If you’re going to Spain this summer for the World Masters Athletic Championships, expect some housing gouging. So says a commentary on the Koop site in Germany. Apparently, the San Sebastian folks are licking their chops at all the big money to be made from masters athletes. Another commentary suggests that a handful of WMA leaders expects to capitalize on their insider connections to provide housing close to the track. Same old, same old.

Here’s a very rough translation of one comentary:
Comment: Which had to be said long…… Dieter Massin now said. On the EVAA press conference it stressed on Friday that after the will of the EVAA conclusion should have been “with the Abzocke” the Mastersathleten with international championships.
The EVAA president had withdrawn therefore before period of one year from a WMA committee, after he had discovered, who availed itself as, and in it not to go through wanted. In the focus of the EVAA the superelevated hotel and meeting prices are located.
Fire-current example: the senior WM in the late summer in San Sebastian, with which there is obviously a profitable alliance between the local supervisors and the hotels of the baskischen metropolis. Even if the costs of the organizers of a WM are covered to a majority by hotel commissions, this still no reason for shameless superelevated overnight accomodation prices is like now in the Basque country.
The same applies to six days minimum reservation duration, which one cannot explain a marathoner virtually. If still individual tour operators have to then transfer more than a half year before beginning of the WM a quarter of the hotel costs, it becomes completely clear that not the sport but the business moved into the center.
Still another example: 20 euro fahrgeld, which for children be paid must, who want to accompany their fighting parents in San Sebastian in the shuttle bus, is a bare insolence. Besides also three representatives of the current WMA presidency make their completely personal “cut”. The Australian Stan Perkins, the Britisher Ron Bell and US US-Boy Tom Jordan stand in the openly expressed suspicion to merge their employment for the Seniorenleichtathletik with own business interests.
They earn their living costs with sport journeys to senior vents and profit as WMA Insider from their detail knowledge in such a way. Perkins, Bell and Jordan are to have the hotels in San Sebastian “directly blocked”, are called it uncontradicted, after the WMA presidency had specified a new meeting date in coordination with the local supervisors.
The fact that the general assembly of the world union and not the presidency had specified the WM place is by the way not, like the separating WMA boss Torsten Carlius on Friday said, the reason for the Abzocke, those senior sportsmen keeps away or to do without leaves and thus the international championships also sportily cancelled.
San Sebastian shows the fact that there is Insiderkenntnisse in the WMA presidency, which create unjustified special advantages and which point inÕs gossip to the master movement brings. Carlius ‘ demand to leave in the future all WM assigned by the WMA presidency is thus the wrong way. The correct goes over consistent control of the organizers and the disclosure of own business. (Hannsheinz Noffke, 11,03,05)
The second Koop editorial goes thusly:
Fairness: EVAA campaigns are to ignite two main points of work the EVAA presidency in next time set themselves. A Antidoping campaign and the employment for payable costs with international championships.
For EVAA boss Dieter Massin this is the current hauptprobleme. “I call no places and no names”, said the EVAA president with view of the “Abzockerei” the Athleten; “it does not continue however in such a way. The prices are too high!” Massin said and demanded, it had to be “conclusion with superelevated prices for hotels and fuer’s meals.”
Naturally one is responsible as EVAA primarily for the technical completion of a championship, but “from now on also for fair prices”. The EVAA under Massin changed and wants in the meantime the traditional organizer contract thereby with future championships the accommodations clearly cheaper to make. “are to become obligatory Weekend advice”, and also the obligation duration of stopover should belong to the past; in San Sebastian gives it for example in principle only one accommodation, if one booked at least for six days.
It became clear that in Sweden many senior sportsmen drew their conclusions and, if they did not away-remain equivalent whole because of the high hotel prices, into which 40 minutes removed Vaesteras evaded. There it is noticeable pleasantly, how the Portuguese show that it goes also completely differently. They organize in the warm May sun to the Algarve a road run M with extremely favorable †bernachtungspreisen.
It goes thus. Further main point of the EVAA press conference was with view in the recent cases into the Seniorenleichtathletik the Antidoping campaign of the federation. so WMA president Torsten Carlius on Friday, is a shoulder conclusion with the IAAF the most important. “we the IAAF politics respect, so long respect the IAAF also our decisions” so long, said the Swede.
For Dieter Massin is called this on the one hand, as it made clear to intervene consistently against Dopingbetrueger on the other hand in addition, to the characteristics of the senior sportsmen to pay attention. Who, thus, must take Massin for medical reasons a medicine, a starting authorization can receive over the yielding man procedure.
The Finnish physician Professor Dr. Karri yielding man examines exception requests placed for the WMA medically and pharmakologisch from Athleten. “yielding man gives then its OK ONE, stands to a start nothing more in the way.”
The EVAA president announced to increase with future European championships the number of the Dopingkontrollen clearly (“the more, the better!”) to place and but also additional EVAA funds ready. (11.03.05)
I surfed on over to the San Sebastian site and found confirmation of some of these noxious points.
For example, the page devoted to “inexpensive” lodging cites these policies:
. Prices per person and night including breakfast and taxes(VAT)
. Minimum stay: 6 nights in a row
Keep in mind that a Euro will cost about 1.33 dollars, and assume the very cheapest hotels may be booked up soon or already. Also check out the shuttle bus fees, which start at 10 Euros and go up to 25 Euros per trip. Ouch!
Previous world masters meets have offered free buses between venues. But in San Sebastian, a charge is being made in the entry form.
Here’s what someone entering three events can expect to spend:
WMA fee: 15 Euros
Administration fee (mandatory): 30 Euros
First individual event: 25 Euros
Two added events: 32 Euros (16 each)
Results booklet: 15 Euros
Athletes party: 35 Euros
If you bring a spouse, they charge an extra 30 Euros for shuttle service.
If you bring kids under 14, the extra charge is 20 Euros.
If you procrastinate, the late fee is 50 Euros until June 10. Until June 30, the late fee is 100 Euros.
So let’s add it all up:
15+30+25+32+15+35=152 Euros, or about $200 dollars U.S.
Don’t even THINK about entering late.
Bottom line: Bring your ATM card, and leave the kiddies at home.