Gay Games
Wrestling
Report
Anne Clarkes
Recreation Centre
Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW,
Australia
3-4 November 2002
by Gene Dermody,
Federation Sports Coordinator
for Wrestling
Gay Games, and have been involved at some level within the Federation since
1992. It was the ‘almost-fiasco’ of the 1990 Vancouver Gay Games III
Wrestling that propelled me to join the Federation and found Wrestlers WithOut
Borders (WWB), which is now a Director Organization of the Federation. I
also apologize that this report is so heavy on jpgs from Golden Gate Wrestling
(GGWC). I wish I had more pictures to pick from.
wrestling tournament since 1982 has had its positives and negatives, and it has been a struggle with the Federation and especially the
host cities to get them to not only understand the complexities and requirements of the sport, but to incorporate the mission and spirit
of the Gay Games into what can be an elite and intimidating sport. In short there is too often a lack of respect for the wrestlers and
the sport itself. The host city organizers are all too quick to capitalize on the stereotypical ‘eye-candy’ when it suits them, but notably
ignorant, and even obstructive, when it comes to addressing the issues of licensing, insurance, accreditation, rule modifications,
appropriate media coverage, and sanctioning. However with that said.….
the Sydney 2002 Wrestling Working
Group (SWWG) headed by Peter
Verey and Kurt Brinschwitz, these
issues were well handled. Gay
Games VI Wrestling will be
remembered as the tournament that
finally solved (almost) all of the
problems and set the future standard.
Peter’s experience working with the
Sydney 2000 Olympics (SOCOG)
Wrestling was invaluable and paid off.
Federation's Gene Dermody finally relax.
I are still good friends, and that we would all do it again in a heartbeat. If there was ever a formula for a successful international
wrestling tournament, this was it. Wrestlers WithOut Borders (WWB) intends to publish a tournament pamphlet that
incorporates the lessons learned. The wrestling was competitive, inclusive, and proud. But most of all it was FUN!
early, they -added- to the very positive and professional
atmosphere of the tournament by doing more than just
what was required. Larry Papadopolous and his wife
Aly, owners of the “Boxing Works” on Castlereigh, let
us workout and weigh ourselves all week. They also
hosted the wrestler’s party, and did a lot of the
tournament paperwork. New South Wales Wrestling’s
(NSWW) support was crucial, especially Don Brown
and the mat officials. Australian Olympian Leonard
Zaslavsky’s program for the novices on Sunday was
brilliant, as it inspired many of the elite/experienced
wrestlers to pitch in and help out with the coaching.
The Sunday novices program added an element of
camaraderie and fun to the event that took the ‘edge’ off
of the Monday tournament. Coach Brendan O’Shea,
organizer Barry Webb, and the other wrestlers of the
Harbor City WC (HCWC): Andy Quan, Gilbert
Gundersen, and Neil Bowyer, were gracious hosts and
tough wrestlers.
Maya Feigleman (Sydney) Alex Ostrovskiy (San Francisco)
Sam Feigleman (Sydney)
is a long term friend and family affair. Alex Ostrovskiy came all the
way from San Francisco to be one of the mat officials. All three are
in their ‘70’s. Sam and Alex first met in Belorus in 1948, and both
wrestled for Russia (CCCP) back in the’50s. Alex went on to
become a CCCP military champ, and a highly rated FILA official.
Sam and Maya are officials with New South Wales Wrestling
(NSWW).
Alex brought with him to Sydney a beautiful gold and jewel encrusted
dagger (really a 16 inch scimitar) with tassels that he had won at a
tournament in Dagestan-Chechneya back in the ‘50’s (it sure beats a
participation medal!). It was to be a gift for Sam. It caused a bit of a
problem with Australian security and customs, but it was so beautiful
(and the edge so dull), that it was waived through as an antique.
more spacious 'Official Olympic Wrestling Facility' at Olympic
Park to the more modest Anne Clarke Recreation Centre when
budgets became tight. Wrestling registration was then closed
in August of 2002 when the numbers reached near capacity
for a two mat/one day venue (130). The Monday session
tickets were sold out by mid October. The tickets may have
been oversold, but the stands were only 75% full. Go figure.
