Executive Board of the European Weightlifting Federation Announces New Strategy

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The meeting of the Executive Committee of the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) was held on October 10 under the chairmanship of Interim President Maxim Agapitov in the format of a zoom conference. The event was devoted to the convocation of an extraordinary Electoral Congress to elect a new president, the return to the Executive Board of two members Oren Shai (Israel) and Denise Offerman (Cyprus), a vote of no confidence in the Interim President, the current challenges of the Federation and the development plan.

The question of the return of ex-members to the Executive Board will be submitted to the electoral congress, where the question of cancelling the authority of the former president Hassan Akkus, who voluntarily suspended his powers in connection with the investigation of the doping scandal in the IWF, will also be discussed. The Executive Board decided that it was necessary to consult with Swiss lawyers (the headquarters of the EWF is in Lausanne) on the procedure for convening the electoral congress and the prospects of returning the former members to the Executive Board. The decision on a "vote of no confidence" has no legal force, not only because the procedure for submitting questions to Congress and providing a real opportunity to respond to accusations was grossly violated, but also because such a question is not provided for in the current Constitution.

During the meeting of the Executive Board, Maxim Agapitov reported on his work as Interim President from June 2021 to the present. During the past months, Mr. Agapitov participated in a large number of international events; analysed the work of the profile committees and prepared a proposal for their development; as a member of the IWF Executive Committee he supported the decision of the IWF Executive  Board to allocate $250 000 per year to the development of all continental federations; had successful negotiations with sponsors; was directly related to the organisation and holding the first live championship (European Championship) among all contests. Russia is the only country that has invested 2.8 million euro in the preparation of this event.

Maxim Agapitov gave up his salary for the entire period since his appointment to the post, explaining this by his desire to deal exclusively with the development of the Federation.

Agapitov said: "I, as the first Vice President of the EWF, accepted the position of Interim President due to the crisis situation caused by the voluntary resignation of the President Hassan Akkus. Acting as crisis manager for this period, I have to bring my work in the Federation to the electoral congress, ensuring its normal functioning. The misunderstanding among the members of the Executive Committee of the EWF stems from different interpretations of the articles of the Constitution. The members of the Executive Committee understand that any decisions taken in violation of the current Constitution will be challenged in CAS, and this will lead to lengthy and expensive court proceedings. I am confident that in the near future all disputed issues will be resolved and we will be able to set a date for the electoral congress."

Among the EWF's plans for the coming year Maxim Agapitov mentioned the development of a new  marketing strategy, attracting sponsors and attracting maximum attention of the international community to the development of clean sport. In particular, in the coming months, Maxim Agapitov and his colleagues from the International Weightlifting Federation together with the international sports lawyer Richard McLaren are planning to hold an event in Brussels to promote an effective policy in the fight for clean sport against doping and corruption.

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