In the weekend,of June 21-22 at the seminar initiated by the French Judo Federation and INAS-FID, Mr Negrino denies the possibility of co-operation between INAS-FID and the EJU. Mr Jacques de la Taille, Responsable de la CNJPH (Special Needs France) opened the seminar with a lecture about co-operation and working together on European level. Later, at the seminar Mr Ben van der Eng, coordinator of Special Needs Judo in EJU, asked Mr Geoff Smedley, president of INAS-FID Europe, about in which way INAS-FID was planning to co-operate with EJU and the other sport organizations for disabled. Since Mr Smedley is not a Judo-specialist he let Mr Denis Negrino to answer that question.
According to Mr Negrino INAD-FID is the only legal organization that is allowed to organize International Championships for people with an Intellectual disability. Mr Negrino stated that IPC has given, by contract, INAS-FID the sole right to organize competitions at elite-level. And that it should be the same all over the world. Tomas Rundqvist, chairman of the Commission of Special Needs in Sweden, said that of course INAS-FID knows all about the disability, but EJU and the National Judo Federations knows everything about Judo and that it should be a co-operation between the two organizations, and of course the other organizations, like IBSA and CISS.
Mr Negrino answered that there was no possibility to co-operate according to legal matters, like insurances and so on. Mr Negrino denies the fact that other Judo-federations are working through their National Disability Sport Federations, who are also members of INAS-FID. But contrary to the French situation, most National judo federations in Europe, have adopted the thought of normalization, by including their disabled members into their National Federations. They have worked together for the last 15 years and have build an international network including camps, competitions, education for coaches and referees. The last yearly international gathering was in Beverwijk, in Holland.
In 4 days over 550 judokas enjoyed clinics by top-judokas, social programs and of course a competition.
The policy of EJU is to be an organization for all judokas in Europe and will continue to work and co-operate with all organizations, that works for the benefit for all judoka.
Hopefully INAS-FID respect and adopt that philosophy.
Bordeaux, June 23 2008
Ben van der Eng and Tomas Rundqvist
More information over orgenizational intergration here
