Report o f the ISOH Quadrennial Meeting

Report o f the ISOH Quadrennial Meeting August 9th 2008, Beijing Sport University Attending were: Karl Lennartz (President); David Wallechinsky (Vice-president); Anthony Th. Bijkerk (Secretary-general); John Grasso (treasurer); Richard Pound (CAN, IOC-member); Harry Gordon (AUS); Dr Stephan Wassong (GBR); Dr Richard Cashman (AUS); Dr Ian Henry (GBR); Prof Susan Brownell (USA); Prof Heather Reid (USA); Dr Otto Schantz (GER); Klaus Fink (GER); Volker Kluge (GER); Dr. Steven Ungerleider (USA); Ms Parissa Williams (Malaysia); Prof Kristine Toohey (AUS); Bud Kling (USA); Jim Goddard (USA); Sid Marantz (USA); James Loucky (USA); Prof Dr Norbert Müller (GER); Prof Pál Hencsei (HUN); Honorary Member Fékrou Kidane (FRA); Guests: Hai Ren (Director of the Beijing Sport University); Mrs Zhou Jin (Foreign Affairs Office; Beijing Sport University); Ms Wang Fang (Foreign Affairs Office; Beijing Sport University); Mrs Ingrid Lennartz (GER); Mrs Annette Wassong (GBR); Steven Grasso (USA); Mrs Müller (GER); Joe Weisser (USA), Philippe Blanchard (SUI). 1. Opening of the Quadrennial Meeting 2008 At 10:10 ISOH-President Lennartz opened the meeting with the request to stand up for the playing of the Olympic Hymn; then he spoke a special word of welcome to Dick Pound, who, on request from IOC- President Jacques Rogge, represented the IOC at this meeting. Dick Pound then came forward and presented the International Society of Olympic Historians with the Olympic Torch from Beijing on behalf of the IOC! Dr Lennartz also welcomed the President of the Beijing Sport University, who in turn heartily welcomed the members of the ISOH in his University. He expressed the hospitality of the University and wished the Society a pleasant and successful meeting. (The President of the University left the meeting). Then followed a further welcome to other guests: Prof Hai Ren, director of the Sport University, Mr Philippe Blanchard, head of the Information Department from the IOC; Mr Fékrou Kidane, honorary member of the ISOH and of course all the attending members of the ISOH and their guests. He then handed over the chair to the Secretary- General, who would further act as moderator for the rest of the meeting. 2. In memoriam The Secretary-General then mentioned the ten ISOH members who had passed away in the period of the past four years 2004-2008. These were: Prof Joanna Davenport (USA); John Anker Idom (DEN); Kevin John Berry (AUS); Prof Yuri Pavlovich Simakov (RUS); Prof Yuri Chernetski (RUS); Cüneyt Koryürek (TUR); Alan Carter (GBR); one of our latest members Steve Parry (GBR); Charles Gary Allison (USA) and last but not least ISOH s Founding President Ian Buchanan (GBR). He asked for a moment of silence. J o u rn a l o f Olym pic H is to ry 1 6 (D e c em b e r 2 0 0 8 )N u m b e r 3

David Wailechinsky Dick Pound Fékrou Kidane Hai Ren 3. Apologies of Absence. Mr. Bijkerk mentioned that 45 members had sent him apologies of absence; many of them included a message of support for the work of the ISOH and a wish for a successful meeting. 4. Approval of the minutes from the Quadrennial Meeting, held in Pireaus, Greece, on August 15, 2004 [See: Journal o f Olympic History, Volume 12, #3, October 2004], Since no-one had any remarks about the minutes of the Quadrennial Meeting held in Pireaus, Greece, on August 15, 2004, the minutes were duly approved. 5. Report from the President: The President then read his report over the past four years as follows: After my election to the Presidency of the ISOH, I opted for the following commitments: 1. Making contacts with the ISOH-Membership 2. Close cooperation with the Executive Committee 3. Working together for publishing the Journal 4. Cooperation with the IOC and other organisations 5. Participation in events with an Olympic subject 6. Presentation of the Awards. Most of my experiences over the past four years have been published in the Messages from the President in the Journal. With regard to my commitments: 1. As far as birthdates were available, I send birthday greetings to all members and enclosed a small gift; like for instance a text from Pierre de Coubertin. Many times this resulted in a further letter exchange. Many members wrote to me with questions, which I tried to answer, as far as was possible. For my own publications, I also received much information from our members! 2. The cooperation with the members of the Executive Committee was excellent. In my opinion, an executive committee should meet whenever possible. We have had two meetings; one during the session of the ISHPES in Cologne in 2005 and one in Olympia in 2006. Both times, only four members of the Committee could attend. During the session in Olympia we decided, among other things, about establishing the Vikelas plaque. 