The WMA Web site recently deep-sixed its public Forum. Could the WMA Constitution and Bylaws be next? A close reading of WMA rules reveals that at least four members of the WMA Council — including two-term President Torsten Carlius of Sweden — are guilty of violating conflict-of-interest provisions of the world governing body of masters track and field — serious offenses that merit impeachment and removal from office.

WMA has a Discipline Committee for dealing with dopers, age cheats and the like. But a little-noticed section also prohibits “promoting, organising, conducting or advertising any international masters competition which has not been sanctioned by WMA.”

And that’s exactly what’s being done by WMA Council members Carlius, Stan Perkins of Australia and Dieter Massin of Germany. As well, Tom Jordan of Oregon in 1998 helped produce another nonsanctioned event — the Nike World Masters Games.
Bob Fine, one of the founders of the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WMA’s original name) and author of the original WAVA Constitution, says: “I don’t believe that WMA has the authority to sanction a non-WMA event.”

And Barry Anderson of Edmonton’s international masters games writes me: “2005 World Masters Games to be held in Edmonton are sanctioned by the International Masters Games Association. There is no formal relationship between WMA and IMGA that I am aware of.”

What other events aren’t kosher? Multisport events such as the World Masters Games and the new Pan-Pacific Masters Games.
But look who’s behind these mega-events:

WMA Prez Carlius — a member of the International Masters Games governing board. The 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton, Alberta, are set for the same summer as the 2005 WMA world championships in San Sebastian, Spain. The Web site he oversees also shamelessly posts results from the 2002 World Masters Games in Australia.
WMA Council Oceania delegate Perkins — who until recently was a major promoter of the Pan-Pacific Masters Games in Sacramento. That event has the potential of stealing athletes from the 2003 WMA world championships next month in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

WMA Council European delegate Massin — the president of the European Veterans Athletic Asociation who along with Carlius helped form the European Masters Games Association, whose aim is producing international masters games outside the WMA orbit. The news section of the EVAA site features a prominent link to the 2005 World Masters Games, saying: “Invitation to 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton, Canada.”

WMA Executive Vice President Jordan — who helped produce and promote the 1998 Nike World Masters Games in his home state of Oregon.

And WMA Non-Stadia Vice President Ron Bell — the WMA marketing manager from England who also may be involved in promotion of masters games, sources suggest.

So why hasn’t anyone pointed this out until now?

Several reasons:

The Discipline Committee is appointed by the not-so-disciplined WMA Council.

Nobody likes to tell a fellow Council member that he can’t “pursue a livelihood.”

Nobody “out there” reads the WMA Constitution and Bylaws.

Besides, when Jordan got away with it in 1998 — and nobody publicly objected — fellow Council members must have thought: Yippee!! We’re free to do as we please.

But USATF Masters officers are upset enough about WMA profiteering on the backs of masters athletes that it has proposed this change in the WMA Constitution:

“Any Council Member who receives any recompense in any administration of any National and/or International Masters’ events shall so indicate the amount of recompense on the WMA website and shall not vote on any matter involving an event in which they are receiving any compensation. Removal from the Council shall be automatic for failure to comply with this Bye-Law.”
The key clause is “removal from the council shall be automatic.” That’s a hell of a lot simpler than the current process of punishing WMA evildoers:

In general, these are the steps:

(e) An allegation of an offence in terms of sub-section b(i-v) above of the Bye-Laws shall be sent to the WMA Secretary who, within seven (7) days of his receipt thereof, shall send a copy of the allegation to each member of the Council, to each member of the Discipline Committee and, by recorded mail, to the accused.

(m) The Secretary, within fifteen (15) days of his receipt of the Discipline Committee’s findings, shall inform the accused and the Council accordingly.

Yeah, yeah — I know. Much of the above deals with doping offenses, where due process is essential. But my point can’t be denied: Getting rid of bad apples on the WMA Council is tricky beyond belief. That’s why it’s rarely been contemplated.

If you live in Chicago, you might be used to this sordid political chicanery, but none of WAVA’s founders would have bargained for the current crop of Bosses.

But don’t think the WMA Council is unaware of the rebels at the gates. It has its own proposals on the floor of the General Assembly on July 10, 2003.

The WMA Council proposes:

4. Constitution, section 9, Standing Committees/Bye-Laws, section 4, Committees Amendment of Constitution paragraph 9 (c) and Bye-Laws 4 (3)

Removal of the Discipline Committee, whose duties are to be transferred to the Law and Legislation Committee.

Now isn’t THAT special: Delete the Discipline Committee!

So what is the Law and Legislation Committee?

According to the Web site, this committee “shall review all proposed Constitutional and/or By-Law changes received by the Secretary for clarity of language and for any inconsistency with existing Constitution and/or Bye-Laws provisions subject to decisions of the WMA Council.”

How conveeeeeeenient!

And who serves on the Law and Legislation Committee?

People appointed by the president, with the approval of the Council.
Thus the WMA Council gets to police the WMA Council. And what was that about the fox guarding the henhouse?

Stay tuned.