from the EPF Congress 2003.

General.

The Congress took part in Sofia, Bulgaria 7th May with representatives from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine.

Heiner Köberich, Pavol Müller, Kalevi Sorsa, Myriam Busselot and Arnulf Wahlstrom represented the EPF Executive.

AGENDA.

1.Welcome.Arnulf Wahlström and Steffan Butov (President of the Bulgarian PF)

2. Roll call of Nations and Delegates...... Heiner Köberich

3. Presidents address...... Arnulf Wahlström

4. Minutes of the last Congress.

Refer to EPF Info no 6 June 2002.

5. The Account with the balance sheet.

Treasurers report...... Heiner Köberich

Auditors report...... Pavol Müller

Approval of budget for 2003……………………….Heiner Köberich

6. General Secretary report...... Heiner Köberich

7. Committee Reports:

- Technical ...... Myriam Busselot

- Law and Legislation ...... Klaus Broström (not present)

- Disciplinary ...... Pavol Müller

- Finance....(see Auditors report)...... Pavol Müller
- Appeal ……………………………………………….Kalevi Sorsa

8. Election .

9. Proposals

10. New member Applicants

11. Action on Delinquent Nations

12. Hall of Fame

13. Bids and confirmation on Future Championships

14. Any other Business

15. Adjournment

...... ……………….

Technical meeting with team nominations and technical details took place prior to the Congress.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3)PRESIDENTS’s REPORT TO THE 2003 EPF CONGRESS.

By Arnulf Wahlstrom

Welcome.

On behalf of the EPF I wish delegates and guests welcome to the 2003 European Congress.

I like to thank the organiser, by the meet director Christo Meranzov, for inviting us to Sofia. I look forward to attend this championships as this is my first visit in Bulgaria and I like to learn more about Bulgarian powerlifting activities. It is my hope that such a championships will stimulate the national powerlifting activity in Bulgaria and I am sure the organising people have prepared well to make this championships successful.

European Championships 2002.

A lot of hard work and good planning created European championships of good technical and social standard in 2002. Statistics show that all together 690 lifters took part in the European championships in year 2002 and this is 10 more than the year before.

European championships were organised by:

  • Jönköping, Sweden(Open) (95 lifters)
  • Balatonelle, Hungary(Juniors) (47 lifters)
  • Kolomya, Ukraine(Masters) (91 Men and 20 Women)
  • Nymburk, Czech Rep.(Benchpress) (99 Men and 81 Women)
  • Nymburk, Czech Rep.(Benchpress Masters) (164 Men and 40 Women)
  • Laukaa, Finland(Women) (53 lifters)

Regional Cups and Championships 2002.

Bilateral team competitions and international championships have been organised among our member Nations. I would like to point out that these competitions are very valuable to stimulate the activity at sub regional level.

  • Nordic Championships were organised by Denmark (Junior), Norway (Bench Press) and Sweden(Open Men and Women)
  • Danube Cup was organised by Ukraine and European Union Cup by The Nederlands.

Antidoping work.

In year 2002, EPF has less suspended lifters due to positive doping tests at different European Championships than the year before. This is a good situation and all possible efforts must be done by every member nations to fight against doping abuse to remove such offences completely. Only by a serious and active national antidumping policy can we hope to bring this problem under control.

Next year is a qualification year to the World Games 2005 in Germany. Only lifters from member federations that have no positive doping cases in 2004 will be elected to take part according to the IPF Constitution.

Recruiting situation.

The recruiting situation at junior level is not the best in many of our member federations. At the Junior Europeans in 2002 it was a decrease of 64 juniors (!) compared to the year before. This large decrease could be a random decrease but a report from many federations about the recruiting situation is worrying for the future.

Contrary, our Europeans at Masters level had an increase in participation in 2002, so here the recruiting is good. This proves that powerlifting is a sport one can practice from 14 to well above 60 years but just now we need more younger people to be aware of this and to join our sport.

Being able to better the recruiting situations depends on good leadership basically at club levels, but also at national and international level. Our sport is not better than what our leaders are.

General.

2003 is election year in EPF and IPF.

I was elected EPF president in 1990 and have been proud to see a good development of our sport throughout Europe these years. My involvement in powerlifting started back in 1960’s at national level. I joined the Executive board in the Norwegian PF in 1979 and in 1981 I took part in my first European and World championships. Since then I have attended almost every EPF and IPF Congresses.

I find the motivation for my long service as official from many sources. Still I am the chairman for a local club in Norway and daily join enthusiastic people training powerlifting and dealing with a various of details. I have still a burning interest in the sport that has been a part of my life for about 40 years. The friendships across the boarders is stimulating and makes it possible to co-operate with many different people to be able to find good solutions to lead the powerlifting sport forward.

