Word of the President

From your President Peter Tregloan

Dear members,

Why the committee have changed organisations name to

Global Powerlifting Committee.

As most people are aware there has been a dispute going on for a long time between Kieran Kidder, the owner of the WPO,  and the WPCongress and LB Baker who is president of APC and promoter of this years Worlds in Athens Georgia for the World Powerlifting Committee's championships.

When I arrived in Athens I was informed of Mr Kidder was taking LB to court over WPC initials being used. The next day I was told we the Committee along LB Baker where in court with Mr Kidder wanting the competition stopped because of confusion over WPC initials.
So LB Baker, Ian Morris & myself went along to court after the lawyers had said there piece and went outside to try and sort solution, Mr Kidder came across and spoke to me and Ian Morris saying he was happy for the meet to run as long as it was a Congress meet and asked if the committee would consider rejoining congress.

At this point I asked Mr Kidder to please put his proposal in writing and I would let the countries representatives read his words and ask them to vote on the letter because I couldn't decide this only the countries representatives that could vote and decide.

In the end the lawyers agreed that if we put up a sign at the entrance saying,

"WORLD POWERLIFTING COMMITTEE, 
WORLD POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 
are nothing to do with the 
WORLD POWERLIFTING CONGRESS"
we could carry on with our World Championships.

I received a letter on Saturday from Mr Kidder lawyers which I copied and let the countries have to read and make there own decisions. REED LETTER

On Sunday they took a vote and decided that, they did not want to rejoin Congress. They wanted to stay as the Committee.
SEE VOTE

Then I suggested it maybe a good idea to have a change of name to Global instead of World to prevent any further legal problems over WPC or confusion over the 2 organisations. 

All the countries present voted to change name to Global Powerlifting Committee. SEE VOTE

As your president, I hope this is the end of any further miss-under standings or confusion to our lifters or country's members

I like to thank Mr Kieran Kidder for talking to me and wish him all the best with his WPO & WPC. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all committee board members for there support and hard work over last 12 months and welcome all new member countries in last year.


Yours in Sport

Peter Tregloan


President
Global Powerlifting Committee

From your President Peter Tregloan

Dear members,

I received the following email today. The writer is claiming that a judgement was granted against us forcing us to have a name change. This is incorrect, the decision was made off the court record by us in order once and for all to stop the confusion and make a total break from Congress there was in fact no court decision just a friendly hearing.

Again, at the 2004 Worlds in Athens a decision was made and signed by all participating nations to once and for all stop the confusion between our organisation and WPCongress.

This was NOT a decision of the court as claimed by the owner of WPCongress it was a decision made by the nations involved in the now defunct WPCommittee.

In no way were we forced to make any name changes there is confirmation of this in the attorneys letter handed to us by our attorney. This decision was made after the owner of WPCongress threatened court action to stop the 2004 Worlds.

We decided to once and for all disassociate ourselves from that privately owned organisation. There were lifters in Athens from twelve different nations, they came from all over the world, teenagers, juniors, masters and seniors at enormous expense especially to the young lifters.

Some of the youngsters had saved their pocket money to make the trip the biggest event in their young lives yet a man who professes to love the sport and have the lifters at heart tried his utmost to cancel the event.

In all my life I have never seen such childish and juvenile jealously and that is exactly what it amounts to. His problem is with LB Baker he says, so why try and stop the meet if he really wanted the countries to rejoin congress.

If one surfs the Internet you will find numerous organisation under the banner of WPC the World Pigeon Club for example, are they also going to receive possible court action to change their name, this is positively ridiculous and childish.

The now GPC is run by a democratically elected committee from the member nations that puts the lifters first and foremost not a privately owned body to be manipulated on the whims of an owner. 

GPC promotes and supports world and intercontinental championships throughout the globe. We offer every male and female lifter the opportunity to compete in all our international contests. We are the lifters organisation.