But these were all good omens. But since the 9-11 and Bali
terrorist strikes, there were worries that there would be a huge
drop off in the number of wrestlers exceeding the usual 15%
registered no-show statistic of Gay Games. But the number of
no-shows was more like 10%, and they were reasonably
accounted for by current injuries, disqualifications, bad
registrations, and missed flights.
By the end of the formal weigh-ins on Sunday evening, it was
obvious we were in for a spectacular tournament. The pools
looked very competitive, and there was an air of excitement
among the wrestlers and the officials.
The tournament had many exciting matches, and it is a
testament to the Gay Games that it attracts the caliber of
wrestler with such elite school/tournament experience.
‘butterflies’ and were initiated into the wrestling family later in life. These are the ‘true achievers’, the athletes for whom the
Gay Games were really intended. It is those matches that I find most rewarding.
The lack of injuries was major plus, and that can be credited to the Sunday ‘warm-up’ sessions, the officials’ rules clinic, and
the general good feelings/lack of stress that was fostered by the organizers. LEP’s Stephan Lemire’s neck injury was probably
the worst injury, but he was out celebrating the next day, spinning that neck on Oxford like the rest of us.
impressed me the most. They were very well coached, in great shape, perfect
gentlemen, a diverse mix of ages and experience, and a real team with NO Prima
Donnas! I expect that Gay Games VII Montreal 2006 will showcase a
powerhouse LEP team.
The Sydney volunteers were superb. After personally seeing how well they were
trained for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it was to be expected. They managed to
control access, secure areas, assist with injuries, assist with deaf signing,
translate into French & German, and keep the ‘enthusiasm’ at mat side from
escalating.
My personal favorite was the beefy blond volunteer Geoff with the goatee who
guarded the locker room and ‘checked our credentials'. He did a no-nonsense
ejection of the 'apprentice' reporter from The Australian (Jonathan Moran),
who tried to get into the locker room with a camcorder when no one would
answer his aggressive questions about ‘homoeroticism in the competition'.
technique and artistry: both low body fat, muscular, similar styles, and stunningly handsome. Where was MichaelAngelo when
we needed him to capture those two in marble? We will just have to settle for the DVD.
The decision by some of the 'Novices' to compete in the Monday tournament is another major plus that needs mentioning:
Congratulations to David Jablonowski et al for ‘moving on up’ and doing their ‘personal best’. It takes real courage to compete
in the tough 74kg Open Division as a true ‘Novice’, and you have now been properly ‘initiated’.
Stuttgart’s Manfred Molt was one impressive wrestler in the 74kg Masters PoolA, and was the top point scorer for the entire
tournament. In fact if you combine the performances of Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin as a ‘Team Germany’, combine the
performances of Germany, France, and Belgium as ‘Team Europe’, and combine the performances of Montreal and Vancouver
as a ‘Team Canada’, the ‘National’ results show the international appeal of wrestling.