I have seen a big step forward for EPF since Norway in 1985 invited Poland to a team competition in Norway and the powerlifting president of Poland, Mr. Borowy, and myself agreed to start the Baltic Cup with Poland as the first host. I was at that time vice President in IPF with responsibility for East Europe. Baltic cup, and later the Danube dup, became the “door opener” to east Europe.

Since then, Heiner Köberch and myself, have had the pleasure to work active with different powerlifting leaders in east Europe and experienced that countries like Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Czeck Rep. have became one of the leading countries in European powerlifting.

I have been lucky to be a part of the process to see east and west Europe unify.

If I gain confidence to serve you all for another 4 year period as president I will do so with high enthusiasm and do my best to co-operate with many good qualified leaders at national and international levels to find the best evolution for European powerlifting. After all it is only great team work that brings EPF forward in a democratic way.

A completely new draft of the EPF Constitution and Bylaws have been worked out by Detlev Albrings, Kalevi Sorsa and myself and approved by the whole EC. The revisions are important to organise EPF in a better and more future-oriented way and also to prevent EPF from legal reports.

I like to point at the very important work our Gen. Secr. Heiner Köberich is doing for the sport by his day to day administration. He is also the “helping hand” to all organisers requiring assistance prior and during European championships.

The Disciplinary Committee, headed by Pavol Müller and members Dietmar Wolf and Lars Göran Emanuelsson, has carried out their duty in a very good manner and fortunately the workload has not been too heavy.

Myriam Busselot has been active and done a very good work taking part at European championships to examine referees and direct the referees and the juries in charge.

Kalevi Sorsa was elected chairman of the Appeal committee in 2001 and though the committee has not dealt with any cases, Kalevi has given valuable inputs to different cases discussed and decided by the EC.

Also the Record keeper, Jari Tähtinen, has been busy as many new records have been noted this year. Jari is doing this job in a conscientious and correct way.

David Hinchley is our web-officer and he has designed and continuous updates his very professional EPF web page. EPF is very pleased by having such a good web page!

Thank you all for your good work and your support!

As European lifters of year 2002 were elected Marina Kudinova from Russia and Jaroslaw Olech from Poland. Congratulation to both!

2002 has been a good year for European powerlifting and my hope is that all good administrators we have at all levels will continue their hard work in 2003. The powerlifting sport can only grow if we have good leaders at all levels.

I wish you all a successful Congress and Senior Championships 2003.

Arnulf Wahlstrøm sign.
* Accepted unanimous

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4) Minutes of the last Congress.

Refer to EPF Info no. 6 / 2002

* Accepted unanimous

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5) Account 2002.

