Письмо от европейского ветеранского руководства.

Dear EVF Family Member,

We are reaching the climax of what has been a very successful Circuit Season for Veterans in Europe and we look forward to announcing the Fencers of the Year in Ciney in May.

More fencers are participating in Circuit events and seeking to get to the top of the rankings lists with increasing determination and enthusiasm. This success, however, also brings with it some challenges that we have had to address this season. This letter is to bring you up to date on a few key issues and to seek your active support for our approach.

Russian and Belarus Fencers:

The members of EVF have consistently voted against the participation of Russian and Belarus Fencers in our Championships and Circuit Events. We have stated this clearly on the website and in discussion with Circuit Event organisers. The only exception to this are those who are included on the official FIE list of ‘permitted’ fencers from these countries. Recent Events have seen fencers from Russia permitted to fence at the recent Circuit event in Faches. This was against our specific advice to not do so and this has caused problems for those fencers who support our stand in this matter.

Please note that we DO NOT allow Russian or Belarus Fencers to participate in EVF events under their country or neutral colours. Events that include these fencers will be stripped of ranking point status.

Circuit Guidelines:

The Circuit Guidelines are regularly updated as a result of issues that arise and need to be addressed. It is important that organisers take the time to familiarise themselves with Guidelines and that they follow them. In order to assist with this, we will be circulating an outline of changes at each Congress.

Organisers Contract:

The demand from organisers to host Circuit events continues to grow and while we are keen to provide as much opportunity for participation, there is a limit to the number of Circuit Events we can support. For the coming season, we will be asking each organiser to sign a confirmation that they have studied the Guidelines and that they will follow them or risk having ranking points removed from their event.

New Coach and Referee Networks

We have quietly introduced the concept of networks for both Coaches and Referees. The Referee network provides a list of referees from which organisers can select who are happy working with Veterans. The Coach network is designed to provide a forum where those training Veterans can share ideas and experiences.

Both networks have their own FB pages: EVF Coaches Network and EVF Refereee Network. There is also an online registration form at https://www.veteransfencing.eu/organisation/evf-network-registration where individuals can make sure they are included.

It has been a busy year and at the Congress in May you will see the numbers, facts and figures that show the great community that is Veterans Fencing in Europe as well as more details about some of the initiatives we are putting in place to provide the best possible environment for that community to grow.

We also mourn the loss of one of our founding fathers – Henry de Silva, a visionary and enthusiastic driver of Veterans Fencing.

I look forward to seeing you all in May in Belgium.

Karen Grant