Statistics:
Place Acronym Team City State/Nation Points
01. GGWC GoldenGate San Francisco CA USA 6/2/3=25
02. METRO METRO NYC NY USA 4/2/4=20
03. LEP LutteEnPrise Montreal QE CAN 2/1/1=09
04. HCWC HarborCity Sydney NSW AUS 0/3/1=07
05. LGWC LionsGate Vancouver BC CAN 1/1/0=05
05. ASV AbseitzSportsVerein Stuttgart GER EU 1/1/0=05
06. SCWC SouthernCalifornia LosAngeles CA USA 1/0/1=04
07. FVV FrankfurtVolleyballVerein Frankfurt GER EU 0/1/1=03
08. PSWC PhiladelphiaSpartans Philadelphia PA USA 0/1/0=02
08. RMW RockyMountain Denver CO USA 0/0/2=02
08. TEWC TampaEagles Tampa FLA USA 0/1/0=02
08. AC ActiveCompany Antwerp BEL EU 0/1/0=02
08. BRG BerlinerRingenGruppe Berlin GER EU 0/1/0=02
08. SKWC SeattleKings Seattle WA USA 0/1/0=02
09. LP Lutte-Paris Paris FRA EU 0/0/1=01
10. TIG Tigertje Amsterdam NDL EU 0/0/0=00
USA
11/07/10=57
CANADA
03/02/01=14
EUROPE
01/04/02=13
GERMANY
01/03/01=10
AUSTRALIA
00/03/01=07
1. Double Elimination Pools – Any pool of wrestlers from 6-8 wrestlers, where 2 losses immediately disqualifies the wrestler
from being paired in the pool. As soon as there are 3 wrestlers left in a pool, the pool then reverts to Round Robin format,
with previously wrestled match scores ‘carried forward’.
2. Round Robin Pools – Any pool of wrestlers where every wrestler will wrestle every other wrestler. Pools of 1-5 wrestlers
will use Nordic Round Robin for initial pairing, and for the final 3 wrestlers of Double Elimination Pools.
3. BYE – In odd numbered pools, the unpaired wrestler is given a BYE, which has no points award associated with it. BYEs
are assigned from the bottom up in a bracket.
4. PIN - Won By Fall: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
5. TEC - Won By Technical Superiority (differential of 10 points of more): 4points to winner, 0 or 1 to loser (depending if
loser scored)
6. DEC - Won By Decision (differential of less than 10 points): 3points to winner, 0 or 1 to loser (depending if loser scored)
7. WBF - Won by Forfeit (no show): 4points to winner, 0 to loser
8. WBI - Won by Injury Default: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
9. WBD – Won by Disqualification: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
10. ‘(carry over)’ - occurs in Double Elimination brackets where a Round Robin is triggered, and wrestlers have already
previously wrestled. The previous scores are ‘carried over’ into the totals.
Place Name Division Team Points
1. Manfred Molt Men Masters 74kg PoolA ASV 20
2. GilbertKhoury Men Masters 84kg PoolA METRO 19
3. Calvin Malone Men Open 74kg PoolB GGWC 18
4. James Sterling Men Open 96kg unattach 18
5. Gene Dermody Men Masters 84kg PoolB GGWC 18
6. Mohammed Jamali Men Masters 74kg PoolB LGWC 18
7. David Wegner Men Masters 84kg PoolA PSWC 17
8. Scott Kochman Men Masters 96kg METRO 16
9. Bryan Northam Men Open 66kg GGWC 16
