WABBA INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEETING REPORT – July 2017

Report of the meeting:

LONDON – 6th July 2017

The WABBA INTERNATIONAL Executive Committee meeting took place in London in July 2017 and the following persons were present:

  • Scott Horton – World President
  • Erno Huszar – World Vice President
  • Nikos Tsounakis – President of the Judges
  • Massimo Pratelli – General Secretary
  • Gianni Coselli – Administrator
  • Trevor Chung – Pro-Class Director

Jorge Monteverde (Treasury and Coordinator of Latin America) was not present due to personal problems.

Some important issues have been discussed and decisions were taken.

Here below is the summary of all the topics discussed and the decisions taken.

1. General issues:

  • Increase of the number of athletes: The goal of WABBA INTERNATIONAL is to grow worldwide and have a large number of athletes. In order to make it possible, each Country must make all reasonable efforts to promote an increase in the number of athletes. This includes the organization of better competitions that will me more appealing to athletes.

  • Continuity: we need to have the same standards in each Country. For this reason any change in the categories or criteria must be approved by WABBA INTERNATIONAL.

  • International Competitions: any Country that wishes to organize an International Competition must ask the authorization to the WABBA INTERNATIONAL Executive Committee, which will provide a list of requirements to allow such events to be organized.
  • Expansion in other Countries: we need to focus on the International organization (in particular the competitions) to attract more Countries which will bring more athletes.
  • Any agreement taken by a National Delegation to create any kind of partnership with another organization or federation is subject to approval by the Executive Committee. Any National Delegation which will make any unouthorized agreement with another organization can lose the exclusivity on the territory.

2. NEW CATEGORIES: Women PRO BIKINI and MEN PHYSIQUE MUSCULAR AMATEUR

The new PRO-BIKINI category will be introduced, starting with the Mr/Ms Universe 2017 in Budapest. To qualify for this PRO CLASS the athletes must be winners of a World Championship or a Mr/Ms Universe either in the Miss Bikini or Miss Model categories. The prize money in the beginning will be 3.000 euros (1.500 for the 1st – 1,000 for 2nd – 500 for 3rd). In the future we will introduce also the Man Physique PRO CLASS, but that issue will be further discussed later on.

The MEN PHYSIQUE MUSCULAR will debut at the Mr/Ms Universe 2017 in Budapest. This category will have the same rules of the Men Fitness category but with a 10% rule on weight. That means that an athlete who is 170 cm tall can weigh 77 kg maximum. The criteria are the same as those for the MEN FITNESS Category (bermudas and so on).

3. Mr/Ms UNIVERSE 2017:

Erno Huszar (World Vice President and WABBA INTERNATIONAL HUNGARY President) gave all the details about the competition that will be held in Budapest (Hungary) on November 18th/19th.

3. New rules for World Championship and Mr/Ms Universe:

As WABBA INTERNATIONAL is quickly expanding worldwide and the demands on the organizers of the World Champioship and Mr/Ms Universe are growing every year, it is now necessary to set more stringent rules.

  • The organizer will not provide transport from/to the airport. Teams will have to arrange their own transportation to reach the hotel and to go back to the airport. This became necessary as many cities have more than one airport and the growing number of the athletes makes it impossible to organize an efficient transportation service. The only transportation that will be provided is from the hotel to the venue and back.

  • The registration fee for the athletes will increased to Euro 160. The 10 Euro that have been added will cover the cost of the WABBA INTERNATIONAL official photographer (Giorgio Mesghetz from Italy), who will take pictures of ALL the competitors and make them available for download in high resolution within 10 days after the competition.

  • Each National Delegation can bring teams with as many athletes as they want, but the number of delegates is as follows:

    • Team of 1 to 5 athletes: 1 free Delegate or Judge.

    • Team of more than 5 athletes: 2 free Delegates or Judges.

    All the extra Delegates or Judges will have to pay a fee of 100 Euro each. All other team members will have to pay as companions/visitors.

  • All new judges will be assessed before they can officially judge an international competition. After a test, if their proficiency is good they will be allowed to judge the following international competitions.

4. Nations rules:

The following rules will be implemented to have a better and more sraightforward approach in the relationship between WABBA INTERNATIONAL and the National Delegations.

  • The annual fee is set at 500 Euro and is valid for the calendar year (from Jan 1st to Dec 31st). All Nations must pay starting from the first year of affiliation. Failure to do so makes it lose exclusivity on the territory and WABBA INTERNATIONAL can look for a different delegate.
  • The annual fee entitles the National Delegation to receive a letter that allows the use of the WABBA INTERNATIONAL name and logo for the year.
  • Each Nation Delegation must bring at least one athlete to every year World Championship and Mr/Ms Universe. Failure to do so can cause the loss of the exclusivity on the territory.
  • Each National Delegation must organize at least one National competition per year under the WABBA INTERNATIONAL name and by its rules. Failure to do so makes it lose exclusivity on the territory.
  • Each National Delegation must send a report to the Executive Committee on the Delegation activities twice per year (after World Championship and Mr/Ms Universe).
  • Each National Delegation must have a website and a Facebook page to directly and efficiently communicate with its members.

5. PRO CLASSES

  • Pro cards: to increase the number of pros, each Country President can propose a contest where the overall winners can be awarded a PRO Card. This decision is subject to approval by WABBA INTERNATIONAL Executive Committee.

  • The PRO CARD will be avalable in 2018 and will cost 200 euros per year.

  • The WABBA INTERNATIONAL PROs can compete in any competition of any organization, provided that there is a money prize. Failure to do so will make them lose their pro status.

  • The Executive Committee can issue a PRO card to World Champions or Mr/Ms Universe of other organizations after carefully evalutation their titles and resume. The decision of the Executive Committee is non negotiable.

London, 6th July 2017