To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
(Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
Kyodo World Services, senior sports writer:wmay52@hotmail.com)
MARTINETTI NEW FILA PRESIDENT, FUKUDA RETURNED TO FILA BUREAU
MOSCOW (September 19) - Raphael Martinetti was elected president
of the International Federation of Associated
Wrestling Styles (FILA) on September 19,
vowing to continue with the work of predecessor
Milan Ercegan and ensure wrestling's "honored
place" among the other sports at the
Olympic Games.
Martinetti, 59, was the only candidate
nominated to replace Ercegan, who was stepping
down after 30 years as FILA president. Martinetti
brings an impressive list of credentials
to the FILA presidency, including being the
current head of the FILA officiating committee
and serving on the FILA Bureau for 20 years.
The Swiss businessman, nevertheless, takes
the reins at a crucial time for the ancient
sport. An internal report of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC), discussed by the
IOC Executive Board in August, has recommended
that either greco-roman or freestyle wrestling
be cut from the Olympic program since the
media and general public have little comprehension
of the differences between the two styles.
This recommendation comes less than one
year after FILA agreed to trim eight weight
categories in both styles to seven in order
to make a place for women's wrestling in
the Olympic Games. Women's wrestling will
make its Olympic debut in Athens in 2004
with four gold medals at stake. Martinetti
told reporters on the eve of the 2002 greco-roman
wrestling world championships in Moscow that
he would "struggle" to try and
prove that "greco-roman cannot be eliminated
from the Olympics."
He added that he will meet with IOC president
Jacques Rogge in the near future to try and
change the IOC's point of view. Martinetti
also called for the cooperation of IOC vice
president Vitaly Smirnov of Russia in maintaining
wrestling's place in the Olympic Movement.
"I'm honored that the FILA Congress
has entrusted me with the management of wrestling
and I will try my best to ensure that wrestling
will maintain a honorable place among the
other sports on the Olympic program,"
Martinetti said.
He also vowed to "continue with
the tradition of Mr. Ercegan -- developing
this tradition but not changing it."
Ercegan, who was first elected FILA president
in Munich in 1972, has overseen the spread
of wrestling around the world through his
program of technical and coaching assistance.
At the Moscow meeting, the FILA Congress
approved the United Arab Emirates for membership,
making it the 143rd country represented in
wrestling's world governing body. Ercegan
pointed to the development of women's wrestling
during his tenure as one of his many accomplishments
while he has also promoted the training and
education of coaches around the world to
"make the sport more professional and
technically attractive."
Ercegan, 86, announced in July that he
would not seek another term as FILA president
for health and family reasons. The FILA Congress
also voted for six members to its executive
board, returning Japan's Tomiaki Fukuda for
a second six-year term. Also returned to
the FILA Bureau were Theodoros Hamakos (Greece),
Mikhail Mamiachvili (Russia) and Larry Sciacchentano
(United States). Newly elected were Csaba
Hegedus (Hungary) and Tzeno Tzenov (Bulgaria).
The Bureau also presented Raiko Petrov
FILA's highest award, the golden wreath,
for his work in developing wrestling in Bulgaria
and his scientific and scholarly work concerning
wrestling.