Gentlemen:
Yesterday the WRTC Organizing Committee made what may be viewed as an effort to accept in part the International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance. BUT the announcement language is too vague and effectively meaningless. Mission not accomplished. The OC demonstrates a continued reluctance to directly confront issues raised by the Ukraine War as related to WRTC2022. We are due a more transparent response from the Organizers.
Time is very short. Clarity of intentions is critical to participants as they make their individual decisions on whether to attend and participate.
The WRTC OC apparently wants to permit competitors from Russia and Belarus to attend WRTC2022. If they come representing their home nations, that would be an unacceptable solution. If they attend as NEUTRALS their presence could be in accordance with the IOC guidance, but only a compromise position which is not universally considered acceptable.
With this announcement, it appears Competitors, Judges and Referees from all but two countries (Russia and Belarus ) would be allowed to self-identify their national heritage in traditional ways. But the WRTC OC inexplicably refrains from specifically naming names of the aggressor countries making the pronouncement ambiguous, unclear and weak.
The WRTC OC now needs to further clarify their reasoning and intentions. We await a response.
Respectfully,
John Crovelli, W2GD
Yesterday the WRTC Organizing Committee made what may be viewed as an effort to accept in part the International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance. BUT the announcement language is too vague and effectively meaningless. Mission not accomplished. The OC demonstrates a continued reluctance to directly confront issues raised by the Ukraine War as related to WRTC2022. We are due a more transparent response from the Organizers.
Time is very short. Clarity of intentions is critical to participants as they make their individual decisions on whether to attend and participate.
The WRTC OC apparently wants to permit competitors from Russia and Belarus to attend WRTC2022. If they come representing their home nations, that would be an unacceptable solution. If they attend as NEUTRALS their presence could be in accordance with the IOC guidance, but only a compromise position which is not universally considered acceptable.
With this announcement, it appears Competitors, Judges and Referees from all but two countries (Russia and Belarus ) would be allowed to self-identify their national heritage in traditional ways. But the WRTC OC inexplicably refrains from specifically naming names of the aggressor countries making the pronouncement ambiguous, unclear and weak.
The WRTC OC now needs to further clarify their reasoning and intentions. We await a response.
Respectfully,
John Crovelli, W2GD
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