55 Normand Desjardins(LEP) Peter Verey(HCWC) Jose Caratini(GGWC)
60 Matt Carey(SCWC) Allen Ross(TEWC) Erich Richter(GGWC)
66 Johnny Almony(GGWC) Ewald Kentgens(BRG) James Castile(RMW)
74A Manfred Molt(ASV) Neil Bowyer(HCWC) Dave Pierce(RMW)
74B Mohammad Jamali(LGWC) Si Durney(GGWC) Stephan Lemire(LEP)
84A Gilbert Khoury(METRO) Dave Wegner(PSWC) Tony Tapia(GGWC)
84B Gene Dermody(GGWC) Denis Labelle(LEP) Mark Pfeiffer(METRO)
96 Scott Kochman(METRO) Victor Mees(AC) Terry Grossman(SCWC)
120 Tim Talent(unattach) John Ascher(GGWC)
60 Michael Ognibene(METRO) Rafael Rivera(SKWC) Oliver Ingremibiu(LP)
66 Bryan Northam(GGWC) Michael Faraci(METRO) Kris Landherr(METRO)
74A Benoit Deschenes(LEP) Michael Promny(ASV) Paul Andrews(HCWC)
74B Calvin Malone(GGWC) Roger Blenman(LGWC) Ronn Edwards(METRO)
84 Perry Biglen(unattach) Dion Brown(METRO) Alfred Tom(METRO)
96 James Sterling(unattach) James Estrella(unattach) Andreas Czerney(FVV)
120 Brad Taylor(GGWC) Dieter Uihlein(FVV)
66 Erika Hom(GGWC) Open 74 Joni Podesta(CA unattached) Masters
84 Jennifer Silverma (METRO) Masters 84 Sonia Lawless(HCWC) OPEN
55kg MEN Masters (Pool=3) Round Robin BYE
Round-1
Normand Desjardins (LEP) TEC Jose Caratini (GGWC) 11-0
Peter Verey (HCWC) BYE
Round-2
Normand Desjardins TEC Peter Verey 11-0
Jose Caratini BYE
Round-3
Peter Verey TEC Jose Caratini 10-0
Normand Desjardins BYE
Final Points
1. Normand Desjardins 4+4+0 = 8
2. Peter Verey 0+0+4 = 4
3. Jose Caratini 0+0+0 = 0
Round-1
Erich Richter (GGWC) PIN Michael LoFurno (PSWC)
Matt Carey (SCWC) PIN Allen Ross (TEWC)
Round-2
Matt Carey PIN Erich Richter
Allen Ross PIN Michael LoFurno
Round-3
Matt Carey PIN Michael LoFurno
Allen Ross PIN Erich Richter
Final Points
1. Matt Carey 4+4+4 = 12
2. Allen Ross 0+4+4 = 8
3. Erich Richter 4+0+0 = 4
<-----
60kg MEN Open (Pool=4) Round Robin No BYE
Round-1
Rafael Rivera (SKWC) PIN David Ranada (METRO)
Michael Ognibene (METRO) PIN Olivier Ingremibiu (LP)
Round-2
Olivier Ingremibiu PIN David Ranada
Michael Ognibene PIN Rafael Rivera
Round-3
Michael Ognibene PIN David Ranada
Rafael Rivera PIN Olivier Ingremibiu
Final Points
1. Michael Ognibene 4+4+4 = 12
2. Rafael Rivera 4+0+4 = 8
3. Olivier Ingremibiu 0+4+0 = 4
Round-1
Bryan Northam (GGWC) TEC
Michael Faraci (METRO) 13-3
Morris Wong (CAN unattached) PIN
Andy Quan (HCWC)
Kris Landherr(METRO) BYE
Round-2
Michael Faraci PIN Kris Landherr
Bryan Northam TEC Andy Quan 12-0
Morris Wong BYE
Round-3
Michael Faraci PIN Morris Wong
Bryan Northam TEC Kris Landherr 12-2
Andy Quan BYE
Round-4
Michael Faraci TEC Andy Quan 10-0
Kris Landherr PIN Morris Wong
Bryan Northam BYE
Bryan Northam TEC Morris Wong 12-2
Kris Landherr PIN Andy Quan
Michael Faraci BYE
<-----
Round-1
Ewald Kentgens (BRG) WBF Sandy DeRobertis (METRO)
Johnny Almony (GGWC) PIN James Castile (RMW)
Round-2
James Castile WBF Sandy DeRobertis
Johnny Almony PIN Ewald Kentgens
Round-3
Ewald Kentgens PIN James Castile
