European Masters Games results include decas, age 30s
The European Masters Games concluded today in Malmo, Sweden, and track results can be found here in a huge Word document. Occurring about a month after the European masters championships in Slovenia, the EMG attracted only a fraction of the first event’s athletes. But the EMG showed that you don’t have to be on the official masters circuit to offer a full slate of events. Unlike the National Senior Olympics in the United States, the EMG contested the decathlon and weight pentathlon. And the entry age was 30 instead of 50. So The Euros have a head start over our Senior Games. The oldest entrants were two Swedes born in early 1916: Herbert Liedtke and Margaretha Nyberg.
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Glad to see this get a mention. It was a really good event! OK, numbers were quite small, but that was in part due to less than enthusiastic promotion or support from some European Masters organisations. I heard that one national federation asked its athletes to “boycott” the event, for reasons I don’t know, but could speculate about.
And correct – holding the EMG just a month after the EVACS championships in Slovenia didn’t help swell the ranks of track and field, but let’s not forget that we were only one of more than a dozen sports involved with this event, and were by no means “centre-stage”. Handball, graeco-roman wrestling, and beach volleyball were all big.
You can only race against those who turn up, and that’s what we did. The results will show some stunning performances in some events, and reveal how Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and of course, Sweden, really put their weight behind EMG.
The week-long meet was held in a very adequately equipped and easily reached little stadium at Helenenholm, rather than the main Malmo Stadium. There was a well-drilled squad of officials and volunteers all dedicated to making things work smoothly.
The results service was first-class. Positions and times were announced immediately events had ended, and medal presentations were made in the stadium within minutes. I won two golds, I am proud to say, and on both occasions, still had my spikes on when the presentations were made! The multi-event results also included a “prognosis”, posted after each discipline, which showed who needed to do what to take the lead, and so on.
When not racing, I was working on track as a photographer (photos on my web site soon). This got me to all corners of the event, and I spoke to many athletes and supporters from most countries represented. I honestly don’t think I heard a single serious complaint about anything. WMA and EVA – take a leaf from EMG’s book! The EMG motto is “Sport for All, and for Life”, and I hope the organisation flourishes. Next EMG is in Northern Italy in September 2011.
Yes, Tom got it right. I competed in the decathlon in Malmoe. I also competed a few years ago in the European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Believe me, both championships were the best organized events I have ever been to. In the decathlon at the European Masters Games 2008 in Malmoe we arrived at the long jump from the 100 m and found a blackboard with the results of the 100 m and the points. Station after station, you would arrive and find the result of all events including the preceding and your point totals. Wonderful, unbelievable, simply well done! If these Scandinavian events are any indicator for the 2009 World Championships in Finland, we are going to be in for a treat. Yes, the Fins are known to be track & field crazy, knowledgeable, respectful and great organizers.
Sure, there were not many competitors in Malmoe but it was not just a touristic event either. For example, the M 45, M 50 and M 60 decathlons were hard fought with point totals comparative to the European Track & Field Championships a few weeks earlier in Slovenia. For me personally, the M55 was picture perfect for my “comeback” after the darn Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever that knocked me out earlier this season. I was the only competitor and did not mind at all fighting it out with the M50 guys.
As for the Germans trying to get the 2013 World Masters Games, going to Berlin would be THE athletic highlight for many masters from around the world. The Olympic Stadium in Berlin was renovated at great expense and will stage the 2009 IAAF Track & Field World Championships. Complimentary venues all around Berlin are little gems, for example the track & field facilities in Charlottenburg. The public transit system is the very best in the world and Berlin is the only city in the world where you will feel like you are a long time resident the second you arrive.
As a resident of Sweden I am glad to hear that EMG went well. I was sorry to miss the show because of injury. Although I was also somwehat put off by the unreasonable programme 3 September 2008: 12:00 M60-M65 LJ,
12:40 M65 400m – and the impossibility of changing it.
“I heard that one national federation asked its athletes to “boycott” the event, for reasons I don’t know, but could speculate about.”
Don’t be coy Tom. That national federation was our own British Masters Athletics Federation (BMAF). The “boycott,”- discouragement against participating in 2008 EMG Malmö featured in BMAF Chairman Winston Thomas Chairman’s Report to the 2008 Birmingham BMAF AGM. It had no place to be there. Our BMAF AGM should not be a vehicle for WMA views. Someone misused his position.
