Veterans Commission Report 2007

The veterans commission met again at the Turku European Team Championships. A meeting before the General Assembly of the EVFC together with their president, Laki Dobridis, discussed the possibilities of merging the two veterans bodies into one, say EFC/CEE. During the EVFC General Assembly too many federations were not in favour of a sudden merging and postponed the decision to the 2007 General Assembly in St. Gallen, where the next individual championships will take place. However, the EFC/CEE financed according their budget and demand for support by the Finnish Federation, 4 referees for the Turku event.

A second meeting of the commission was held in Bath (GBR) during the Veterans World Championships. Again, the main point of the agenda was the preparation of the merging of the two separate veterans bodies. On request of some European federations the EFC/CEE supported some of them with transparent masks or financial aid: AUT, BUL, GER, MKD, NED, SUI. Without this aid these federations would not have had the possibility to fence in Bath, mainly because the FIE insisted on transparent masks for sabre fencers.

I attended in October 2006 the first meeting as council member of the EMSA (European Masters Games Association) in Malmö (SWE). This city will host in 2008 (29.08-07.09.) the first European Masters Games, including our sport. I also met the members of the organising fencing club in Malmö, who will be in charge for this event. Their main problem will be to find a solution to the budget and hope for support of the EFC/CEE. A more detailed report of their requirements will be delivered until March 2007. You can find more details about these games on the website of the EMG under www.emg2008.org

The veterans commission should be highly involved in these games!

In December 2006 I attended the first veterans competition in Croatia, which was financially supported by the EFC/CEE. The basic idea was to promote veterans fencing in South-East Europe. Invited by this federation to join them at their COMEX meeting gave me the possibility to discuss and promote veterans fencing. To the winner of this first tournament I could award the Usmanov-Cup. A thank you report from Croatia was meanwhile sent to Moscow for information.

It is good to see that veterans fencing are getting more and more popular, despite some restrictions for certain events from other sides.

Max W.F. Geuter

Commission President