Balance sheet European Powerlifting Federation 2002
Income / Sanct.
Month / Memb.f. / Champf. / Fines / Doping / Medals / Advertising / Interest / monthly
January / 496,50 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 496,50
February / 988,89 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 988,89
March / 749,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 900,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 2,90 / 1651,90
April / 0,00 / 0,00 / 800,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 800,00
May / 580,00 / 641,90 / 600,00 / 2910,00 / 394,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 5125,90
June / 762,50 / 0,00 / 340,00 / 4146,00 / 0,00 / 80,00 / 0,00 / 5328,50
July / 1400,00 / 450,00 / 410,00 / 5400,00 / 0,00 / 10,00 / 2,71 / 7672,71
August / 500,00 / 450,00 / 50,00 / 12225,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 13225,00
September / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 5,41 / 5,41
Oktober / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00
November / 2250,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 20,00 / 0,00 / 2270,00
December / 2000,00 / 225,00 / 600,00 / 0,00 / 340,00 / 0,00 / 5,16 / 3170,16
9726,89 / 1766,90 / 2800,00 / 25581,00 / 734,00 / 110,00 / 16,18 / 40734,97
Visafees
Expenses / Com.epipmnt / Using PC / Stamps
Month / Travels / Teleph. / AssSecr / Compet. / Mailing / Medals / Prints / Copies / Doping / monthly
January / 36,80 / 253,08 / 7,00 / 125,00 / 0,00 / 54,14 / 0,00 / 25,00 / 57,00 / 344,00 / 902,02
February / 56,25 / 228,52 / 115,84 / 125,00 / 0,00 / 51,73 / 184,85 / 779,76 / 51,00 / 0,00 / 1592,95
March / 1243,30 / 199,29 / 38,61 / 125,00 / 75,00 / 76,95 / 0,00 / 19,00 / 24,00 / 50,00 / 1851,15
April / 36,80 / 193,70 / 254,00 / 125,00 / 0,00 / 85,57 / 0,00 / 29,00 / 69,45 / 1157,68 / 1951,19
May / 418,02 / 255,61 / 89,95 / 125,00 / 125,00 / 10,51 / 374,30 / 18,00 / 39,20 / 652,48 / 2108,08
June / 1096,37 / 216,40 / 59,85 / 305,00 / 125,00 / 14,71 / 0,00 / 40,22 / 69,60 / 2866,00 / 4793,15
July / 364,20 / 291,46 / 11,80 / 125,00 / 75,00 / 54,39 / 45,00 / 84,65 / 62,40 / 7563,32 / 8677,21
August / 598,00 / 417,46 / 0,00 / 125,00 / 225,00 / 0,00 / 0,00 / 80,44 / 0,00 / 8813,00 / 10258,90
September / 36,80 / 123,50 / 7,73 / 125,00 / 0,00 / 13,24 / 0,00 / 12,00 / 25,60 / 0,00 / 343,86
Oktober / 38,40 / 137,60 / 10,00 / 125,00 / 0,00 / 88,10 / 0,00 / 27,00 / 25,60 / 0,00 / 451,70
November / 532,23 / 308,91 / 0,00 / 125,00 / 100,00 / 2,65 / 0,00 / 45,00 / 0,00 / 784,00 / 1897,79
December / 140,20 / 45,00 / 129,68 / 305,00 / 0,00 / 44,91 / 312,67 / 22,00 / 38,40 / 0,00 / 1037,86
Amounts / 4597,37 / 2670,53 / 724,46 / 1860,00 / 725,00 / 496,91 / 916,82 / 1182,06 / 462,25 / 22230,48 / 35865,87
others / record registrar
Ass.Secretary
Carry from 2001 bank / 6636,87
Carry Secretary 2001 / -474,13
Total income / 40734,97
46897,71
Total expences / 35865,87 / Carry for 2003 / 12646,40 / on account / bank
Carry for 2003 / -52,46 / Cash account secretary
left over / 11031,84 / Banc
Savings to account / 1562,11
12593,95

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

* Accepted unanimous

Treasurer’s Report.

In the last years that position also made a lot of work and the booking were climbing each year last year over 300. In 2001 the lawyer in the Hirner case told me that as GS I shall look to give away the treasurer job. So I decided that I do that job not longer then the end of that period. I was happy having found a successor in Alain Hammang and we both agreed to hand it over 1st of January 2003. But Alain Hammang withdrew from that and I never got any personally Information why.

So I have to do it also in beginning 2003 nearly half a year. But I never rejected any amount of work.

But now I am happy to concentrate from May 2003 fully on the GS Job to deliver the nations more service as before and also in higher quality.

Heiner Köberich

* Accepted unanimous after withdrawal of one sentence.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Report from the Finance Chairman.

Ihave checked all incomes and expenses presented by the Treasurer and listed in the balance sheet and Ihave compared it with bookkeeping vouchers (bills, receipts) as of January until December. Incomes were higher than our expenses in the year 2002, Amount of 4 869,10 EUR presents apositive result of the year 2002. The carry at the amount of 6 162,64 EUR of the year 2001, an amount of 1 562,11 EUR on the saving account and the result from the year 2002 give us apositive balance of 12 593,95 EUR for year 2003.

In my opinion , the balance sheet as at December 31st, 2002 presents fairly in all respects the financial position of the EPF as at December 31st, 2002 for the year ended in accordance with accounting standards.

Pavol Müller. Finance Com Chairman.

* Accepted unanimous

......

6) Report from the General Secretary .

My report that year will start a little bid more back in time of the history EPF. In 1986 I was elected also to my surprise as General Secretary of the EPF. In all the years since that time I reconstructed the EPF and integrated all the former communistic countries to all the western federations. That makes today the EPF the far strongest and best organized Regional Federation of the IPF.

The better it went the more help came from EC as with the time the EPF EC had more and more members. So finaly today it looks really good. But still its not finished it can be made still better. That is the reason I decided to go another period for GS EPF, but not again as Treasurer of EPF.

Here some of my work in years of GS since 1986

I went to 147 competitions with I think a lot of hours work on each, also in preparation to help organizers as much as possible.

I published 169 EPF Infos that means each year 11 with mostly 4 pages.

I broke or better the magnesia and babypowder of the lifters broke 8 notebooks, all purchased by my private money.

I bought 10 Desktops under the same conditions. The 50 DM or now 25 € for each competition day was mostly not 50% of all these costs, to bring EPF forward.

I not did count the minutes on phone, but I had days with 4 to 5 hours telephone. That is less now, but not bettered as now are the e-mails coming like a flood. In average its over 20 each day minimum to read.

