IDSF IS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE
Press Release 03/2007 February 20, 2007

The International DanceSport Federation (IDSF) is just that – an International Sports Federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and which has as one of our goals the growth and development of DanceSport as a sport worldwide.

In 1997 during our Paris AGM, IDSF adopted a policy which clearly explained our position about the democratic sports principles and philosophies which are the basis for our growth and development. At this time, IDSF also made it clear to the world that we would not regard ourselves as a “professional “or “amateur” Federation but an International Sports Federation. As an International Sports Federation, it is our duty and responsibility to represent all of the DanceSport world including competitors, adjudicators, officials, trainers and administrators.

The suggestion that the World Dance Council (WDC) represents “professionals” and IDSF represents “amateurs” is quite frankly outdated in the sporting world, the IOC and DanceSport. Change is constant in today’s world and change is necessary or we would still be travelling by horse.

Let us highlight some significant events in recent years which confirm that the former “General Agreement” between IDSF and WDC was not in existence. One of these events was on 25th January, 2004 in Kiev, Ukraine, where a number of prominent professionals including Donnie Burns, Stanislav Popov and Leonid Pletnev, signed the first “agreement of mutual understanding and co-operation” with a federation called IDU. Not only was this provocative to IDSF, but it would have been a clear breach of the “General Agreement” if it had existed.

In October 2005, at the Zurich meeting between IDSF and WDC, it was made very clear by IDSF that the “General Agreement” had been repudiated and flaunted by WDC and IDSF over many years. As a consequence, it was not logical to suggest that such an agreement existed. We are confident that Mr Burns, Mr. Bijster and Mr Popov will remember these discussions.

Another of these events occurred in 2006, when the WDDSC issued a press release signed by Donnie Burns. The press release provided support to another federation called IDSA. This certainly would not have been possible if the “General Agreement” existed.

During the last two years, WDC has directly or indirectly supported, promoted or even tried to influence in some countries the creation of new IDU federations such as South Africa. Surely, these actions would not have been possible if the “General Agreement” still existed.
Despite all these actions which were targeted at undermining IDSF, we did not react. In fact, we continued to treat WDC with great respect and exercised significant restraint.

As an International Sports Federation, IDSF (formerly ICAD) has over decades sought to engage WDC. In 2002, IDSF proposed its “best” offer to WDC to unify to create a peak body based on democratic sports principles and philosophies. As part of this process, the 2002 IDSF AGM overwhelmingly supported this “Zurich Memorandum” without qualification. However, the WDC (formerly WDDSC) AGM did not vote on the proposal and did not act on it. Therefore, IDSF has pursued its own strategy to fulfil its obligations.

In Mr Burns’ December 7th, 2006 press release, he invited IDSF to join a new “amateur commission” within WDC. How can one accept this “offer” and at the same time say that WDC is interested in agreeing to a common pathway when the WDC membership has refused to make a decision on the “Zurich Memorandum”? WDC has accepted that the “General Agreement” is dead.

There are many professionals who wish to work with IDSF, but their interests are being stifled by a body which is not based on sports principles and philosophies and does not appear to want to adopt, implement, and adhere to the IOC and WADA Anti-Doping Codes.

The International Professional DanceSport Council (IPDSC) was created as a separate legal entity in December, 2006 in Rome and supported by IDSF. IPDSC fills the gap which WDC refused to fill for IDSF in developing DanceSport as a sport. The IPDSC is supported by a significant group of professionals who like IDSF have been unable to work with WDC to make progress for DanceSport. These professionals wanted an organisation to look after the interests of professional competitors and to work with IDSF in developing the sport.

The WDC says it wants a “free market for everybody”, but with the establishment of IPDSC this has now changed. It appears that the WDC idea of a “free market” was a “one-way street” where WDC could support unrecognised IDU and IDSA “amateur federations” but IDSF has somehow created a problem because we assisted to create and support IPDSC.

IPDSC is also prepared to work with IDSF to develop DanceSport. IDSF will consider IPDSC as the vehicle for professional competitors and competitions. As the sole IOC Recognised International Sports Federation for DanceSport, IDSF is free to accept all athletes and all organisations to assist the development and growth of DanceSport.

IDSF’s support for IPDSC is based on a motion supported by the overwhelming majority of our members at the 2006 AGM in Wels.

In our opinion, WDC is moving more toward Art and IDSF continues to move more toward Sports. We do not believe that there is any problem or inconsistency with WDC and IDSF developing as they wish.

IDSF does not want disagreements with WDC. All we want is to develop DanceSport to fulfil our obligations and responsibilities as an Internationally Recognised Sports Federation. WDC can develop the Art as they wish. It is extremely difficult to move in these two directions at the same time. Therefore, each body should develop as they wish without seeking to waste members’ valuable resources.

IDSF still wants to cooperate with WDC and as a sign of good faith, we are prepared to form a joint “working group“ to discuss, as a first step, the topics of a common adjudication system. If WDC is not prepared to work with us, then this work will only be developed with the assistance of the IPDSC and the International DanceSport Trainers and Judges Association (IDTJA) based in Monaco. We believe that if WDC decides to cooperate, we could all work together while allowing for the separate development of each body.

Eventually, if a common pathway is ever going to become possible, we need to make sure that WDC understands where IDSF stands, where we are going and why we are going there. IDSF has no secret agenda and no secret plans. IDSF has been very open and transparent for many years - we are just working to develop and grow DanceSport as a “Sport for All”.

For further information and all of IDSF’s press releases please refer to our website located at www.idsf.net