3. Having been elected President, I decided to resign as editor of the Journal. In Stephan Wassong we found an excellent replacement and in Thomas Zawadzki, later followed by Benjamin Coester, technicians who did a very fine job in the lay-out of the Journal. After my resignation as editor, I remained on as co-editor and organised via the sport university Cologne the mailing of the Journal. 4. A milestone was the acknowledgement by the IOC as a recognised organisation. We had two meetings with President Jacques Rogge. Philippe Blanchard requested us to check the IOC website on the correctness of the historical contents. Together with Tony Bijkerk and many other members we worked for many hours on a document showing our comments. We hope that they will finally accept our proposals. During the meeting of the Executive committee in Olympia we decided to start working on the possible publication of the History of the Olympic Games. For that we would need financial support by the IOC. As a first draft, we started on a document showing the history of the Xth Olympiad (1928-1932; Lake Placid and Los Angeles). During our last meeting with President Rogge in February 2008, we presented our views and handed him a copy of our 1932 draft. During the same meeting, we also proposed to enlarge the circulation of the Journal from 500 to approximately 1000-1200 copies, in order that all IOC-members, all NOC s and all International Federations would receive a copy. No decision has been taken as yet. We closely cooperated with many other Olympic and sport historical organisations. 5. As ISOH President I was able, together with Tony 6 2 J o u r n a l o f Olympic H is to ry 1 6 (D e c em b e r 2 0 0 8 )N u m b e r 3

Bijkerk, to visit the Olympic Games in Athens and Turin as a guest of the IOC. As far as possible, I also participated in many events which had an Olympic subject; also giving several lectures. In my messages I informed our members about these travels. To avoid misunderstanding: the ISOH did not pay any costs! 6. Another milestone in our work was the conversion of Bill Mallon s proposal to present several awards into reality. The ISOH Award 2005 went to Dick Pound; 2006 to Harry Gordon; 2007 to John Lucas and David Young. As stated in point 2, we decided in 2006 to establish the Vikelas Plaque to be presented to valuable Olympic historians. In 2007, we presented this award in Greece to Georgios Dolianitis, Thanassis Tarassouleas and Kostas Georgiadis; and in early March 2008 in London to Don Anthony, Stan Greenberg, Peter Lovesey and Philip Barker. Several members have left us forever in the past four years. ISOH sustained a very heavy loss in April 2008 with the death of Ian Buchanan. We will remember them all in our memory! A president alone is nothing without a good team around him. I want to thank all members of the Executive Committee and the editorial team producing the Journal. I have been a president many times, both for sporting and political organisations. Results can only be obtained when one can count on a good secretary-general, treasurer, vice-president and members of the Committee. I especially developed a close reliable friendship with Tony Bijkerk. Now the members have elected a new Executive Committee with me again as its president. I am quite sure that with the new team, for the greater part the old one, I can work for better results for our Society. From this position, I want to thank Bob Barney and Bruce Kidd for their contributions in the Executive Committee 2004-2008! 6. Report from the Secretary-General over the ISOH Membership over the period 2004-2008. The Secretary-General started his report with two incoming messages: a. an e-mail letter received from the International Olympic Academy, expressing their deep appreciation for the support received from the ISOH (and some other organizations) for replanting the premises of the Academy b. an e-mail from Mrs Jeanne Buchanan, widow from our past president, expressing her appreciation for the tribute ISOH had paid to its former founding president in the Journal of Olympic History, Volume 16, number 2, July 2008. He then read his report about the ISOH membership over the past four years; as follows: At the Quadrennial Meeting in Pireaus, Greece, on August 15, 2004, ISOH had a total of 325 members. There were 6 Honorary Members, 284 Full Members and 36 Patron Members; during the meeting the number for Honorary Members was increased by one by the nomination of Bill Mallon. During the remaining period of 2004 and in 2005, ISOH gained 24 new Full Members and 1 student member, but lost 2 Full Members by death and 2 Full Members by resignation; 2 Patron Members resigned. Because of negligence in paying the subscription over the past two years 7 Full