NEWS AROUND THE DEAF SPORTS WORLD

From: DEAFSPORTLAWSUIT
Nov. 18, 2002

Update: Pinchas vs. Jordan, Ammons, Lovett - News Around Deaf Sports World

FUNDING IS SECURED FOR 2005 GAMES

Melbourne, Australia - A very encouraging news came out recently: the organizers of the 20th Deaflympic Summer Games to be held in this city in 2005 have finally received assurances that the federal and state authorities have agreed to fund the organization of the Games.
According to a recent story published in the Ballarat Courier newspaper, Federal Sports Minister Mr. Rod Kemp and his state counterpart Mr. Justin Madden announced that both governments - federal and state - have commited 4 million Australian dollars each to support the staging of the 2005 Games event.
Here are other relevant excerpts of that very englightened newspaper story:

- the 20th Deaflympics will be staged from January 6 to 16;
- more than 4,500 athletes from 90 countries are expected to compete at the Games, to be held outside the USA and Europe for only the second time since 1924;
- the city of Ballarat is likely to be the venue in seven different sports - orienteering, basketball, volleyball, badminton, football, cycling and the marathon, while other sports will be contested in Melbourne and other parts of state of Victoria;
-the Games organizers expect that the event will provide the Australians an opportunity to contribute to increased understanding of deafness as well as it will give a massive economic boost to Melbourne and its vicinities.

While the above news should be viewed as a very positive one to our deaf sports community ( I am very supportive of the Games staging in the traditionally sports-loving nation of Australia ), it is vitally paramount for the so-called newest CISS Management Team to announce such a major news item in its CISS e-News Magazine in a prompt manner. It is because last month the CISS Management Team led by the still-suspended CISS President in office, Mr. Lovett, himself a Melbourne resident, made a shocking and unthinkable statement in its latest e-News Magazine, Number 208 issue by handing out to Melbourne and its 2005 Games organizers the so-called "yellow card" warning ( please log on to
www.ciss.org/enews/ycard02.html ).
This negative publicity toward the Australian organizers by the CISS Management Team members is an undiplomatic, unpatriotic, and untactful one. This publicly-insulting act will not advance the cause and image of the CISS and the Deaflympics in both short and long runs! Moreover, the publicizing of such an obnoxious "yellow card" warning item in the still-editor-nameless CISS e-News Magazine website will not aid the Games organizers' lofty objectives, including their wish to have the record attendance of over "4,500 athletes from 90 nations" at the coming Games in 2005.
Hopefully, after reading this material, the certain officials in the CISS will do something with their website by immediately erasing the unpleasant items about Melbourne and its already hard-working and dedicated 2005 Games Organizing Committee officials!

EMMANUIL SLUTSKY IS DEAD

Moscow, Russia - A word was received that Mr. Emmanuil Abramovich Slutsky, an outstanding high jumper and athletics coach in the Deaflympic Games history, died at the age of 69 after a long illness.
Mr. Slutsky, a native of the Soviet Union, was best known in the deaf world as a triple gold medal winner in the high jump event of the Deaflympic Summer Games held in 1957, 1961 and 1965. He also was a world record holder in the event between 1957 and 1969. After completion of his glorious athletic career, he was one of the two most successful deaf athletics coaches in the world ( the second person was Mr. Thomas Olof Berg, a legendary and long-time athletics coach of Gallaudet University and the national USA team ).
Between 1969 and 1989, these two senior coaches' then powerful Soviet Union and USA teams were engaged in a lively and high-profile ( and friendly ) medal battle in various disciplines of the "Queen of Sports" - athletics ( or, as we call in the USA, track and field ) events among the men and women at the Deaflympic Summer Games competitions.
Mr. Slutsky, a prominent athletics teacher at the famed Leningrad Rehabilitation Center School, produced
a great deal of world-class runners, high and long jumpers. One of them was Nina Ivanova, who collected an aggregate of 12 gold medals in the various disciplines of sport at the 1965-1981 Deaflympic Summer Games. Mr. Slutsky also coached Yelena Tatarinova, his future wife, who was the gold medal winner of the XIth Deaflympic Summer Games in high jump in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1969. Before his death, Mr. Slutsky was the CISS Technical Director in Athletics.

