UIPM President’s Activities: July 2020

06.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann welcomed a group of UIPM staff to the new UIPM archive, where UIPM / UIPMB documents dating back to 1948 and Modern Pentathlon documents dating back to 1909, as well as information about the ancient Pentathlon since 708 BC.

Later in the day they discussed developments relating to the COVID-19 Coronavirus and the support provided to UIPM National Federations and the global sporting movement, deeply evaluating the working steps towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games hosted in July/August 2021.

 

 

07-08.07.2020: Frankfurt-am-Main, GER

President Dr Schormann hosted a marketing and promotion workshop at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel, venue for the UIPM 2016 Congress. Together with UIPM Executive Board Member for Marketing, Martin Dawe, he followed presentations by Prof Dr Nicole Mau and Prof Dr Markus Mau (including UIPM staff) and Giancarlo Alfani, CEO of Oiko Service.

The workshop was followed via video by UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang and partly by Treasurer John Helmick and UIPM Executive Board Member for Development, Viachelsav Malishev.

During the two days a lot of projects were evaluated, focusing on future strategy for the marketing and promotion of Modern Pentathlon and all UIPM Sports. A follow-up workshop will be organised in autumn 2020.

13.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

The UIPM President met with Dr Sandra Heck in his office to discuss articles she published about Modern Pentathlon in various brochures, magazines and newspapers based on academic research spanning from ancient times to the present day. In 2013 she published the book Von spielenden Soldaten und kämpfenden Athleten (Of Soldiers Playing and Athletes Fighting).

14.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

President Dr Schormann analysed the financial situation of UIPM relating to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in a video conference with 1st Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch, Secretary General Shiny Fang and Treasurer John Helmick. A very strict budget proposal must be worked out. A clear message will be sent to UIPM’s member federations that UIPM is strongly supporting Olympic qualification and is not forgetting youth development. Youth athletes are the future of our Union.

17.07.2020: Monaco, MON / Darmstadt, GER

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann conducted a video conference with UIPM Honorary President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco about matters of sporting politics and practicalities facing the Union at this difficult time.

The President and Honorary President spoke about the new UIPM Headquarters in Monaco which the Principality helped to arrange for the Administration to move into in July 2020.

His Highness stated clearly that UIPM will be provided with support on the financial side and, in his capacity as an IOC Member, Prince Albert II said that he would strongly back the Mixed Relay application to the sporting programme of the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Both parties are looking forward to an official opening ceremony of the new UIPM Headquarters and Hall of Fame in Monaco in the autumn of 2020.

 

17.07.2020: Lausanne, SUI / Darmstadt, GER

President Dr Schormann and Secretary General Mrs Fang followed the stream of the first-ever virtual IOC Session, which included the election of John Coates (AUS) and Ser Miang Ng (SGP) to the role of IOC Vice-President and the election of Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski (PHI) and Gerardo Werthein (ARG) to the Executive Board.

The postponement of the 4th Youth Olympic Summer Games Dakar 2022 until 2026 came as a big surprise given that the International Federations had not been informed about this decision in advance.

25.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

The UIPM President met with the CEO of RAM Watches, Pierre Portmann, to discuss the company’s partnership with UIPM for the coming years until December 2024 and new possibilities for business relations.

28.07.2020: Frankfurt-am-Main, GER

The UIPM President and his Interim Executive Assistant, Lena Nussbaumer, met with Prof Dr Nicole Mau and Prof Dr Markus Mau to reflect on the marketing and promotion workshop on July 7/8 and work out a list of actions for the coming weeks for all those who participated.

29.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

President Dr Schormann invited the UIPM Athletes Committee to a video conference at which they shared open questions from all athletes worldwide. The athletes briefed the UIPM President about their own situation and spoke about issues relating to young athletes, who have more limited opportunities to train than higher-profile senior counterparts. Secretary General Mrs Fang and UIPM Development Manager Maxime Papillon also participated in the conference, organised by Ms Nussbaumer.

High attention was paid to anti-doping control during the pandemic and the athletes discussed ways to find possibilities to take part in competitions. The Committee Members are very aware of how difficult it is to travel and find organisers, and while the possibility of a UIPM 2020 Pentathlon World Championships in Cancun (MEX) in December 2020 was discussed, the main focus was on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July/August 2021.

 

31.07.2020: Darmstadt, GER

The UIPM President hosted a video conference with most members of the UIPM Coaches Committee and briefed them on actions within the UIPM movement during the pandemic.

The coaches briefed President Dr Schormann, Secretary General Mrs Fang and Operations Director Alexandre Franca about their communication with fellow trainers around the world. The main issues highlighted were training conditions for athletes and the financial situation of NFs.

The coaches reported that athletes and clubs are beginning to resume sporting activities and expressed thanks for new virtual UIPM initiatives like #LaserHomeRun and #LaserAllStars. All were focused on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the qualification competitions scheduled for spring 2021 – but with a clear message that the health of athletes must come first.

The UIPM President underlined, like in all recent video conferences, that the Union with all its affiliated bodies under his leadership and with strong unity is undertaking everything possible to overcome this global crisis. From Youth to Masters levels, working together with discipline, willingness, respect and energy and strong hope, UIPM has a future like the whole Olympic movement.