I will speculate for you. WMA and EVAA wanted to sabotage EMG by discouraging athlete participation. BMAF Chairman Winston Thomas is also WMA Secretary. EMG/WMG, at best can be regarded as complementay organisations to EVAA/WMA, at worse competitors. I was so apprehensive that I was compelled to ask the BMAF Secretary at Birmingham next day whether or not I would be suspended if I competed at 2008 EMG Malmö.
Expect the same sort of “politics” in the run up to 2009 WMG Sydney.
At the competition site, a dude introduces himself to me. “Nice to meet you, Waltermann.” Never seen the gentleman before. Now, his name is Dieter Massin, the president of the EVAA, the European Veterans Athletics Association. Sorry Mr. Treacher, you got this one wrong. Dieter Massin was and is part of the European Masters Games. He was there to show support as I personally witnessed when he introduced me to the local head organizer of the games. I did not witnessed him standing on the track and trip people up! In addition, he asked about details regarding our local and national masters games here in the US. He was interested in the local qualifying games and the minimum standards for participation (if you are not one of the top three of your state). I promised him details and I will follow through with my promise. The guy is personable, informal, interested, very much simpatico. And works tirelessly for us masters athletes. Wherever we compete, elite or not.
Sorry, Tony Treacher, but your venomous bile against the BMAF has got the better of you again. No I was not referring to the BMAF, but to another European federation. How sad that you see fit to introduce spite and recrimination into a thread of comments that seek to congratulate EMG for a job well done.
EMG 2008 Malmö: I criticise the organisers of EMG solely for holding the M65 400m final just 40 minutes after the M65 Long Jump final. I think anyone will agree that was not good. It certainly clinched my decision not to travel to Malmö, book hotels, etc and attempt to compete despite my injury. So that then was one competitor less – when EMG really needed to show higher numbers. That is the way we athletes think and act when the programme is unreasonable. And I believe I am doing masters athletics a service by pointing this out.
The “boycott” of EMG: BMAF Chairman Winston Thomas is WMA Secretary, a past EVAA Technical Manager and currently an honorary member of EVAA. I therefore assumed that his views were the views of the organisations in which he is involved, including EVAA. I intended no offence to EVAA and Mr. Massin (who was also helpful to me at Ljubljana) and I sincerely apologise to EVAA if offence was taken and that EVAA actually supports EMG.
I hope WMA does too. Because the BMAF certainly did not in July. Here is the relevant passage from Winston Thomas’ BMAF 2008 Chairman Report to the 2008 BMAF AGM:
“In September there will be the EMGA masters Games in Sweden, please take notice that these games are not under WMA or IAAF rules and therefore BMAF will not support these games in any way, and will not sanction any athletes to enter the games.”
So Tom Phillips. Judging from your original comment “I heard that one national federation asked its athletes to “boycott” the event”, logically then you must be equally critical of Winston Thomas for doing just that. As to your latest “No I was not referring to the BMAF, but to another European federation.” Strange that you were unaware of the anti-EMG stance of your own federation, BMAF. Furthermore, this now makes at least two national federations asking their athletes to “boycott” (your words) EMG. Would you care to name the other European federation(s) pressuring athletes to boycott EMG? Because I think that EMG 2008 Malmö deserved a better deal.
Oh dear, there’s no getting through to you that this was an opportunity to praise EMG for a job well done, and not provide a platform for your obsessive campaign against the BMAF, is there?
Tom. You did not answer my question. Just face the facts. Tack a leaf from the Cousins on parallel threads. They can objectively discuss both the pros and the cons of the meetings they attend without slagging each other (well almost). Let’s be constructive about EMG 2008 Malmö:
Pros. Good venue and well organised. As a resident of Sweden, I am also very happy and proud of my Swedish EMG organisers.
Cons. EMG was a pure disaster in terms of attendance. For example, I roughly counted the men – total men – who participated from specific European countries: Germany 37, United Kingdom 15, Italy 8, Netherlands 4, Belgium 3, Spain 3, France 2. Tom, what satisfaction did you gain from running a 200m EMG final with total two (2) competitors? So – little competition, no heats or semi-finals, straight finals, poor results, few known names. A pity for the organisers.
If the poor attendance was even partly due to European federations, such as BMAF, threatening athletes not to compete at EMG, or other federations asking athletes “to boycott the event” (your words Tom), then my proof definitely belonged to this topic. As a BMAF member who participated at Malmö, you Tom should be even more indignant about the BMAF stance. The boycott was unfair to EMG. It was also “in restraint of trade,” which is a very serious matter.
If Tom Phillips again wants me hushed up for criticising BMAF – now in this EMG boycott context – then maybe someone else should open up a “EMG/WMG boycott” topic on the Blog. 2009. WMG Sydney is next in line.
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