WMA president picks Brazil to host 2011 worlds
This is weird. Without even consulting delegates, World Masters Athletics President Cesare Beccalli has basically promised the 2011 World Masters Outdoor Championships to Brazil (where he lives part of the year with his Brazilian-born wife). The 2009 world meet will be in Lahti, Finland. If Brazil does win 2011, then 2013 will likely return to Europe — making it 2015 before the United States has another shot at it. That’s nine years from now — and 20 years after the Buffalo WAVA world meet, the last held in the States. (I don’t count Puerto Rico 2003. Not much of an American ambience.)
Here’s a rough translation of the Koops’ report from the European vets championships in Poland:
“WMA president Cesare Beccalli, which reported WM-supervisors in Lahti (FIN) on the signing of the aligner contract with that, betrayed then, it was clear „to 95% that the WM will take place 2011 in Brazil. “It is important that the WM in a region new for the mast R-S movement takes place. Brazil, where it am enough years lived and worked, is „a wonderful country “and a participation is more expensive there „also not than at an European championship including air passage “. Hot favorite is obviously the Brazilian town with millions of inhabitants postage Alegre, where mayors and province governor, like that Beccalli, are already convinced. The optimistic WMA president promised a preliminary decision in the next weeks. (25.07.06).”
The “preliminary decision” might mean an endorsement by the WMA Council, but no world masters meet is officially designated until affiliate nations vote at the General Assembly at the 2007 meet in Italy.
Of course, this is no surprise. Before his election last year, Cesare told me:
“Now I did my best to help Brazil to bid for 2009 . . . Regarding Brazil, I’ll try again for 2011. All this is self-explanatory.”
3 Responses
I would rather compete in Brazil than Buffalo.
I agree with Tom Fahey – better Brazil than Buffalo – but if it is in Brazil – it is likely to be in the Fall again – as our summer time is their winter time. The 2006 WMA South American Regional meet is scheduled for November.
Having traveled in Brazil – all I can say is – sound great to me, it will give the South Americans an opportunity to go to a WMA meet without having to win the lottery, and would be a pleasant change from the all Europe meets. It is interesting how the president of WMA can make these decisions unilaterally – and just have the delegates rubber stamp it. OTOH – are there other bids – from a European site? Or is this the only one? And from where is the money coming to put on this meet. The gold, silver, and diamond mines are no longer producing fabulous wealth in Brazil. Meanwhile keep an eye on the WMA Regional Meet to be held in Rio in November- and see how many South Americans can afford to participate. Better still go down to Rio and participate in the meet. The meet website is in English as well as other languages. It could be a lot of fun. Airfare is not cheap but then neither is it cheap to fly from the US to Europe during the high season. Hotels would be cheaper than those paid for in Europe with the inflated Euro.
I am all for a WMA world meet in Brazil but I would prefer that the President of WMA make more of a pretense of WMA being a democratic body – and not just the play toy of the leadership.
I plan to go to Rio in November and compete at the South America Masters Champs 2006 in Rio. I will try to file a report after the races. I will be competing in the 5K and 10K racewalks. I think it would be awesome if the 2011s were in Brasil. This will give the people of South America a chance of participating at the World Championship level in their own region too without having to break the bank on expensive trips to Europe.
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