 |
Balch
Continues to Undermine USET Service to Equestrian Athletes
|
Gladstone,
NJ—January 13, 2003—USA Equestrian (USAE) President
Alan F. Balch, in another in a continuing series of steps designed
to deflect attention from his organization’s being out of
compliance with the requirements of a National Governing Body
(NGB), has forced a delay in action by the United States Equestrian
Team (USET) to approve and implement programs for 2003.
USET
President Dr. Armand Leone, Jr. received a letter from Balch on
Sunday afternoon, January 12, demanding that the USET not hold
its annual membership and Board of Trustees meetings scheduled
for Monday morning, January 13. He claimed that the USET did not
have a valid Board to call these meetings based on a ruling by
a New Jersey Court on Friday, January 10, that all actions, including
election of a Board of Trustees, at its October, 2001 annual meeting
were null and void.
Rather
than give Balch an opportunity to initiate further unnecessary
and wasteful litigation, the USET immediately adjourned both meetings
on January 13 without taking any action.
“This
is yet another example of Alan Balch throwing up smokescreens
to divert attention from the real issue, namely USAE’s lack
of compliance with the requirements of being an NGB,” said
Leone.
“The
New Jersey Court did rule our October, 2001 meeting invalid based
on a technical requirement, but everything connected with that
meeting, as with all our meetings, was completely above board,”
Leone continued. “To slow service to our sport’s athletes
is a shame, but rather than put the USET in a position of having
to face further litigation from Alan Balch, we thought it more
prudent to defer any actions scheduled to be conducted at these
meetings to a later time pending further evaluation of the judge’s
opinion.
“Meanwhile,
the USET calls upon the Board of USAE to end its support of Alan
Balch and his disruptive actions as cited by the U.S. Olympic
Committee in its letter of December 23, 2002. Only then can we
end this ridiculous waste of resources that is hurting our sport.”
In
its letter to USAE Executive Director Lori Rawls on December 23,
2002, the USOC said that it was, “Concerned about a failure
by USAE to acknowledge its obligations as an NGB, a lack of candor
and cooperation by USAE leadership in its oral and written submissions
to the Committee, and USAE’s efforts to disrupt, rather than
further, the efforts of the Committee to conduct its compliance
review.”
The
letter also said that, “Rather than accept questions and
positions taken by others as opportunities to move the sport forward,
USAE’s behavior has been destructive and has often been mean
spirited, contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic
movement.”
Leone
said that Balch’s actions related to the USET meetings underscored
two further points made in the USOC letter, namely that, “A
primary focus of USAE’s response was to attack USET,”
and that, “USAE has become so consumed with issues of turf,
power, control and winning against USET at all costs that it has
ceased to conduct USAE in the best interests of the sport of equestrian,
the United States athletes who compete in sport of equestrian,
or the Olympic movement in the United States.”
Leone
urged the USAE Board of Directors to listen to the call of the
USOC that “USAE leadership has lost all perspective concerning
the situation and needs to step back and reconsider its current
and ongoing course of conduct. USAE has wasted its resources,
the resources of the USET, the resources of the Committee, and
the resources of several offices of the USOC.”
The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization
that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest
possible standard to represent our country in major international
competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships.
To accomplish this, the USET seeks out and nurtures the development
of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides
the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest
potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908)
234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org
.
