"This letter will be sent to more than 4,000 E-mail addresses around the world.

I wish for everybody to know the scandalous way the UIM treats us.

The facts:
Like every year I announced my dates for the European Championship during October of the previous year. This allows the national and international federations to organise their calendars and not schedule an event on the same date.

A Long time after we set the dates the UIM decided to hold a race for Ladies in Russia on the same date that we race in Italy!
So far not a big problem because none of the female competitors of the European championship wants to go to Russia, but this is a problem for the UIM!

And here comes the shame from the UIM:
The UIM put the Italian Federation (FIM) under pressure and I have received a letter from the FIM that orders me not to allow Ladies at the start in Imperia otherwise they will not allow us to hold the race!
Of course they did this with the hope that the ladies will go to Russia….

This is blackmail!!

Riders are free to go where they want!

Worse, this is the second time that such a situation has happened in Italy. A few years ago we organised a race at Lago d’Orta, but 14 days before the event the UIM decide to hold a race on the same date as ours and asked us to change our date.
We didn’t change our date and the FIM supported us in this matter, but now the President of the FIM is also the Vice-President of the UIM so they must listen to the orders of the UIM!

My first reaction was to go to another country on the same date but after a meeting with our title sponsor and with respect to the work by the local organisation from Imperia it is not possible to go somewhere else.

I never ask any riders to boycott a UIM race. Riders are free! But in this case I will feel personally offended if any of the Ladies go to Russia!
Riders are free and I am also free to run or not to run a Ladies class at the European Championship.

Don’t forget Ladies: I support you and let you race already 20 years!

Yves Van Heers"

Uh oh..more trouble for racing. I guess the cookie is getting smaller and too many mouths to feed. Sad news.