DSN Mar 2021

Dragon Sport News - Emagazine “An Independent Voice for Dragon Boat Sport” March 2021 Edition
The 30 th Anniversary of the IDBF in Hong Kong, will also be marked by the IDBF Members Congress, the
Eighteenth to be held since the IDBF Founding Members formally adopted the IDBF Statutes in 1991. The Statutes
are based on those of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and were compliled by Bob Wilson, the first IDBF
President.
The Statues are the ‘blue-print’ for the IDBF, as an
International Sports Federation and detail how the IDBF
is to be organised and governed.
They are designed to give the IDBF Members (National
Dragon Boat Organisations), through the IDBF
Congress, the ultimate authority over the IDBF’s
governance and its representation with other
international sports federations and organisations.
Internally, under the Statutes, the Sport is governed
on behalf of the IDBF Members by an IDBF Council,
who are individuals elected by the Members at a biannual
IDBF Congress, for a 4 year term of office.
These individuals are the IDBF President, Vice-
Presidents’, Secretary-General, Treasurer (all of whom
may serve for three consecutive terms of office) and the
Chair-holders of the various IDBF Commissions, such
as Competition, Technical, Medical, Media, etc, etc.
The Council also consists of representatives of the
Continental Federations, such as the ADBF and EDBF.
From the elected members of the Council, there is
an Executive Committee of management, headed by
the IDBF President, who with the Secretray-General,
Treasurer and the IDBF Vice-Presidents’ are
responsible for the ‘day to day’ running and business
matters of the IDBF.
TALKING POINT 1.
IDBF ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 2021, HONG KONG
Within the Executive there is a Finance Committee,
responsible for supervising the financial matters of the
Federation, consisting ot the President, Senior Vice-
President, Secretary-General and the Treasurer.
The Council is ultimately responsible for bringing
forward to each IDBF Congress any development
projects, legislation and governance matters for
discussion and ratification or rejection, by the IDBF
Members, thus completing the governance circle.
Over the years this system has worked well and the
Statutes amended to reflect the Sport’s devlopment. In
recent times the IDBF Executive Committee has
increased in numbers and started to take on a more
policy making role, in addition to its management role
and conversely, the IDBF Council as a whole, has
become less directly involved in the governance of the
IDBF or influencial.
At the 2021 Members’s Congress the five IDBF Vice-
Presidents’ and the Secretary-General, are due for
election to the Council and will form over 50% of the
Executive Committee. Therefore, given the Executive’s
incresed size and role, it is important for the IDBF
Members to know who those holding these positions,
pictured below are and what they have done or plan to
do for the Federation, over the next four years. So why
not ask them, at their email addresses’ shown below.
The retiring Vice-Presidents’ are Raymond Ma (Hong Kong), Matt Smith (Canada); both first elected in 2013 and
Julie Doyle (Ireland); Peter Jarosi (Hungary) both first elected in 2017. All four are eligible for re-elction, if so
nominated. The IDBF Secretary-General, Peter Tang, also retires in 2021 and is eligible for re-election.
1 st Vice-President. 2 nd Vice-President 3 rd Vice-President 4 th Vice-President Secretary-General
docray@gmail.com
matt.smith@idbf.org julie.doyle@dragonboat.sport jarosi@sarkanyhajo.hu general-secretary@idbf.org
The Chair-holders of the following IDBF Commissions are eligible for re-election too at the 2021 Congress.
Athletes, Sue Holloway (Canada); Womens, Ellen Law (USA); Youth, Patrick Cosgrove (Great Britain)
Para Dragons, Nigel Bedford (Great Britain) and Sport for All, Commissions, Tom Joseph (India).
chair-athletes@idbf.org. ellenlaw@yahoo.com chair-youth@idbf.org chair-para@idbf.org techchairmandbf@gmail.com
Dragon Boating. " More than a Sport – a Tradition " 6.