Dear Armwrestling friends,

Following the tragic passing of Andrey Pushkar many of his friends and competitors have given him great tributes to what a great competitor and good friend he was, and I loved to see how his famous moody scowl would turn into a beaming smile as soon as you spoke to him, and I agree and support all of this, but I want to comment as the 3rd man at the table -- the referee, for Andrey was not only a great competitor but a great sportsman, I have refereed him so many times over so many years I cannot remember, yet he was never unruly or unpleasant at the table and always abided by the rules, so he was a great sportsman and he earned the respect of the referees.

So both myself as Head Referee of Europe and Edward Damion Head Referee of WAF and on behalf of all referees we pay tribute and salute the great sportsman Andrey Pushkar.

David Shead

EAF Head Referee