RONDA JO MILLER CONTINUES TO SHINE

Jamaica, New York, USA - This month, the Houston Jaguars, a travelling exhibition team of former women's college basketball stars, has been getting daily attention from the national media and basketball followers. The team, which has on its roster the two deaf persons - Ronda Jo Miller as a player and Mike Fischer as an assistant coach, have just completed their tour with a remarkable 10-1 (10 wins and 1 loss) record against nation's strong college teams ( the Jaguars also beat the reigning 2002 NCAA championship team from University of Connecticut ).
Few days ago I had the privilege to lively witness the game between Houston Jaguars and St.John's University team, in which Miss Miller and her team confidently won by a score of 73 to 54. It was my great pleasure to see the presence of Miss Miller in the game because she created the much-needed deafness awareness and deaf sports publicity among the non-deaf public as well as many spectators in the 6,000-seat St.John's University gym stand were awed by Miss Miller's versatile play in a number of positions, especially in defense. Although she scored just six points in this game, she made a huge contribution to her team's win over St. John's University squad.
After the game, I had a chat with Miss Miller, who expressed her coveted lifetime goal of playing one day soon in the premier WNBA ( Women's Professionall Basketball Association ) league.
Miss Miller, a third place finisher on my internationally-chaired Selections Commission of the CISS Deaf World SportsWoman of the Year Award honors list in 1997, won a gold medal by playing for the USA basketball team at the 18th Deaflympic Games in Denmark. Last year, she was part of the silver-medal winning USA volleyball team at the Deaflympics held in Rome, Italy.

WILL ICE HOCKEY BE A MEDAL EVENT AT 2003 SUNDSVALL WINTER GAMES?

Bonn, Germany - Six teams from the two different regions of Europe and the Americas have expressed their interest in taking part in the coming March 1-8, 2003 ice hockey tournament of the XVth Deaflympic Winter Games in Sundsvall, Sweden. A drawing was held to determine which teams would be seeded first through sixth in the coming tournament. Germany, which will make its debut at Sundsvall, received the first seed, USA - second, Canada, the reigning 1999 Games champion - third, Finland, the 2000 European champion - fourth, Russia - fifth, and Sweden, the host nation - last, sixth. .
The two highly-unusual things, which happened at that drawing, should be noted:

1) the recent ice hockey drawing was led and conducted by the two still-suspended officers in the CISS - Mr. Lovett as its President and Dr.Ammons as its Secretary General ( to familiarize and better understand the still highly-questionable status of Mr. Lovett and Dr. Ammons in the CISS, please read
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update23.html ), and
2) it still remains unclear whether the coming ice hockey event in Sundsvall will be accorded as an official medal event status of the Games because the anticipated participation of the above-named teams from the just two regions does not fully meet the criteria of the current CISS Legal Commission-produced Deaflympic Games Regulations, Rule 7. E. In order to receive further and detailed explanation on this questionable subject, please visit

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update2.html
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update20.html
Four ( 4 ) NEW PROPOSALS TO CISS

Tashkent, Uzbekistan - The Board of Sports Organization of the Deaf in Uzbekistan sent the following communication addressed to the CISS Executive Committee to the CISS Home Office in Frederick, Maryland, USA:

"On behalf of our organization - a nation member of the CISS, we are, on an emergency basis ( we are aware that the deadline for 38th CISS Congress proposal submissions was October 1, 2002 ) and in accordance with the CISS Constitution Rules 10.2.7 and 10.2.7.6.1 (and if necessary, CISS Constitution Rule 15 ), proposing our four proposals to be brought up to the floor at the coming 38th CISS Congress in Sundsvall, Sweden:

Number One: to accept the "4/2 rule formula" ( that is, four nations from two regions ) for the World Championships Regulations, Rule WC 1 G in order to declare the event as an official World Championship event.

Number Two: ( in case proposal Number One is approved ) to declare teams from USA, Greece and Lithuania as the official gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the 1st World Championship in Women's Basketball held in Athens, Greece, July 19-27, 2002.

Number Three: to completely repeal the Deaflympic Games Regulations, Rule 7.E.

Number Four: ( in case proposal Number Three is accepted ) to declare winter sports disciplines such as ice hockey, nordic skiing and snowboarding as the official full medal sports of the XVth Deaflympic Winter Games.

Arguments: our Board received these proposals from our distinguished member, Mr. Rafael Pinkhasov Pinchas. We very carefully studied his very important proposals and we came to the conclusion that, in the best interest of the deaf sports, we 100% support these four-above mentioned proposals.