Members were deleted from membership. In 2006, 23 new Full Members joined ISOH; 5 resigned; and 3 were deleted from membership. Three new Patron Members joined ISOH and 3 resigned. In 2007 your Secretary-General was nominated Honorary Member. The Full Membership increased with 26; while we lost 3 by death and 6 through resignation. Two new Patron Members joined ISOH during this year Up to this moment in 2008, ISOH gained another 17 new Full Members; but lost 4 by death, including Honorary Member Ian Buchanan and 3 by resignation. Two new Patron Members joined ISOH. The current membership therefore consists of: 6 Honorary Members; 339 Full Members, 38 Patron Members and 9 Student Members; making the total membership 392, which means a twenty plus percent increase in four years. He finally ends with the message that since his message was drafted and finalised three new members have joined the Society so that ISOH is now really nearing the figure of 400 members. Norbert Müller Otto Schantz Harry Gordon Ian Henry J o u rn a l o f O lym pic H is to ry 1 6(D e cem b er 2 0 0 8 )N u m b e r 3 6 3

Steven Ungerleider Susan Brownell Philippe Blanchard Richard Cashman 7. Report of the Secretary-General about the elections for the Executive Committee 2008-2012. Because many of the overseas members have not yet received the latest issue of the Journal of the Journal of Olympic History (Volume 16, #2, July 2008), in which he published the full report on the elections of the Executive Committee 2008-2012, the Secretary-General decided to read the report before the meeting. 8. Proposed Changes in the ISOH Constitution: The Secretary-General announced that this point will be re-discussed within the new Executive Committee, because although the proposed change of Article 5 was almost unanimously adopted; the second proposed change (proposed by ISOH member Elizabeth Hanley) received many negative votes. 9. Report from the Treasurer: During the period from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2007, the ISOH bank account has grown from $67,544.98 to $76,727.61, a 13.5 % increase. In addition to enlarging our Journal of Olympic History, we have also implemented a scholarship (recently renamed the Ian Buchanan Memorial Scholarship), for a deserving student of Olympic history and we have instituted several ISOH awards for excellence in Olympic writing. One of the reasons we have been able to enact these awards has been the generosity of the IOC. Thanks to the efforts of Dick Pound, our liaison with them, as well as our President, Karl Lennartz, and Secretary-General Tony Bijkerk, we have been receiving a substantial annual stipend (which the IOC refers to as a subvention ).. Consequently, we have been able to retain our dues structure at a modest $25 per year - with discounts for prepayment making the annual payment for many even less than $25. Unfortunately, due to the decline of the US Dollar in relation to the Euro, we will probably have to raise the dues slightly beginning next year. Item #11 on our agenda, to be discussed later, will concern this issue. The main reason is that most of our dues are collected in US Dollars, while most of our expenses are paid in Euros. Should this increase occur, I plan to remind members in early December 2008, of their dues obligations in order to provide them with the opportunity of renewing at the current rates. Since we implemented the system of accepting credit card payments, approximately 15 % of our members have used this method of payment. This has proven to be a convenient way to pay for members in countries whose currency is not the dollar, pound or euro. You might be interested to know that nearly 20 % of our members are Lifetime members, Their dues have been set aside into an interest-bearing Certificate of Deposit to ensure that our Organization will be best able to continue to operate in the black. As we are an Organization Exempt from Income Tax under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, one of my duties as Treasurer has been the annual filing of the 10 page IRS Short Form 990-EZ. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. These means that should you wish to make a donation to ISOH (as have some members) it will be fully tax-deductible. In conclusion, I would like to thank the membership for re-electing me (even if I did run unopposed), and like to thank Karl, David and especially Tony, for their assistance during the past four years. I have enjoyed meeting many of our members during this time and am looking forward to the continued success of our organization. 10. Report by the Editor of the Journal of Olympic History. Editor Stephan Wassong reports that since he took over from Karl Lennartz he has been successful in obtaining many new articles for our magazine. As of now, there are constantly enough articles available to fill two complete issues. He urges the membership to continue sending him good articles. Dick Pound asks what ISOH s policy is with regard to having a balance between the more scientific/academic articles and those with a more general approach. Wassong answers that the Journal is available for both kinds of authors but that we should retain our current policy, which means that also our non-academic members should feel at home with our publications. We will try to serve two masters! 6 4 J o u r n a l o f Olym pic H is to ry 1 6(D e cem ber 2 0 0 8 )N u m b e r 3

