Minutes of the Founding General Assembly of an international sports organization for persons with deaf-blindness

Attachment 2 to the official report

The First European Festival of Specific Abilities of Persons with Deafblindness.
Varna, Bulgaria, September 1-9, 2008

Minutes Of the Founding General Assembly of an international sports organization for persons with deaf-blindness, Varna, Bulgaria, 08.09.2008, 20.00-22.00.

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Present:

15 participants from 4 European countries, Bulgaria, Russia, Croatia and Norway were present. Among these were the presidents of the national organizations for persons with deaf-blindness: Bulgaria – Mr. Dimitar Parapanov, Russia – Mr. Sergey Sirotkin, Norway – Mr. Geir Jensen and Croatia – Ms. Sanja Tarczay.

Mr. Dimitar Parapanov was the chairman for the general assembly and made the welcoming address.

The first session of the Founding General assembly for an international sports organization for persons with deaf-blindness, was held within the framework of the First European Festival of specific abilities of persons with deaf-blindness.

Since the four presidents attended, the establishing assembly was held according to Executive’s Committee of EDbU regulations. EDbU serves to protect rights and to solve social and organizational problems of persons with deaf-blindness in Europe.

Establishing an independent international organization that is to promote purposefully suitable sports activities for persons with deaf-blindness as a means of their integration in society is of great importance.

After lively discussion, several important decisions were made.

  • An international sports organization for persons with deaf-blindness is to be established
  • A joint organization for both sports and cultural activities for persons with deaf-blindness is not to be established.
  • After the international sports organization is once established (its statutes should be accepted first and a head of the organization elected), the Standing Sport and Culture Committee should be transformed into a Standing Cultural Committee of the EDbU (the committee will function until an international cultural union of the persons with deaf- blindness has been established).
  • An Establishing Committee should be formed in order to found the international sports federation of the persons with deaf-blindness. Among the members of this committee shall be included: Mr. Sergey Sirotkin, Mr. Geir Jensen, Ms. Sanja Tarczay and Mr. Dimitar Parapanov (chairman).
  • The second session of the establishing committee will be held in Bergen, Norway, October 2008. The third – in Budapest, Hungary in the spring of 2009.
  • Mr. Sergey Sirotkin, Mr. Dimitar Parapanov and Mr. Geir Jensen should write up a framework for statutes for the future sports organization.
  • A European country should be elected to host the main office of the future organization (address and juridical registration).

The Establishing Assembly was a successful start to the process of developing sports activities for persons with deaf-blindness, and making these accessible throughout the European countries.

Varna, Bulgaria, 08.09.2008

Dimitar Parapanov
President NADbB

Geir Jensen
President FNDB
Keeper of the minutes