The congress was opened by the federation president, Assen Hadjitorov.
Unfortunately, much less people will compete this year than in previous years, but it’s still over 500 people: juniors, seniors and veterans – says Hadjitorov. – We’ve increased the number of drug tests by 40 this year and I hope that this will make for a better quality of the tournament. The finals of the tournament will be broadcast by major local and international TV stations; the whole event can be viewed online.
Hadjitorov thanked the organizers of the Azerbaijan Armwrestling Federation and wished everyone great fights. He also infirmed the audience that he will be meeting the Olympic Committee on the 15th of July – this might mean the entrance of armwrestling into the Olympic arena.
One of the points of Alexander Filimonov’s report was the subject of drug control.
The next stage of fighting drug use is going to be even more difficult – he stated.- We’re planning to actively address the problem, and the state is going to be helping us. I hope that severe sanctions will keep fighters from being a part of scandals in the future.
The Congress also discussed the incorporation of a new partner into the EAF. The new member is the Federation of Israel. Estonian and Icelandic applications were rejected, due to documentation issues.
Also publicized were the locations for championships in 2016 and 2017 – Romania and Slovakia.
A minute of silence was held for Ueli Bühler. This spawned the idea of forming the “Armwrestling hall of fame”.
The congress also voted the changes concerning the workings of the anti-doping commission and financial reporting.
The tournament will start on the 21st of May, with juniors, veterans and disabled categories.
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