ll. Proposal from the Executive Committee to change the subscriptions for ISOH Membership, starting January 1, 2009 The treasurer reads this document before the attending members: The weakened US Dollar versus the Euro has presented us with a dilemma. The majority of our expenses (87 % in 2007) are paid in Euros, while only 29 % of our dues are received in Euros. An additional 23 % are collected in pounds and 48 % are collected in US Dollars. In addition, nearly all other income is received in US Dollars - advertising fees, licensing fees and miscellaneous income (caps, extra Journals, etc.). The present rate structure values the US Dollar at.6 pound and at.9 euro, while the current conversion rates are closer to.5 pound and.6 euro. The Executive Committee now proposes that we adjust our dues to more closely reflect the present world currency situation. We can do this while retaining the current Euro membership fees and adjusting the two other currencies to reflect as close as possible the present currency exchange rate. For ease in accounting we should round up to whole dollars, euros and pounds. In addition, we should also provide a 20 % discount for seniors (65 and over) and students (25 and under) and review our rate structure annually. This proposal is adopted by the (attending) membership. Mrs Kristine Toohey (AUS) would like to know if ISOH can mean something for the under-developed countries. The Secretary-General points out that during a meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge in February, ISOH proposed the IOC to enlarge the number of ISOH Journals to be printed each time, from 500 to approximately 1200-1300 copies, in order to make a mailing to all National Olympic Committees, all IOC members and all International Federations possible. This proposal is in study at the IOC. Honorary Member Fékrou Kidane suggests making use of Olympic Solidarity in this respect. 12. Planning for the period 2008-2012. The ISOH President points out that next year an Olympic Congress will be organised in Copenhagen, Denmark. The planning is that this XHIth Olympic Congress will be held from October 3-5, 2009; while on October 1 and 2, 7-9, 2009 the 121st Session of the IOC will be organised in the same place. It might be possible to organise a special ISOH-Congress about the history of the previous Olympic Congresses. This needs to be discussed within the new Executive Committee and other possible partners. Upon a request from one of the attending members, David Wallechinsky answers that many years ago the idea was vented by him to start an Oral History -project within the ISOH. Sofar only a few persons/countries have taken up the challenge. The Secretary-General informs that the planning for a new ISOH Directory is underway for publishing in early 2009. Many ISOH members have not yet responded to the request to forward any changes in their personal information to him. Another item on hand will be the making of a CD/ DVD with all the articles (contents) published by the International Society o f Olympic Historians in the magazine Citius, Altius, Fortius, later renamed Journal o f Olympic History over the past sixteen years. 13. Any other business. Jim Goddard mentions that in the first week of March 2009, a SPORTACCORD meeting will be organised in Denver, Colorado. He is chairman and would like to invite members to come and help as volunteers. Prof. Norbert Müller wishes to express the thanks of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee to Mr. Hai Ren of the Beijing Sport University for assisting to the translation of Pierre de Coubertin s writings in Chinese. 14. Presentation of the ISOH Award 2008 for lifetime dedication to Volker Kluge (GER) See separate document. 15. Closure of the Quadrennial Meeting Around 12:00, ISOH President Karl Lennartz closes the meeting and requests all attending members and guests to go outside for an official photograph. Beijing, 14 August 2008. Anthony Th. Bijkerk The President of the Beijing Sport University during his address J o u rn a l o f O lym pic H is to r y 1 6 (D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8 )N u m b e r 3 6 5