Our reasons for this 100% support are as follows:

First, Mr. Pinkhasov Pinchas represented our country as a delegate at the CISS Congress Workshop held on March 6, 1999, in Davos, Switzerland. At that Workshop he, among the other things, proposed the idea that in order to qualify a World Championship as an official event, there should be four nations from two regions registered for such an event. His proposal was favorably accepted by those who attended the Workshop. Then, the next day, on March 7, 1999, according to the Minutes of the 36th CISS Congress, which were prepared and publicly released by Dr. Donalda Ammons, the CISS Secretary General, the Congress delegates voted 82-0 in favor of the Pinkhasov Pinchas-proposed "4/2 rule formula" to declare a World Championship event as an official one.
However, in the World Championships Regulations book, which we received in 2001, we were surprised to read very different contents written in the CISS Legal Commission- prepared book regarding the World Championships Regulations, WC G 1 Rule ( that is, the "5/3 rule formula" or 5 countries from 3 regions ). Who gave the permission and constitutional authority for the CISS Legal Commission to ignore and disregard the already 1999 CISS Congress-approved "4/2 rule formula"?
As a result of the above, we request to accept our proposals Number One and Two.

Second, the same CISS Legal Commission produced the Deaflympic Games, Rule 7.E, which, like the World Championships Regulations, WC 1 G Rule, also has the same "5/3 rule formula". This rule, in our strong opinion and view, does not and will not work for different sports to be included as a full medal sports in the Deaflympic Games in the near future. More specifically, this rule will hurt the Winter Games program because in our small deaf sports world we do not have many countries and regions that practice winter sports disciplines.
Therefore, in order to secure the existence of the Winter Games for the future and to increase the Winter Games program agenda, as a result, we propose 1) to fully eliminate the Rule 7.E from the book and 2) to declare Winter Games sports disciplines such as ice hockey, nordic skiing and snowboarding , regardless number of nations and regions registered for the Games, as official and full medal sports of the XVth Deaflympic Winter Games in Sundsvall, Sweden.

We hope you will seriously consider our above proposals and arguments. In case your Executive Committee does not agree with the above, then let these four special proposals be brought up for debate at the floor of the 38th CISS Congress delegates pursuant to the CISS Constitution, Rule 15."

65th ANNIVERSARY IN HONOR OF 35 DEAD

St. Peterburg, Russia - One of the saddest events in the world history of the deaf people ( also in the CISS history ) happened in the now-defunct nation of the Soviet Union under the regime of its dictator, Joseph V. Stalin, in December of 1937.
35 deaf persons - members of the Leningrad ( now, St. Peterburg ) and Moscow Societies of the Deaf tragically perished from the shots made at each of them by Stalin's cruel secret service agents and firing squad men.
What kind of relationship did this tragic event have to do with our deaf sports community?
Well, one of the main reasons Stalin's executioneers put these 35 deaf persons into the firing squad line was that these 35 people were associated - directly and indirectly - with few deaf Germans and one deaf Italian gentleman, who visited and stayed in the now-former land of communism and "Iron Curtain" - the Soviet Union - in the thirties and who befriended these deaf Soviet citizens.
That lone deaf gentleman from Italy was Roberto De Marchi, who won the two gold medals in swimming for his nation at the first Deaflympic Summer Games ( then known as the International Silent Games ) held in Paris, France, in 1924. De Marchi, who also resided in France, moved to live and work in the city of Leningrad and there he got a job as a bookbinder. Despite of his foreign citizenship status, De Marchi was somehow allowed to represent the Leningrad swimming team at the first All-Russian Deaf Sports Games in the thirties. Because of De Marchi's friendship and contacts ( and because of other deaf Germans who also stayed in Leningrad ) with the deaf Soviet citizens, these unfortunate 35 deaf persons were later on arrested and charged for their so-called "espionage activities with deaf foreigners" by Stalin's agents. In other words, during the regime of Stalin it was considered a taboo or "crime" for any Soviet citizen - deaf or non-deaf - to socialize or befriend with a foreigner.
As a result of the above, these 35 deaf persons were murdered and their bodies were secretly thrown out and buried in the still-unknown and unmarked mass grave location.
To commemorate the tragic events of 1937, next month, many families and close friends will observe the 65th anniversary memorial service in honor of their loved ones who were unjustly arrested, tried and sadistically executed by Stalin's ruthless agents.

