“Important WMRA Council meeting is working on progress on this weekend at Monte Carlo.
First of all, WMRA is happy to report that the WMRA relationship with the IAAF continues to be a solid one.
Not only does the WMRA receive financial support, but also advice on many administrative manners that assist the WMRA with their many programs including the World Mountain Running Championships, the WMRA Grand Prix, the World Long Distance Challenge, the International Youth Cup.
Representatives at the WMRA meetings from the IAAF included Essar GABRIEL, IAAF General Secretary, David OKEYO, Chairman IAAF Cross Country Committee, Sean WALLACE-JONES, Senior Manager, IAAF, and Paul HARDY, IAAF Competitions Director.
The WMRA is also pleased to have at our meetings, Pierre WEISS, honorary member of WMRA.
&quot,We have conducted last year the IAAF strategic plan. You (WMRA) are part of the family,&quot, said GABRIEL during the WMRA meetings, &quot,This road map (the strategic plan), has us looking at our priorities and our vision.&quot,
Happily this vision includes the WMRA and its many programs.
“

The new WMRA constitution has been approved by Monegasque Government, thanking the work made by Pierre WEISS, and the fact the all necessary documents were signed by IAAF President, Lamine DIACK.&nbsp,
This creates some new policies for the WMRA including annual membership in the WMRA for federations. This new constitution also has Monaco as the official &quot,home&quot, and headquarters of the WMRA. Member federations will receive more information in the coming weeks regarding membership dues for 2013 and – in advance for 2014, following civil laws of Monte Carlo.
A series of important decision was taken by WMRA Council.
Some of the most important were:
1) Technical delegate for the 2013 World Mountain Running Championships in Poland Wolfgang MUENZEL, has been in contact with the LOC regarding the course for this year’s events. The course profile and map will be updated and available soon for our member federations to review. Both MUENZEL and organizational delegate Galia PUHALEVA will perform a site visit in March or early April to coordinate other aspects of the event. The Team Manual will be distributed sometime in late May/early June and deadline for Preliminary Entry Form will be fixed on June.
2) The Nigeria 2014 situation was discussed at length based on the comments received following the conditional approval granted at the 2012 World Mountain Running Association Congress meeting after the visit of some WMRA Council member on last November. Some of the issues were already solved (like for sample, air transfer from Lagos to Obudu Ranch) and some others must to be resolved in the next few months include the Visa situation, lodging at Obudu Ranch (the host venue), vaccinations for athletes.. Erhan BASOGLU (TUR) will serve as the technical delegate and Galia PUHALEVA (BUL) will serve as the organizational delegate. Both will work closely with the LOC in the coming weeks and months. Expect a full report at the Congress meeting in September.
3) Letters of intent to host the 2015 World Mountain Running Championships were received from the UK (Snowdon region in Wales: UKA and LOC proposed an interesting conjunction with Master World Championships on the same week and in the same venue) and Bulgaria (Sapareva Banya). The situation for 2015 will be reviewed at the Congress meeting in September at which time official bids are anticipated from both countries.
4) In 2013, the World Masters Mountain Running Championships will be in the Czech Republic on August 31: situation is under control and WMRA expect a great event. Instead WMRA decided that in 2014, Telfes, Austria will host World Masters Championships on September 6. Both events are uphill courses.
5) The 8th WMRA International Youth Cup 2013 will be held on Sunday, July 7, hosted by the French Athletics Federation at Gap (Hautes Alpes), France. This event is for athletes ages 16-17. This was unanimously approved by the WMRA Council. The boys course will be 5km and the girls will run 3km. web address will be proposed as: www.athle.fr contact is gap2013@athle.fr. The closest airport is Marseille (MRS). Delegates to the event include Pierre WEISS and Nancy HOBBS. The weekend of the event is the same of the European Mountain Running Championships, but the two events involved different categories of athletes and French LOC have no other possibility for other dates (in French the annual school period finish at the end of June and in July Gap will host a stage of Tour of France and other International Festival).
6) WMRA Grand Prix circuit and regulations (including prize money) for 2013 were also decided by WMRA Council.
7) about Long Distance Challenge 2014 Council examined an official application form by Zermatt, Switzerland, and WMRA Council member Munzel will take contact with LOC for clarifying aspect regarding the date of the event, instead for 2015 WMRA Council decided to accept the application form by USA (Pike Peak, Colorado Springs),
Besides the WMRA Council is considering a more developed social media presence in the future.
This may include video footage from our events as well as still photographs and more. We are looking to develop a better presence in the social media networks.
On Friday 11th January, the Annual WMRA/IAAF anti-doping meeting was held with the presence from IAAF of Gabriel&nbsp,DOLLE’, Thomas CAPDEVIELLE and Pierre Yves GARNIER and by WMRA of Bruno GOZZELINO, Tomo SARF, Pierre WEISS and Sonja AMBROSY.
WMRA Council, with the assistance of Dr. Sonja Ambrosy, will prepare a medical guide about the medical services which the LOC must provide will be produced for the World Mountain Running Championships. This document is presently in a draft form and the WMRA Council will provide feedback to Dr. Ambrosy. The final document will be reviewed by the IAAF Medical Committee in next time. The medical guide will include parameters for the LOC to consider when organizing their medical plan for the World Mountain Running Championships. Some of these items to be covered include competent and sufficient personnel, adequate location of aid stations, adequate equipment and supplies, and a robust communication system.
WMRA Council will go&nbsp,on Sunday 13th January, morning.

News by WMRA

Picture:
On front page: IAAF and WMRA Officials at Monte Carlo.