Dear WAF members,

Dear Colleagues and competitors,

This is my answer to the mud that President of Rusian Armwrestling Association throw on my name.

In the past there was people who did the same and now he decided to go on the same way too.

Spreading lies and trying to convince you that I am the “bad guy” in armwrestling.

First of all the “WAF crisis” he is talking about, I consider is only in his eyes and in his head.

My opinion is that since I was elected as WAF President in 2012, WAF is in a huge and fast growing progress. Only for two years of my mandate we achieved the goals we are trying to achieve 20 years and more.

First achievement was the WADA Code Compliant that WAF became and second and most important is the successfully application for full Membership to SportAccord.

Also for two years, because of my pressure and requests, the Continental Organizations of Africa and North America where officially registered as non-profit organizations.

WAF has successfully changed the format of the World Championships as the one in Europe and we successfully have managed the Asian Championship for the first time in the same high level format.

Also, we successfully increased three times the number of doping tests from 20 to over 60.

I want you to return long time ago and remind you what this “bad man” Assen Hadjitodorov made for armwrestling for last 20 years.

In 1996 Assen Hadjitodorov organized the first European Championship for juniors and gave powerful push for developing the armwrestling for youth people.

In 2002-2003 Assen Hadjitodorov made the unification of armwrestling.

In 2005 Assen Hadjitodorov for first time in the history of our sport introduced the Live TV Broadcast of European Championship in Bulgaria.

During the same championship for the first time Assen Hadjitodorov organized the doping controls in armwrestling and established the fight for pure from steroids sport.

In 2007 Assen Hadjitodorov introduced for the first time the Live TV Broadcast of World Championship.

In 2009 Assen Hadjitodorov succeed to broadcast live the European Championship even in Russia and all former Soviet Union Countries.

The facts above shows that under my leadership armwrestling has progressed to the level that exists now and I am sure that until the end of my mandate we will have more progress and we will received a worldwide recognition of our sport.

I think everyone is surprised why Mr. Filimonov is acting so aggressive against me. I will tell you my answer.

At last day of the World Championship in Lithuania we had an Executive Board meeting in which Mr. Filimonov tried to avoid the WAF rules approved by the Congress in 2013:

”Article 4. 4.2.2 Each positive test of an athlete oblige his national federation/ body to finance an additional doping test to be carried out on anyone of their athlets next World Championship.”

During the meeting he has attacked in a very aggressive way the WAF General Secretary Mircea Simionescu-Simicel stating that he didn’t made his job and accused him that he didn’t spread the info to the members in advance about the changes. Every WAF member have received as every year the Minutes from the previous Congress, the updated WAF Constitution and the updated WAF Rules months in advance which where approved by the Congress this year.

The WAF Executive Board with 3 to 2 votes has confirmed that the Rule is in power since it was accepted in 2013 WAF Congress in Poland.

Filimonov threaten the General Secretary that if he don’t change his vote he will have many problems.

My personal position was that the Rule is in place and we have to follow it, so all those countries that had positive tests must finance additional tests this year. We all have to remind that Russia have always the most positive cases.

Everyone have paid according to this rule but Mr. Filimonov representing RAA refused to pay and did not take in consideration the WAF Executive Decision.

After this meeting he became angry on me and General Secretary. Why? Just because we follow the WAF Rules.

As a continuation of this meeting he started to attack in RAA website and in armpower.net website the WAF Executives.

At the moment RAA is not in good standing member to WAF until they don’t follow the WAF rules.

Mr. Filimonov received all the answers to his questions from me and from our General Secretary and because the conversations between executive members are private we send it just to the executive members but he is continuing to ask us the same questions.

So, in all this years I was elected in democratic elections, my work was transparent and the results of my work are visible for everyone.

Mr. Filimonov attacks me about the WAF money. Every year WAF Congress approve the financial report and this year was approved including RAA with zero “against” votes.

In order to apply for WADA and SportAccord membership it was necessary, WAF to spend more money, with the Congress mandate, but the money missed in the WAF accounts because we haven’t received them from the former management. I decided to give a personal loan to WAF in order not to stop our developing process of becoming WADA and SportAccord members.

In Filimonov eyes this is a bad act on my side. Question, it means that Mr. Filimonov don’t like that WAF become WADA and SportAccord full member?

In order to meet the new financial needs WAF Congress decided this year to change the currency from USD to EURO.

Once again, WAF and EAF Congresses have approved the Financial Reports all those years with the support of RAA.

Mr. Filimonov also doubt about legal doping control process and instead of promoting clean sport and reduce the number of positive cases in his team, instead of trying to support WAF efforts to clean armwrestling from doping, he decided to throw mud on me and on WAF Doping Committee and create a bad image to me and to the WAF Doping Committee.

In the Doping Committee we have four representatives: Director Jean Frederic Andre from Belgium, Dr. Bokor from Hungary, Dr. Babiak from Slovakia and Dr. Petra Spatz from Germany. Every year the doping Director J-F Andre receive the results from the WADA Accredited laboratory and together with his colleagues do the proper work following the WADA procedures and rules.

Every one knows that this process is confidential until the procedures are finished. During this process WAF have no right to spread documents or info.

He doubt that this year we had 62 doping tests, spreading the idea that the doping committee lie for this. I promise that after the doping process is finished the Doping Committee will publish the laboratory protocols together with the punishment of the athletes.

Every year the host is responsible to organize and finance the doping control process during the World Championships. WAF pay only the analysis of the urine samples to the WADA Accredited laboratory. This year we did it exactly like this.

Regarding the problem between WAF Vice President Umberto Panzetti and Technical Staff Olesya Romanenko, Mr. Panzetti received 100 $ fine for using bad language, as in our rules. Mr. Panzetti send his apologize to Olesya. The General Secretary forwarded apologizes to her.

Referees expenses. I believe that WAF made the proper job giving the right to the Head Referee and to the Referee Panel to distribute their budget by their rules.

I want to apologize on behalf of WAF, once again, to the sportsmen and to the federations because some of them did not received the medals and cups on the last competition day in Lithuania.

First information we received from Vydas Mikelonis, the President of Lithuanian Armwrestling Federation, was that after one month he will send the medals to WAF.

Yesterday we received updated information that because of lack of money he can send the medals in January 2015 when he expect to have funds for the medals.

I guarantee that the competitors will receive the medals latest next year European or Asian Championship and for the other continents during the next World Championship.

About the punishment of Lithuanian Federation for not executing the WAF contract, so far Lithuanian Federation received a 3.000 USD punishment and if there is another proposal we will discuss it with in the Executive Board.

Now I have some questions for Mr. Filimonov because he accused me that I am acting like a “sovereign-emperor”.

This so called “sovereign-emperor” Assen Hadjitodorov was elected by the WAF and EAF Congress in a democratic elections.

1. When and who have elected Alexander Filimonov for the Presidency of IAFD?

2. When and who have decided that the next World Championship for disabled will be organized in Poland and not in Malaysia as WAF Congress decided?

3. Who gave the right to American Armwrestling Federation (AAF), not a WAF member, to organize the American Disabled team?

In conclusion I believe that Mr. Filimonov will change his mind, he will stop being arrogant and he will focus in the process to develop our sport in the future.

I have only one goal: to give my best to our sport.

Best regards,

Assen Hadjitodorov

President of WAF