World Masters Athletics has awarded its inaugural World Masters Indoor Championships to the small town of Sindelfingen, Germany — dismaying rival bidders New York City and Malmo, Sweden, and stirring private outrage among members of the WMA Council. According to two sources familiar with the situation, WMA President Torsten Carlius notified Sindelfingen in late April that the WMA Council had voted to award it the 2004 WC indoor meet.

Carlius’ action came almost three months before the General Assembly convenes at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where delegates traditionally award world meets.
Under the WMA Constution, the 15-member WMA Council has the power to assess and recommend bids — but not pick them.
According to section 5(k) of the WMA Constitution:
“The Council shall call for bids for the WMA World Championships from Affiliates in sufficient time for a decision to be reached by the General Assembly two General Assemblies in advance of the proposed date of such Championships.”
This also suggests that 2004 is too soon for a WMA World Indoor Championships to be held. 2006 would seem the soonest the meet can be held, under WMA law.
New York and the other sites were prepared to stage the meet on just a few months’ notice, however.
In a May 2003 USATF Masters report from Chairman George Mathews, we learn:
“Many thanks to The New York Armory for the fantastic site visit they provided for Torsten Carlius, President of WMA, who traveled all the way from Sweden and Rex Harvey, Vice-President (Stadia), who traveled all the way from Cleveland. Sandy Pashkin, also a member of the WMA Stadia Committee, traveled by subway from Cathedral Parkway in Manhattan. Dr. Norbert Sander, his staff and local dignitaries, did a wonderful job in proving that they are the best site for this first championships. Particularly since New York is the only one of the three bidders (the others are Sindelfingen, Germany, and Malmo, Sweden, have four lanes) which has a six-lane track. The WMA Council will make its decision by the end of April, with (hopefully if it’s the U.S.) ratification by the General Assembly in Puerto Rico.”
Later, when USATF Masters learned that New York had been informed that it lost the meet, USATF Chairman Mathews sent a note of protest to Carlius and others.
As of today — with one exception — no WMA official has responded to my calls for comments or reaction.
The exception was WMA’s Brian Oxley of Canada, the North/Central America delegate on the WMA Council, who wrote me that “most” of my facts are wrong.
He also said: “A particular ‘wrong’ is that you presume to stand in judgment over the actions of an elected and excellent group with no agenda other than the well-being of our athletes.”
But at least one source says the WMA Council was split on the issue of awarding the meet now, instead of waiting for the July General Assembly in Puerto Rico.
Also, according to a source, New York rated tops in most evaluation categories — thus giving New York a reason for special distress.
According to a twin city site, Sindelfingen is situated in South West Germany, 10 miles west of Stuttgart, and has a population of 65,000.
“Thanks to motor cars, computers and textiles, Sindelfingen is a significant commercial town and trade centre. The Daimler-Benz and IBM factories as well as the textile wholesale trade centre, which had developed into one of the most important transit points in the European clothing industry, constitute the most prominent commercial factors. These are complemented by many small and medium scale companies in various branches of industry.
“The name Sindelfingen was first mentioned in 1066 when the Chorherrenstift (Cononical Foundation) was established and there is documentary evidence that Graf Rudolf von Tubingen/Herrenberg founded the town in 1263. Sindelfingen can look back over a century old tradition of weaving, and began its development into a modem industrial town in 1915 with the arrival of Daimler-Benz, a development that took a sharp upward trend after the Second World War. In the Old Town there is a wealth of half timbered houses restored in recent years, a fine old town hall and above all the old Church of St Martin which is over 900 years old.
“Sindelfingen has an impressive range of sporting and cultural facilities. The Stadthalle (Civic Hall), which was completely refurbished in 1989, has accommodation for up to 15,000. The outstanding swimming pool complex, the Glaspalast (Glass Palace) and the Floschen stadium host, amongst other events, the Davis Tennis Cup, the European indoor light athletics championships and the German swimming championships.”
Many major international meets have been held in Sindelfingen, including a recent German indoor nationals. But Malmo and New York have held some meets, too.
I’ll pass along more information on this egregious defiance of WMA rules as I learn them.