91st UIM General Assembly, Beirut, Lebanon
The 91st UIM General Assembly, Beirut, Lebanon
The 91st UIM General Assembly chaired by President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli and Secretary General Thomas Kurth assembled close to 100 National Federation delegates who had travelled from around the world to the Lebanese capital. Over seven days the members of the UIM Council, the Executive Committee and the International Commissions, Committees and Working Groups reviewed the 2018 season’s international racing activities, elaborated the changes to be implemented in view of the new season and finalized the 2019 international racing calendar.
One of the highlights of the week was the visit of the brand new LMF-UIM Youth Training Centre which had been inaugurated a few months ago in Jounieh by UIM President Dr.Raffaele Chiulli and the President of the Lebanese Motorboat Federation, Admiral Edmond Chaghoury. On this occasion the Chairman of the UIM Youth Development
Programme, John Puddifoot presented local instructors and young trainees who had completed the UIM Propstars Courses in the Aquabike discipline with the corresponding Certificates. The UIM President said: “The UIM Propstars Academy in Lebanon is another important milestone on our way to establish UIM training and coaching platforms worldwide, attracting new generations and aiming at building a better world by educating through sport, by promoting participation, good governance, integrity and social inclusion.”
The 91st UIM General Assembly welcomed a series of new UIM Members among which, with provisional status, the British Powerboat Association (BPBA), as from 1st Jan. 2019. Northern Ireland was granted full UIM Membership as from 1st Jan. 2019, while the UIM Membership provisionally granted earlier before to Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and the Hungarian Jetski Federation was ratified by the UIM General Assembly with immediate effect.
Elections and Appointments
A significant part of the 91st UIM General Assembly was reserved for elections which produced the following results:
UIM COUNCIL:
Jean-Marc Giraldi (MON, reelected), Christer Gustafsson
(SWE, reelected and confirmed as UIM Treasurer), Jean-Marie Van
Lancker (BEL, reelected), Li Ruilin (CHN, new member)
UIM International Commissions:
(positions available for the remaining two years of the 2016-2020 period)
▪ COMINSPORT: Stuart Halley (USA)
▪ COMINOFF: Jeff Broman (USA), Federico Jorge Silva (POR)
▪ COMINSAFE: Gil Manuel Bras Pedroso (POR)
▪ COMINTECH: Jeff Broman (USA)
▪ PLEASURE NAVIGATION: Paul Micalef (MAL), Joaquim Amândio
Santos (POR)
UIM Committees:
▪ Formula Future: Petr Pylaev (Chairmanship mandate extended by UIM Council until 2020)
▪ Formula 1: Jeff Broman (USA, appointed by UIM Council as engine manufacturer representative until 2020)
The UIM Council appointed Luis Miguel Ribeiro (POR) as Chairman of the Formula 1 Committee, to take over from Fred Hauenstein (USA) for the two remaining years of the 2016-2020 period, while the President of the Lebanese Powerboat Federation, Admiral Edmond Chaghoury, was appointed Diplomatic Advisor to the UIM President.
The 91st UIM General Assembly also saw longstanding UIM Council Member and UIM official in many functions, as well as still active powerboat racer Fred Hauenstein from the USA being awarded with the “UIM Medal of Honour for the Work”, the highest distinction the UIM Council can confer for outstanding merits in the International Powerboat Sport.
The same “UIM Medal of Honour for the Work” was conferred posthumously to late Daniel Dehaemers, in recognition of his unwavering dedication and contribution to the Powerboating Sport.
