Sergio Gaibisso – Italian Sailing Federation PRESIDENT
Federal Counsellor

Subject: Resignation

From President Sergio Gaibisso’s communication – “ the problem of agreement between the Italian Sailing Federation’s institutional functions and appointed beings from outside the Federation. The statute is very clear in speaking, the choice of roles is up to those interested. But, with danger of finding oneself in conflict, as has already happened in the past, and how you have found yourself in these latest happenings, abiding by agreements of covered individual roles becomes mandatory. So I say that the Italian Sailing Federation should come first before any of us, its needs and its interests. In event of incompatible roles, one should decide to remain or not without postponing it further, with no embarrassment or hesitation”.


Sergio,
I wanted to begin, relating exactly, from memory to all those who have read you and who read, your speech read out in the Federal Board on the 23rd and 24th of September 2005.
This speech gives way to important observations but at the same time is ambiguous from the moment you express your beliefs or personal judgements without giving any names away. It’s just as well that the appointed nominee (Busetti) of the argument, who was lacking reason towards me came out in the open and publicly gave out my name. Perfect! It’s one step ahead to the archaic way of grilling people. But lets get to the point of the situation. I’ve already had a lengthy way, despite the agitated reaction in coming to learn such accusations only after taking part on the Board, to answer back to the accusations that are non existent and groundless that were made towards me.
I want to focus on what is really serious and is dealt with in those few short lines that make up part of the “Presidents Announcement”. What statute are you talking about, seeing that of the Italian Sailing Federation art.57 is clear and unequivocal. When you talk about the problem of accordance between the Italian Sailing Federation’s institutional functions, and external roles from outside the Federation, showing only your blindness in what is sport and in evident contradictions with what should be the Federation spirit. For me sport is the various classes, the federations, the associations, the technicians, the judges, parents and the Athletes. Etc. etc. For you sport is the Italian Sailing Federation, its needs and its interests.”
And it seems that on the basis of this vision of yours that you go upon are the few annuity results of who won them on the race field.
Unfortunately this Federation rather than listening to the real problems of who carries out this sport prefers to pass its time doing other things. Why is it that the whole of the Italian Sailing Federation goes along giving in to the Presidents mood, who with much experience, thinks only about having useless people around him, so he can decide what he likes without any possibility of confrontation, programs made up in layers of 100 pages, neat and ready to be presented in the morning for the Federal Boards meeting ( if you take note the documents on deliberating programs, contracts and spending of millions of Euro’s are never ready). Because unfortunately this president is tired, he hasn’t even the energy to go around Italy and understand that this activity must be promoted everywhere and not only in few happy paradises. And therefore I accept a challenge, a real challenge, that is seen only in favour of the development of this sport, and I’d like to communicate with everyone and also with the Italian Sailing Federation, that I have handed in my resignation as President of the International Windsurfing Association and the IMCO, MOD and MJOD classes, and would like to say that I’m ready to dedicate myself more than ever and to sustain and to look out for that sport (as I intend) as sportsmen want and not with the “interests” or the “needs” of This Federation.
Regards

Vincenzo Pottino

 

TO Vincenzo Pottino
PALERMO

I have read your email from the 6th of December that you sent to President Gaibisso, I can’t say I share your thoughts on what you sent to the Federal Board, the Panel President for the Italian Sailing Federation 7th Area and to myself. Everyone is free to think what and do what they like and I respect that.
However I would like to say to you that in more than 40 years of working at the Federation I have never saw in Counsellor what I saw from you, the way you spoke to the president, both verbally and written, in such a way that is far from being fair-play, which is the base of our Sport. I take your letter even more unjustified with the fact that is was a cold blooded letter written more than two months after it happened; the board meeting took place on the 23rd of September 2005 during which you could have freely disapproved the contents of the Presidents Communication.
If this is the way to dedicate oneself and look out for this federal activity, then I’m afraid to say that the goal you are aiming is further away than you imagine. This is my point of view.

Carlo Rolandi

Dear President Rolandi,

I’d like to thank you for your message, as it gives me a chance to make clear what was sent in the letter addressed to Sergio Gaibisso and to answer you.
I’d like to underline that I sent my email all those who are members of the Board and to President Pipitone, in the arbitrary attack of “Incompetent of his duties” which was aimed to me in the Federal Board meeting, concerning the President of my area, I think it is my job to inform you my forced decision, originating from specific calls from President Gaibisso. This email is sent out to people directly interested in the matter. I’m sorry that you weren’t there to verify what happened at the board meeting, because it was in there that you could understand the reason behind my actions. You say that everyone is free to make up their own minds, it’s not about making up ones mind but about the facts: Counsellor Pottino was asked to choose between two incompatible appointments. Where is it written that these two jobs are incompatible? We’re not talking about ideas. They invent situations that don’t exist on this earth, so that whatever prevails, whether its a bad or negative sensation; the words unsaid, names not mentioned; to sentence publicly who is innocent. I’m very sorry to read from your behalf “ I take your letter even more unjustified with the fact that is was a cold blooded letter written more than two months after it happened; the board meeting took place on the 23rd of September 2005 during which you could have freely disapproved the contents of the Presidents Communication”. You weren’t even present so you have no way of knowing how I disapproved or not!!! The cold blood that you talked about is I’m sorry to say maybe the cold way you answered my email.

My letter to President Gaibisso was nothing more than informing him on my resignation as international president of the organisations indicated, despite the non existence of the unsuited challenge and the false accusations made towards me. I have also taken the occasion to let you know that I am tired of sitting on a Board that isn’t informed on the decisions that are to be made, and I’m fed up of repeating myself time after time about the same things making myself out to be a real pain each time. If we want this Federation to grow we must respect everyone opinions by the facts and not theoretically.
I’ll leave for last a personal implication, that surprises me, as I believe at this point you really don’t know me at all. My dear father, that I lost unfortunately at the young age of 8 years old, used to take me when I was little with him to his land which I today maintain, in the heart of Sicily, where he made me get used to living with noblemen and farmers; and in which my mother continued to teach us. Things that I believe at 44 years old, I have a know how on how to stay between noblemen and farmers.
You see my dear President, my parents taught me good manners and respect; how to act with fine people; and I can assure you that in my life so far, I’ve had a way of knowing someone wise, with dignity, respect and nobility in farmers rather than in some noblemen, and in some different occasions to find myself in front of some authentic bad mannered people dressed as noblemen.
So, when you talk about that “fair play” being the code of our sport, I say that it isn’t in honour of this “fair play” that should trample on human dignity; it’s not in honour of this “fair play” that one may offend people, but with no doubt the base of “fair play” in which the Italian Sailing Federation sacrificed and continues to sacrifice the commitment of many have contributed and continue to do so to make our sport grow…that without them would see the Federation and our sport dead and buried along time ago…

Regards

Vincenzo Pottino