You drank the Kool Aid didnt ya?
The FIM letter was not "viscious". They confirm his right to to have his opinion, just do it professionally with no name calling. Sound familiar.
Dear Mr Raga,
Everyone is aware of the ongoing crisis that has been affecting the world of Trial over the past two decades. As far as the FIM is concerned, this crisis has reduced the number of participants and led to a 75% drop in production for the industry. There are many reasons for this: economic crisis, the prices of motorcycles, legislative restrictions in various countries and others besides.
In these circumstances it is difficult to find solutions. In recent years we have invested a lot of effort in improving the quality of our events and in particular their image on television. From this year, we have also changed the rules after a somewhat arduous process of internal discussions.
In this connection, I would like to inform you that we are aware that it was not possible to arrive at a decision that would satisfy everyone. However, we knew that we could not continue without taking any measures, as had been the case for a number of years, and just go on watching the decline of the discipline.
Having said that, we were very unpleasantly surprised by a number of statements made by you at the end of the Indoor Trial of Chambéry, France, held on January 2013 and another at the press conference of the 1st day at the Japanese Grand Prix. We are not surprised by the fact that you are not pleased with the new regulations. You are free to hold that opinion. What we do consider serious however is that you made some false affirmations concerning the decision-making process and referred to members of the FIM such as Mr Michaud and Mr Willoughby in a disrespectful and offensive way. You even accused Mr Michaud of belonging to a “mafia”.
My intention in this letter is to remind you of your duty as a professional sportsman to behave as such when you are in public, by which I mean showing respect for the fundamental principles of sporting ethics.
In conclusion, I am asking you to apologise publicly before the next round of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship to be held in Sequatchie, USA, on 25-26 May 2013 for the statements you made on the basis of incorrect information and above all for the way you referred to the above named people. We also ask you to send to the FIM a copy of the press release you will issue regarding this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Vito Ippolito. FIM President.