Johnny Almony WBF Sandy DeRobertis
Final Points
1. Johnny Almony 4+4+4 = 12
2. Ewald Kentgens 4+0=4 = 8
3. James Castile 0+4+0 = 4
----->
Round-1
Calvin Malone (GGWC) DEC Roger Blenman (LGWC) 11-2
Ronn Edwards (METRO) PIN Trevor Bently (UK)
Phillip Whaley (SKWC) PIN Stefan Fleischmann
(Wurzberg-GER unattach)
Round-2
Roger Blenman PIN Trevor Bently
Calvin Malone PIN Phillip Whaley
Ronn Edwards DEC Stefan Fleischmann 9-8
Round-3
Roger Blenman PIN Phillip Whaley
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Calvin Malone 3+4+4 = 11 Roger Blenman 1+4+4 = 9
<----- Ronn Edwards 4+3+0 = 7
Roger Blenman PIN Ronn Edwards
Calvin Malone DEC Roger Blenman 11-2 (carry over)
Calvin Malone PIN Ronn Edwards (carry over)
Final Points
1. Calvin Malone 3+4+4+4+3=18
2. Roger Blenman 1+4+4+4+1=14
3. Ronn Edwards 4+3+0+0+0=7
No BYE
Round-1
Michael Pomney (ASV) PIN David Jablonowski (Chicago)
Benoit Deschenes (LEP) PIN Kevin Bernadt (SKWC)
Paul Andrews (HCWC) PIN Russ Connelly (SDWC)
Round-2
Benoit Deschenes TEC Michael Pomney 11-1
Russ Connelly PIN David Jablonowski
Paul Andrews PIN Kevin Bernadt
Round-3
Michael Pomney PIN Russ Connelly
Benoit Deschenes TEC Paul Andrews 11-0
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Benoit Deschenes 4+3+3 = 10
Michael Pomney 4+1+4 = 9
Paul Andrews 4+4+0 = 8
Round Robin Deschenes, Pomney, Andrews
Michael Pomney PIN Paul Andrews
Benoit Deschenes TEC Paul Andrews 11-0 (carry over)
Benoit Deschenes TEC Michael Pomney 11-1 (carry over)
<------
1. Benoit Deschenes 4+3+3+3+3= 16
2. Michael Pomney 4+1+4+4+1 = 14
3. Paul Andrews 4+4+0+0+0 = 8
Round-1
Si Durney (GGWC) PIN Gilbert Gundersen (HCWC)
Stephan Lemire (LEP) PIN Filip Stuer (AC)
Mohammed Jamali (LGWC) TEC David Dodson (GGWC) 14-4
Round-2
Gilbert Gundersen PIN Filip Stuer
Mohammed Jamali DEC Si Durney 11-5
Stephan Lemire PIN David Dodson
Round-3
Mohammed Jamali PIN Gilbert Gundersen
Si Durney WBI Stephan Lemire
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Mohammed Jamali 4+3+4 = 11
Si Durney 4+1+4 = 9
Stephan Lemire 4+4+0 = 8
Round Robin Jamali, Durney. Lemire
Mohammed Jamali WBI Stephan Lemire
Mohammed Jamali DEC Si Durney 11-5 (carry over)
Si Durney WBI Stephan Lemire (carry over)
------>
1. Mohammed Jamali 4+3+4+4+3 = 18
2. Si Durney 4+1+4+1+4 = 14
3. Stephan Lemire 4+4+0+0+0 = 8
(The injured Lemire taken to hospital.
Teammate Benoit accepts for Lemire.)
Hoxworth are both from RMW Denver, and should have been separated into PoolA & PoolB respectively. Si Durney and David Dodson are both from
GGWC San Francisco, and should have been separated into PoolA & PoolB respectively. Some how, David Pierce’s and David Dodson’s names were
scratched and reversed –after- the tournament had already begun. It was not done to my or Peter’s knowledge, so it is a mystery how it happened. This is
probably the only pairing screw-up of the day.