In all the years I can say I did my work in a good and mostly perfect manner what finaly brought me some honor also in Germany as the government gave my the highest possible honor plaid.

So I think if the nations look what service I did guarantee on all competitions, so its not a question in the elections.

The most negative was the law-suit of Artur Hirner of being clear positive after all written witnesses. Here the German leaders made many mistakes and did so enforce the process.

But all the work and all the negative things not can change all the positive outcome of friendship and fairness of 95 % of all nations and colleges.

The new EPF Constitution and By-Laws is generally a good purpose but it now in my sense a too similar thing to the IPF one. More words to that I will say at the congress in Bulgaria.

Regards Heiner Köberich

* Accepted unanimous

…………………………………………………………………………………

Budget 2003. ( in Euro)

IncomeExpences

Membership fee / 8.000 / Travel / 4.800
Championship fee / 1.500 / Telephone / 2.500
Fines / 2.500 / Material, Repair, PC, others / 2.000
Doping / 25.000 / Stamps Mailing / 550
Medals / 1.000 / Ass. Secr. and Rec. Reg. / 1.800
Advertising / 100 / Medals / 1.000
Interest / 50 / Prints / 1.000
Copies / 500
Doping / 24.000

Total income 38.150Total Expences 38.150

* Accepted unanimous (name of the ass. secr. is Peter Bennish, GER)

……………………………………………………………………………….

7) Committee Reports.

Reports:

Finance (see chapter no. 5)

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Technical Chairman's report to the EPF Congress 2003.

As Chairman of the Technical Committee of the EPF, I am proud to report to the Congress that all the EC members worked in close cooperation one with the other. We can certainly be proud of all the results of their work.

My feeling is that the EPF is growing constantly !

Don't forget that the future of our sport and our young athletes can be assured only by conscientious leaders, trainers and coaches. Continue your good work.

As you could certainly see, the last years we continue to increase our number of international referees, I hope that more nations now will send referees to all Championships and not only to the major events. And during these European Championships I take again another examination for Referee Cat.I. I am always there to help you as far as possible.

Under the leadership of John Stephenson, IPF Technical Chairman, a lot of existing rules are regularly checked e.g. Marathon equipment; foot placement in the Bench-Press; …

To remain informed, you can also see the IPF T.C. "Newsletter" from John Stephenson on the Internet. A regular Newsletter is published on. I hope that the newsletter will help you to see all the updates informations.

Personally I would like to thank all the EC members who form the mainstay of our administration. Whitout these members, the EPF would not be in the strong position that it occupies today.

I wish you all a successful Congress and Senior Championships 2003.

Myriam Busselot, Technical Committee Chairman

* Accepted unanimous

Law and Legislation Committee Report.

Dear members of the EPF Congress,

The Constitution and the By-laws have been updated and reprinted thanks to the great work of Detlev, Kalevi and Arnulf. It was a heavy workload, and the result is good. Personally I was unable to perform my duties for the EPF due to personal problems as my youngest daughter suffers from cancer. Consequently, I have to spend as much time as possible with her. She seems to be recovering from her illness, so hopefully I can be of assistance to the EPF in some way soon again.

The Constitution and the By-laws can be obtained from the IPF web-site.

Klaus Broström, Law & Legislation Committee Chairman

* Accepted unanimous

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Disciplinary Committee report.

Dear members of the EPF Congress,

Year 2002 has passed and my responsibility is to submit a report on the activity of Disciplinary Committee as during the previous years. In 2002, Disciplinary Committee had to pronounce averdict of doping offenses in three cases. Considering the number of contests, we can evaluate this situation positive in comparison with year 2001. Positive tested lifters and officials of federations those who are concerned have accepted decisions of Disciplinary Committee fairly, without any unreasonable law- suits which could have spoiled the sport action. No other serious offences have occurred in year 2002, which shows the evidence of EPF member countries officials` respectable approach to the observance of our rules. We will take avote on a new changes in the Articles at the congress. On the behalf of Disciplinary Committee , allow me to ask you for the liable approach at the approval of submitted proposals. The quality of Disciplinary Committee performance, minimalization of subjective decisions has been substantially effected by the Articles and regulations quality.

Iwould like to thank to my colleagues Mr. Dietmar Wolf and Mr. Lars Goran Emanuelson from Disciplinary Committee as well as to all members of EPF executive for a very good cooperation and support. Disciplinary Committee performance demands are constantly growing, hence I would like to wish all members of Disciplinary Committee many achievements and work enthusiasm, which will arise from the elections at this congress.

I wish you all a successful Congress

Pavol Müller E.P.F. Disciplinary Chairman