12
December 2005
Acad.
E. Jetchev
EABA
President
CC:
Heads of National
Federations EABA members
Heads of European National Olympic Committees
AIBA Head Quieter, Lausanne
Heads of National Federations AIBA members
Public
Appeal of the Initiative Group
Dear
colleagues, friends. This is not a simple general appeal; - it is an appeal to
all national boxing federations. We have been forced to initiate this Appeal by
the situation which has emerged in our sport, which is incompatible with its
healthy spirit and addressed to all those who cherish boxing - one of the most
beautiful and spectacular sports of all. This is a call to stop the formation of
non-sporting values in EABA where the key factor is not the ambition of
sportsmen to aspire to reach the heights of Olympus of Sporting Achievement
through hard work and difficult victories, but protectionism, selfish interests
and profiteering at any cost.
In
amateur boxing a situation has prevailed which would inevitably lead to the
sport and a sporting victory loosing their importance. Less and less room is
left there for purely sporting manlike relations. To sit and watch
disintegration step by step of amateur boxing and witness the triumph of
outright speculators within the sporting profession is the destiny of the
weak who could never win in the ring. Machinations which have replaced the
healthy sporting spirit of competition inflicted a deep wound on all spheres of
amateur boxing. The system of referees is corrupted. It has become a tradition
to watch how significantly situation in the ring differs from how it is judged
by the referees. Our audience, fans of real boxing, who have faith in the
simplest sporting principle let the strongest win, leave the halls
with a clear message that the fight for the gold, silver and
bronze takes place not in the boxing ring, but in the quiet offices
controlled by Doganeli. Our sport is loosing its appeal to real sponsors and
advertisers. Before our very eyes the sportsmen, to whom the sport became their
main and the only love which will stay in their hearts for ever, are getting
betrayed. Corrupt individuals bring into the rings only those who suit their
interests. Unfortunately we have been turned into a pocket puppet theater of
Doganeli.
Even
the system of toss-ups for referees is arranged in such a way that it suits most
Mr. Doganeli and the finance pyramid of shady relationships between the coaches,
federations and the Executive Committee of EABA. One of the instances -
selection of European boxers for the Olympics. The results have demonstrated how
many sportsmen were literally pulled in by their ears. At the same time,
it would be enough to bring in one lot casting machine into the process for the
pyramid to fall apart.
Toss-ups
to choose referees became a vital part of the mechanism controlled by
Doganeli to influence the outcome of a fight. Doganeli
himself in an arbitrary way appoints suitable referees and pressure to make
referees come up with suitable verdicts. Even those federations who are hesitant
to speak up now are fully aware of it!
There
are many other tools of influence available to those who take the lead in
shaping up boxing sport today and who in fact are killing that graceful and
really sporting kind of contest. One of the most notorious ones is to ban a
sportsman from his weight being checked whos appearance in the ring could
mess up the plans of the sport nouveaux riches and thus influence the course of
events as it happened with the Bulgarian boxer A. Shaidulin.
Inaction
of the President of EABA gave freedom of action to the General Secretary of AIBA
and vice-president of EABA Doganeli. The Statute of EABA has virtually been
written under dictation from Doganeli to make it suitable to him personally. The
statute of EABA is nothing, but a set of rules established by Doganeli himself.
But even those rule he does not respect himself. The chief officer of EABA is in
constant breach of the Statute of the Organization. He allows himself to
interfere with the work of national federations/ as it had been the case in the
Ukraine, Lithuania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia, personally decides who is and who is not to be employed
including the Olympics in Athens.
There
are people in the Executive Committee of EABA and EABA itself who by and large
are very partial to the fate of the amateur boxing. But Doganelis adventurism
and inaction of the President of EABA created a system of suppression of any
tendencies towards development of boxing as a sport. Today people who are
dedicated to amateur boxing, taken by it, people who can win in a fight against
a worthy opponent are ruthlessly exploited. That exploitation has only one goal
personal gain of referees who go as far as forgery, presidents of national
associations being often forced to become accomplices or meek observers. That is
a betrayal of boxing.
We,
the participants of the Initiative Group, who want to change the vicious pattern
in the amateur boxing, want to first of all express our respect towards the
President of EABA, a well deserved respect. Academician Emile Jetchev has done
incredibly much for the development of boxing in the world, his authority in the
sport is unchallenged. Though today that person who is revered by the sporting
public is removed from practical government of EABA by the patronage from
Doganeli. By turning that respected
person into a cover up for Doganeli and Co. who are scorning all laws of decency,
they are showing utter contempt towards him personally, the cause he had worked
for all his life, me and you. We are ready to regard Emile Jetchev the honorary
president of EABA. To prevent the development of a personal cult in EABA
Management in the future, we propose to make the office of the President of EABA
an elected position, which could be held by a person for no longer period than
two terms of four years. We want professionals, people of honor and duty to come
to manage EABA, people who are dedicated to the sport and its main principle
those who are the strongest shall win. The succession process is under way
in EABA today, who will continue to advance the concept of fixed fights in
boxing. That shall not be allowed. We all once were standing in the ring, won
real man-like victories. Today we are silently watching our sport to take lethal
blows. We, the Initiative Group will not act like Doganeli does, we would not
use tricks which are banned in the sport, we want to openly oppose
disintegration of the amateur boxing. We, the Initiative Group, want to openly
state our support for EABA without Doganeli.
We will fight for the triumph of really sporting interests in amateur
boxing.
If
you are not indifferent to the fate of boxing, if you feel for it, we are
calling on you to put all your business aside and answer our plea and to come to
Prague for the period from 13 to 15 January. Our Initiative Group will pick up
all the travel and accommodation expenses in connection with your trip. Fates of
thousands of young sportsmen and those who are yet to join depend on your
decision. Trust us, they will say thank you for your courageous move.
President
of Russian Boxing Federation
E. Khusainov
President
of Belarus Boxing Federation
.
Grigorov
President
of Lithuanian Boxing Federation
R. Rutkauskas
President
of Latvian Boxing Federation
M. Liepins
President
of Estonian Boxing Federation
K. Kallo
President
of Ukrainian Boxing Federation
V. Ryabika
President
of Moldovian Boxing Federation
K. Doltu
President
of Georgian Boxing Federation
G. Kandelaki
President
of Boxing Federation of Azerbaijan
A. Abiev
President
of Armenian Boxing Federation
H. Harutyunyan
President
of Boxing Federation of Netherland
C.L. van den Driessche
President
of Irish Boxing Association
D. ORourke
President
of Boxing Association of Luxembourg
P. Back
President
of Hungarian Boxing Association
S. Cotonyi
President
of Slovenian Boxing Federation
M. Stanovnik
President
of Boxing Federation of Slovak Republic
J. Caniga
President
of Czech Boxing Association
R. Masny
President
of Macedonian Boxing Federation
V. Nastevski
President
of Boxing Federation of Bosnia&Montenegro
S. Petrovic
President
of Polish Boxing Association
A. Kusior