World Masters Athletics News A message from WMA President Margit Jungmann

A message from WMA President Margit Jungmann

A message from WMA President Margit Jungmann post thumbnail image

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear athletes, officials and volunteers,
Dear representatives of the Regions and national Members,
Dear friends of WMA Family!

Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans

Allen Saunders

 

As the year comes to a close, we are encouraged that there have been more competitions. The African and the World Mountain Running Championships is the beginning of returning to international Masters Competitions.

The pandemic has continued to dominate events around the world in 2021. We have seen many of our friends fall ill and, unfortunately, some have passed away. The WMA family mourns with the families.

We are hopeful that vaccinations and prudent precautions will enable us to further return to normal competitions in the coming year. The year will hopefully start with the European Masters Athletics Indoor Championship in Braga (Portugal), has its highlight in Tampere (Finland) with the WMA Championships and will hopefully see the Asia Masters Athletics Championships in China to mention the biggest events.

World Athletics’ decision early this month allows for the return of Russian Masters athletes to our WMA family. Our friend and Honorary Lifetime President, Stan Perkins, responded to the news by saying “This is a very humane and satisfying decision that will ensure that the Russian Masters can now come back to the fold of the sport they have always supported so strongly. We must welcome them and ensure they are made to feel important to our movement because they are!” Thank you, Stan – we warmly welcome all of them!

 

Our friend and WMA Vice President of Competition, Brian Keaveney, took two photos of Winter Wonderland in Canada that symbolise 2021 very well:

The snowy river to symbolise the twists and turns we had to go through in 2021

The snowy owl to give us the wisdom to make the right decisions for the development of Masters Athletics in 2022

On behalf of the WMA council, I wish you and your family happy holidays, a happy and, above all, a healthy New Year. Let us wish together that our hopes come true. I end my message with a quote from Albert Einstein: Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

 

Margit Jungmann
WMA President