URE

2009 IARU HF Championship: Final press release

The URE is pleased to know that our allegations of fraudulent QSO in the log of DA0HQ have been considered correct and that the ARRL Contest Committee recognizes explicitly that numerous German hams violated the contest rules, in particular, as the ARRL Contest Committee mentions, the Rule 3.5 of its General Rules for Competitions.

It is also gratifying to see that the LOG of DA0HQ, with hundreds of fraudulent contacts, is not declared the winner in the competition as requested by the claim by URE. We imagine that the DARC will shortly issue a statement apologizing for unsportsmanlike and rule-breaking behavior shown by several of its members and some local sections of the DARC.

However, it is extremely disheartening and shameful to see how the Contest Committee is punishing the rest of HQs in the competition whose behavior, -theirs and also that of their respective local members-, which was honest and fully observant of the rules, not to receive a diploma in the corresponding classification obtained honestly and fairly.

It is incredible that the unsportsmanlike and rule-breaking behavior practiced by just a few amateurs and local branches of a single association from a single country (DL), will make the rest of HQs whose members did have an honest and rule-compliant behavior deprived from participating in a competition in which they had taken part honestly and cleanly. Instead of removing those faulty QSO, the Contest Committe condemns the rest of honest HQs to not have a reward for their honest work, because just a few in DL did break the rules, as confirmed by the CC itself. Under any circumstances, it cannot be acceptable any comparison or extrapolation of the behavior of a few rulebreakers in Germany with the behavior of the other participants of other nationalities, especially of those whose logs have also been analyzed publicly.

We appreciate the overwhelming messages of support and solidarity received at URE from radio amateurs and associations around the world, especially from German hams who are outraged by the behavior of a few of his countrymen. We are confident that this is the feeling of the vast majority of their peers in DL. We hope that the DARC will soon join the reprobation of the practices that have been demonstrated and corroborated by the Contest Committee made by few German hams and local sections of the DARC.

We appreciate very much all the congratulations on our report received from associations and radio amateurs around the world. Thanks also to the Germans hams that helped to show up the truth. We strongly believe that this has been for the best interest to keep the Fair Play alive in our Radio Sporting events.

Thank you very much.