No BYE
Round-1
Art Hoxworth (RMW) PIN Kris Verheyen (AC)
Neil Bowyer (HCWC) PIN Alexander Wichman (TIG)
Manfred Molt (ASV) TEC Dave Pierce (RMW) 10-0
Round-2
Neil Bowyer PIN Art Hoxworth
Dave Pierce PIN Kris Verheyen
Manfred Molt PIN Alexander Wichman
Round-3
Dave Pierce PIN Art Hoxworth
Manfred Molt PIN Neil Bowyer
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Manfred Molt 4+4+4 = 12
Neil Bowyer 4+4+0 = 8
Dave Pierce 0+4+4 = 8
Round Robin Molt, Bowyer, Pierce
Neil Bowyer PIN Dave Pierce
Manfred Molt PIN Neil Bowyer (carry over)
Manfred Molt TEC Dave Pierce 10-0 (carry over)
Manfred Molt accumulated the most tournament points of any
wrestler.
<------
1. Manfred Molt 4+4+4+4+4 = 20
2. Neil Bowyer 4+4+0+4+0 = 12
3. Dave Pierce 0+4+4+0+0+0 = 8
Round-1
Gilbert Khoury (METRO) PIN Anthony Dlugosz (GGWC)
David Wegner (PSWC) PIN Basil Petras (HCWC)
Tony Tapia (GGWC) PIN Bob Eastey (SKWC)
Round-2
Anthony Dlugosz PIN Basil Petras
Gilbert Khoury PIN Bob Eastey
David Wegner PIN Tony Tapia
Round-3
Dave Wegner WBI Anthony Dlugosz
Gilbert Khoury PIN Tony Tapia
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
(Dlugosz withdrew due to injury)
Points before Round Robin
Gilbert Khoury 4+4+4=12
David Wegner 4+4+4=12
Tony Tapia 4+0+0=4
Round Robin: Khoury, Wegner, Tapia
Gilbert Khoury DEC David Wegner 7-1
Gilbert Khoury PIN Tony Tapia (carry over)
David Wegner PIN Tony Tapia (carry over) ----->
1. Gilbert Khoury 4+4+4+3+4 = 19
2. David Wegner 4+4+4+1+4 = 17
3. Tony Tapia 4+0+0+0+0 = 4
Round-1
Alfred Tom (METRO) PIN Yann Maury (LEP)
Perry Biglen (AZ unattached) DEC
Brendan O’Shea (HCWC) 11-3
Dion Brown (METRO) PIN Johan Bogaerts (AC)
Round-2
Perry Biglen PIN Yann Maury
Dion Brown (METRO) PIN Alfred Tom
Brendan O’Shea PIN Johan Bogaerts
Round-3
Perry Biglen PIN Alfred Tom
Dion Brown PIN Brendan O’Shea
Round-4
Perry Biglen PIN Dion Brown
Final Points
1. Perry Biglen 3+4+4+4 = 15
2. Dion Brown 4+4+4+0 = 12
3. Alfred Tom 4+0+0 = 4
4. Brendan O’Shea 0+4+0 = 4
<-----
matches. Brendan O’Shea scored 3+2+0 = 5 points in his 3 matches. I assume the officials used the points-scored criteria once they were both
eliminated in Round-3, or Brendan injury defaulted.
