Home  | 
ABOUT UIAA
COMMISSIONS
MEMBERS
STANDARDS
MOUNTAIN CULTURE
OLYMPIC MOVEMENT



Login to the Members' Area

Historic General Assembly in Matsumoto, Japan on the 75th Anniversary of the UIAA

09 Oct 2007

The UIAA General Assembly met on 6th October in Matsumoto, Japan. At the meeting a significant step was taken in the reform of the organisation with the approval of new UIAA statues. The new Statutes allow the Competitive Sports to exist within the UIAA as independent judicial units. They will have the status of an Independent International Sport Federation, but must act in the spirit of the UIAA Statutes. This will give them the freedom to develop independently and in accordance with Olympic rules.
 
This means that the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) will now work to create a new independent body, but remain within the UIAA. We expect that UIAA Ice Climbing and maybe other mountain Competition sports will follow this example. This is in accordance with the decisions made at the UIAA General Assembly 2006 in Banff.
 
Another important change is the creation of a new management structure. When the new Statutes come into effect on 1st January 2008 there will only be one single body for general leadership, the Management Committee. We believe that this will lead to more efficient and effective governance.
 
The new Statutes were prepared over the last year by the New Structure Working group, which included representatives from all the UIAA bodies and regions of the world. The group was led by Silvio Calvi, Italian Council member from the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI).
 
The reform process will continue during the next year and the Working Group will prepare final changes concerning membership and voting rights for the next UIAA Assembly in Teheran, I.R. Iran.
 
Finally the General Assembly confirmed its commitment to the Olympic movement and its support of the competitive sports’ bodies for Ski Mountaineering and Ice Climbing.
 
Two days before the federations who participate in Ski Mountaineering Competitions met at the Plenary Assembly, which is the decision-making body of the ISMC. Lluís López Leiro was elected President, and takes over from Jordi Colomer who stepped down after eight years of leadership. Josep Castellet was elected new Secretary General.