KUWAIT TO HOST 7th ASIA-PACIFIC GAMES

Kuwait City, Kuwait - On March 11, 2004, this city will witness the Opening Ceremonies of the 7th Asia-Pacific Games for the Deaf. Nine different sports - athletics, swimming, basketball, volleyball, football, badminton, bowling, table tennis and wrestling - will be displayed as full medal events of the Games.
The last Asia-Pacific Games were held in November 1-8, 2000, in Taipei, Taiwan, and they attracted nearly 800 athletes from 20 different countries of the region.

ISRAEL CANCELS WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIP

Tel Aviv, Israel - There is a confirmed report received by this author through a reliable source that the National Sports Association of this country has decided to drop out the staging of the CISS-supervised and promoted World Championship in orienteering. The event was originally planned for the first week of April, 2003, with the city of Meggido as a host.
This is the same old and unpleasant story we are hearing over again.
Remember, in the last seven years, since 1995, we have witnessed the discouraging news each time of the World Championship cancelling in at least nine ( 9 ) different sports such as bowling ( USA was supposed to act as a host in 1995 ), alpine skiing ( Slovenia , 1998 ), handball ( Iceland, 1998 ), athletics ( Portugal, 1998 ), basketball ( Sweden, 1999 ), football ( Spain, 2000 ) cycling ( Spain, 2000 ), cross country running ( Algeria, 2001 ) and indoor football ( Russia, 2002 ).
Thus, for how long will the still-inept and medievally-autocratic CISS administration of Mr. Lovett and Dr. Ammons continue the pattern of irresponsibly and embarrassingly cancelling of important sporting events like the World Championship? Will Mr. Lovett and Dr. Ammons, the reputed rule violators and already well-known abusers of the CISS legal system, charge the $5,000.00 penalty fine to the National Sports Associaion of Israel, the supposed event organizer, for its failure to carry out the World Orienteering Championship on its home ground?

CROATIAN MEN AND GERMAN WOMEN WIN INDOOR FOOTBALL TITLES

Sofia, Bulgaria - A record of 17 men's and 8 women's teams took part in the first ever European championship in indoor football ( or, futsal ).
Among the men, Croatia emerged as an inaugural champion by defeating a team from Slovakia, 3 to 2 , in an overtime final game of the championship.
On the women's side, a team from Germany dominated the event by defeating the team from Portugal, 2 to 1, in the championship game.
The coastal city of Haifa, Israel, was initially scheduled to host the inaugural event. But, because of the continuing unstable security situation in the country, the 43-nations member European Deaf Sport Organization ( EDSO ) decided to move the event to Sofia.
Indoor football , according to the decision of the 34th CISS Congress in 1995 was officially voted by the CISS Congress delegates to be included as an official and full medal sport event for the Deaflympic Summer Games in 2001. However, for the still-unexplained reason, the Lovett-led CISS administration
did not implement the 1995 CISS Congress decision by not including indoor football on the official program of the 19th Deaflympic Summer Games last year.

INAUGURAL ASIAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP IN BADMINTON

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The first ever Asian-Pacific championship in badminton is scheduled to take place in this city this coming December 15-21. This event will be closely watched by the many because currently the badminton players from this region are considered the strongest players in the world.
At the 19th Deaflympic Summer Games held in Italy last year the four Asian nations - India, Korea, Japan and Malaysia - together collected an aggregate of 16 medals ( including all 6 gold medals ) out of possible 18 awarded at the Games' tournament.
It is also expected that the coming inaugural event next month will attract the participation of a high-profile badminton player from Mumbai, India, Rajeev Bagga, who won a total of 12 gold medals in various categories of the sport at the Deaflympic Games between 1989 and 2001.

WWW.DEAFSPORTLAWSUIT.COM WEBSITE TO REMAIN OPEN

Baltimore, Maryland,USA - The lawsuit matter involving the four deaf persons - plaintiff Mr.Rafael Pinkhasov Pinchas, on the one side, and defendants Mr. Jerald Jordan, Dr. Donalda Ammons and Mr. John Lovett, on the other side, is still pending before the USA District Court for the District of Maryland.
Some two months ago, defendants, through their defense attorney, filed a motion before the court to completely close down plaintiff's www.deafsportlawsuit.com website.
Plaintiff, Mr. Pinkhasov Pinchas has just received an official letter from the court, in which the court issued a ruling:

www.deafsportlawsuit.com website will remain OPEN!

Sportingly Yours,

Rafael I. Pinkhasov Pinchas

www.deafsportlawsuit.com