84kg MEN Masters (PoolB=7) Double Elimination
with BYE
Round-1
Mark Pfeiffer (METRO) PIN Dave Wagner (GGWC)
Glenn McDaniel (TEWC) PIN Barry Webb (HCWC)
Gene Dermody (GGWC) PIN Jarek Kulinski (HCWC)
Denis Labelle (LEP) BYE
Round-2
Denis Labelle PIN Dave Wagner
Mark Pfeiffer PIN Barry Webb
Jarek Kulinski PIN Glenn McDaniel
Gene Dermody BYE
Round-3
Mark Pfeiffer DEC Glenn McDaniel 10-7
Gene Dermody PIN Denis Labelle
Round-4
Gene Dermody DEC Mark Pfeiffer 12-10
Denis Labelle DEC Jarek Kulinski 3-1
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Gene Dermody 4+4+0+3= 11
Denis Labelle 0+4+0+3+3 = 10
Mark Pfeiffer 4+4+3+1 = 12
----->
Denis Labelle DEC Mark Pfeiffer 10-8
Gene Dermody PIN Denis Labelle (carry over)
Gene Dermody DEC Mark Pfeiffer 12-10 (carry over)
Final Points
1. Gene Dermody 4+4+0+3+4+3 = 18
2. Denis Labelle 0+4+0+3+3+3 = 13
3. Mark Pfeiffer 4+4+3+1+1 = 13
(Head to Head tie braking criteria Labelle beat Pfeiffer)
Round-1
James Estrella (AZ unattached) PIN Kirk Mason (SKWC)
Andreas Czerney (FVV) TEC Miguel Angel Iglesias (HCWC)
10-0
James Sterling (unattached) PIN Kurt Brinschwitz (HCWC)
Round-2
James Estrella PIN Miguel Angel Iglesias
Kurt Brinschwitz DEC Kirk Mason 9-6
James Sterling WBF Andreas Czerney
Round-3
James Sterling DEC James Estrella 8-0
Andreas Czerney PIN Kurt Brinschwitz
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
James Sterling 4+4+3 = 11
James Estrella 4+4+0 = 8
Andreas Czerney 4+0+4 = 8
Round Robin: Sterling, Estrella, Czerney
James Estrella PIN Andreas Czerney
James Sterling DEC James Estrella 8-0 (carry over)
James Sterling WBF Andreas Czerney (carry over)
Final Points
1. James Sterling 4+4+3+3+4 = 18
2. James Estrella 4+4+0+4+0 = 12
<----- 3. Andreas Czerney 4+0+4+0+0 = 8
this bracket. Normally, if a wrestler does not ‘show up’ for his match,
and causes a FORFEIT, he is then disqualified from further pairing.
Perhaps this was really a WBI (Injury default), and misclassified.
However, for the future, a true WBF needs to clearly identified and
handled appropriately. In this case, if Andreas had really
FORFEITED, then Kurt Brinschwitz would have moved up to the
Bronze. A wrestler may –not- choose to NOT WRESTLE and
FORFEIT, and expect to be paired further. He must give his opponent
the option of winning with a PIN, DEC, TEC, or WBI.
Round-1
Scott Kochman (METRO) PIN Ross Schmidt (GGWC)
Victor Mees (AC) TEC Terry Grossman (SCWC) 14-0
Larry Denger (Atlanta unattached) BYE
Round-2
Larry Denger PIN Ross Schmidt
Scott Kochman PIN Victor Mees
Terry Grossman BYE
Round-3
Terry Grossman PIN Ross Schmidt
Scott Kochman PIN Larry Dengler
Victor Mees BYE
Round-4
Victor Mees PIN Ross Schmidt
Terry Grossman TEC Larry Dengler 10-0
Scott Kochman BYE
Round-5
Scott Kochman PIN Terry Grossman
Victor Mees PIN Larry Dengler
<----- Ross Schmidt BYE
1. Scott Kochman 4+4+4+0+4 = 16
2. Victor Mees 4+0+0+4+4 = 12
3. Terry Grossman 0+0+4+4+0 = 8
Tim Tallent (CO unattached) PIN John Ascher (GGWC)
(below)
Brad Taylor (GGWC) TEC Dieter Uihlein (FVV) 11-0
(below)
Participation
Personal Best
always trump
Citius
Altius
Fortius
Even though it is taken for granted today, it was not until an actual Federation motion passed by only a few votes in 1994 that
‘Sanctioning’ was officially accepted as an option for Gay Games sports. The Gay Games Wrestling Tournaments of 1982 and
1986 in San Francisco were easily sanctioned by California USAWrestling (USAW) due to the efforts and connections of the local
coaches and officials.
