Èñòîðèÿ âîïðîñà
The initiative group has been working for a long time. The motives are obvious. Bridge is a sport. Preference is a sport. But poker is also a sport, that’s understandable. Only unofficially registered. We need our own federation. Its objectives are also obvious - propaganda and popularization of this game, organizing poker tournaments on a sporting basis, maintaining a rating of participants, supporting young talents, searching for sponsors, and the like. Poker should become a sport!
Sublime letters were written, witty replies were sent, inevitable details were polished. The enormity of the plan initially depended on the will of representatives of 47 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Only these 47 representatives could make the founding conference “legitimate” in the eyes of the Russian Ministry of Justice. Where to get them, these representatives? It turned out to be very easy to take them. This also applies to those who have not yet joined, but want to join the Poker Federation. The procedure is simple - three people draw up minutes of the meeting about their decision to join the Federation. Attach photocopies of passports (you need to scan the spread with the photo and the registration page) and send them to the Organizing Committee.
This protocol did not entail and will not entail any obligations.
And such people were found, they did everything as it should. There were significantly more of them than 47. And these people came to Moscow, to the capital, to the Europe casino. And they saw each other, and began to drink preliminary tea, coffee, and cola from their native source. And they felt good... Because this dream was beginning to come true. Everyone has long dreamed that what they always enjoyed doing would be called sports.
And then the routine procedures of elections and approvals began. The process of establishing a federation as it is.
Direct establishment of the Federation
The high assembly elected Dmitry Lesnoy as chairman. Keith Sloan, Mikhail Leontyev, Ali Rakhimov, Vadim Ioffe, Vladimir Ivanchenko also became members of the Conference Presidium.
After a brief review of the Draft Law “On state regulation of activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling and betting” and the prospects for its adoption by the State Duma, a brief review of the poker movement in Russia and, as a result, the acquisition of complete confidence that poker will not fall under the definition of gambling, It was decided to call the established federation “Russian Sports Poker Federation”.
Dmitry Lesnoy said: “The draft law” On state regulation of activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling and betting “could negatively affect the fate of poker, which is not a game of chance. The task of the Sports Poker Federation will be to achieve recognition of poker as the sport that it is in its essence. In poker, skill, not luck, wins.” After this, a report was made on the tasks of the Federation. Then there was a debate, not too heated, but on the merits - both actions and terms used in the draft Charter. Then the Federation Charter was approved. Then the President of the new federation, the Honorary President, vice-presidents, chairmen of commissions - members of the Federation Executive Committee and members of the control and audit commission were elected.
The president of the Russian Sports Poker Federation, as many guessed, was the initiator of the whole process, Dmitry Lesnoy. Those present elected Vladimir Ivanchenko, a man also irreplaceable, as honorary president. Very influential people became vice-presidents: Ivan Efremov, Valery Kolobkov, Mikhail Leontyev, Keith Sloan, Sergey Vladimirov, Alexander Krivonos, Sergey Zelinsky, Igor Khodorkovsky, Ali Rakhimov, Andrey Zverev, David Meliksetyan, Arthur Voskanyan, Mikhail Anshelievich, Gennady Khvorykh, Mikhail Plotnikov, Boris Starikov, Timofey Belyaev, Valery Yanov. Elena Gorbacheva was elected as the Chairman of the KRC, the members of the KRC are Viktor Okhotin and Mikhail Panov.
Now the lawyers have the task of registering the Sports Poker Federation within the time frame established by the Ministry of Justice - 45 days.
What happened next...
And after the end of the official part, the conference participants enjoyed a buffet and a poker tournament. The tournament director is Keith “Bendigo” Sloan. And Alexey Vavilov won the tournament. For which we can congratulate him! And for the $10,000 prize money, we should thank the Europa casino.
