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It is an explosion hazard notice announced by the Karate Association on January 30, 2022. Former athlete Luca Rohner will be appointed head of competitive sports on May 1, 2022. This irritates some karate representatives. They are afraid of nepotism. Background: Rohner is the boyfriend of Melinda Mark (28), an active athlete in the kata discipline. She is also the athlete representative.
A few months later, a scandal occurred: Mark was selected for the European Kata Championships, even though she had fewer points than her younger competitor Lanyfer Minano (19). A karate insider rages. “That’s a scandal!” He does not want to comment publicly. The fear of possible consequences is too great.
Karate legend Roland Zolliker (71), who resigned as chairman in 2022 but still works for the association, speaks bluntly: “This decision was contrary to the selection regulations. It states: whoever has the most points will be selected.” He never experienced such misconduct during his time as President of the Karate Association (1988-2022).
Questionable passivity on the part of the friend
In the kata discipline, Switzerland can only send one athlete to the European Championships and World Championships. The selection committee makes the decision. This consists of six people. One of them is Luca Rohner. He abstained and was neutral. A no-go for Zolliker. “As head of competitive sports, he must ensure that the rules of the game are observed. In this case he did not do that. For any reason.”
Selection committee chairman Marc Keller explains the decision in Mark’s favor. “Currently, Lanyfer can still compete in the U21 categories and confirm her qualities at a high level.” He continues: “With an elite European Championship selection, Lanyfer would have had to play two major tournaments within a few weeks, which we considered unfavorable.” Moreover, they want to maintain competition between the two for as long as possible.
And what does Luca Rohner say? Nothing! “I took the liberty and decided not to forward the questions to L. Rohner,” says Keller. But he says he always watches Rohner closely. «If non-objective arguments are put forward or I have the feeling that the arguments are not objective, then I speak out bluntly. But I rarely have to intervene.”
Chairman of the selection committee has (too) much influence
A telephone conversation on the eve of the selection also led to heated discussions. President Keller and national kata coach Michelle Saner spoke with Lanyfer Minano and her father. It was explained to the athlete that the selection proposal was in Mark’s favor. Minano has to make do with the U21 European Championship and the U21 World Cup.
When Zolliker hears about the phone call, he shakes his head. “As president, Keller must be neutral before a vote. The selection suggestion comes exclusively from the national coach.” Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) is now also investigating the matter. For Zolliker it is clear: “If the SSI confirms the misconduct, Keller must resign!”
Keller is self-critical: “We wanted to explain the suggestion to Lanyfer and show her appreciation for her sporting development. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve this in any way. I realized my mistake.”
Strong criticism of the national coach
It can be heard from the selection committee that they largely follow the recommendations of the national coaches. “Then Melinda is untouchable anyway,” says Iren Baumann (21) and rolls his eyes. The Bernese woman was part of the national kata team until the beginning of this year. Then she gave the exit. “I was tired of nitpicking and feeling unwanted.”
According to Baumann, national cat trainer Saner and Mark are very good colleagues. Other karate insiders also confirm this. Saner himself cannot comment on this. As with Rohner, Keller refuses to make contact. He claims he extends his head to her.
scandal at the SM
The relationship between Saner and Minano is bad – very bad. This became apparent last year during the Swiss championships. In the semi-finals Minano defeated Mark. Shortly afterwards she became Swiss champion.
There were no congratulations from the national coach. “That is very weak,” says Zolliker. A karate insider goes even further: “Her coaching license should be revoked. She has proven several times that she is not neutral.” Lanyfer Minano does not want to comment publicly for the time being.
The best athlete should stay home
The next chapter in the selection issue followed a few weeks ago. This time it was about the team kata. The association selected Melinda Mark, Anina Suter and Elena Blaser for the World Cup in October. Lanyfer Minano, number 31 in the world and therefore the best Swiss woman, is missing from the selection. She is favored over two athletes, Suter and Blase, who are over 200 places behind her in the world rankings. Furthermore, Minano was always ranked better than both in direct comparison at the national tournaments.
Keller explains the non-consideration of Minano this way: “Selecting Lanyfer is not an issue at this time because she is not participating in national training.” Explosive: Blaser is an athlete selected who is not a member of the national team and does not participate in national training.
Suddenly the points argument counts
Minano is still awaiting selection for her first major elite event. Mark can participate in the World Cup this year. Thanks to a lead of 75 points. She earned the points at a tournament in which Minano was not allowed to participate. Certain competitions are closed to the top 32 in the world.
A fact that Keller ignores: “We strictly adhered to the regulations and without any room for interpretation.” Zolliker has to smile. “This time it’s the points argument that counts. Very exciting.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