But the lack of such a coordinated effort to secure Canadian Amateur Wrestling (CAW) sanctioning in the 1990 Vancouver Gay
Games caused much grief. NY'94 and Amsterdam in '98 both managed to get the appropriate sanctioning through Federation
insistence.
However Sydney 2002 has thrown a 'monkey wrench' into the process with a very flexible 'universal' TG policy. It was only
through special language in that policy per liability and safety that proper 'gender' enforcement could have occured in wrestling and
judo, but only through 'challenges' at weigh-ins and pairings.
It is noteworthy that S2002 was twice advised through outside expert legal counsel that safety and liability would trump any TG
challenge to a sanctioned sport. Also, 'sports' were not specifically covered at the time under Australia's civil rights laws. In terms
of actual registrations, there were no TGs in wrestling or judo. So the question is why we would risk losing sanctioning or
precipitating a law suit for 'symbolism'.
Sanctioning is a critical component in wrestling, as it is a physical contact sport that has an element of risk. Having appropriate and
affordable liability and medical insurance is a given, and ‘should’ be the priority of both wrestlers and the host city. Besides the
credibility that FILA sanctioning affords the Gay Games, it also accommodates the procurement of qualified officials. It has never
been a problem securing this inexpensive sanctioning at all previous Gay Games, as long as:
• Federation Internationale Lutte Associes (FILA) rules were adhered to
• Wrestlers had local FILA affiliate membership cards (USAW, CAW, NSWW, etc..)
accepted/permitted a non-legal definition of gender at accreditation, i.e..a ‘self-identified’ gender assignment. The problem was that
both judo and wrestling sanctioning rules specifically define separate divisions for men and women, where only the legal (e.g..
‘Passport’) definition of gender is acceptable.
There are also specific issues of liability that are addressed in the rules that permit women to choose to wrestle men, but NOT vice
versa. After spending money on two separate legal opinions, Sydney finally permitted a technical exception for ‘contact sports’.
However, it would have taken a direct challenge to a wrestler’s gender at the weigh-ins to trigger that exception.
The basic problem is the violation of the FILA rules for gender accreditation that would have not only placed women at risk, but
the insurance coverage for the entire tournament. The ultimate authority in accreditation and rules for any sanctioned event lies
with the officials who are FILA representatives, not the host city. Thankfully, no gender challenges materialized.
Lucky? Perhaps, but to risk the sanctioning of the tournament, endanger women wrestlers, and possibly exclude any future Gay
Games from securing FILA sanctioning for wrestling, is just unacceptable. After all, there were only some 14 TGs out of 13000
registrants, it is unknown how many ‘self-identified’, and none apparently registered for wrestling. There were 31 sports and
numerous cultural activities to register for. Only wrestling and judo were necessarily ‘exclusionary’ for just the ‘self-identified’
TGs, since legal TGs would pose no problem, as in the past.
On 13 November 2003, the IOC published a statement that they would be permitting TG's to compete in the Olympics, and would
be releasing a protocol for all the sanctioned sports:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36998-2003Nov13.html
Basically, this is exactly the kind of back up the Federation has needed for political cover on this issue. There needs to be generic
Federation and host policy that is inviting and accomodating. 29 sports in the Gay Games are not an issue. Wrestling, Judo,
and PowerLifitng need some sports specific language to insure inclusion, but also guarantee safety and fairness. It is not much
different than the challenge faced by drug testing.
The full results are available on-line at:
http://www.gaygames.com .
The VARIANCE with the MEAN for Wrestling is posted below. The rather negative results have more to do with the location than
anything else. A full report from Wrestlers WithOut Borders will be addressing issues discussed after the tournament in
Sydney. The higher the percentage, the more satisifed the indicatation.
Question# wrestlers vs. average of all sports
08 How satisfied were you with the location of your sport venue? 06% vs. 48%
11 Competition conditions? 30% vs. 49%
12 Officiating? 56% vs. 50%
13 Responsiveness of volunteers/organizers? 56% vs. 68%
