Opening Address

WDSF President Lukas Hinder

Together with the President of the Italian DanceSport Federation, Christian Zamblera, WDSF President Lukas Hinder addressed the participants and the general public during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 European DanceSport Championship Latin.

This is my second visit to Italy in one month. In June, the WDSF Presidium and the delegates of our Member Bodies met in Rome to discuss and decide how to make DanceSport better. I left your capital with the distinct impression that we did succeed in doing that.

One important catalyst to the inspiration of everyone involved in our meetings was the setting itself: that of Rome, the eternal city. Another was an official address by the Secretary General of CONI that made all of us very proud to be part of DanceSport. It’s not every day that a National Olympic Committee leader praises the strong sides of our sport, pointing to its huge popularity and broad appeal.

Now I have come to Rimini to experience first hand what Signore Fabbricini meant when he told us: "Italian people, young people and the media love you."

This is my first time attending “Sportdance.” The competitions held over eight days in a multitude of disciplines bring some 35,000 dancers to the Adriatic Riveria. A staggering number that literally dwarfs the participation figures of Open Championships held elsewhere in the world. All the more so as I read that overall the event moved in excess of 200,000 people last year.

No wonder that DanceSport has developed into a motor to the tourism industry of the region. It brings thousands of people to Rimini and neighbouring resorts not once, but twice every year. Quality guests fill the hotels, eat out every day and thus become an important economic factor.

I must congratulate FIDS and its President Christian Zamblera for the vision and the initiative in creating what has become the world’s biggest event in DanceSport in less than a decade. What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that it is based on an all-inclusive brand of DanceSport, the one WDSF embraces too.

Among the competitions held over this weekend are two that I would like to single out: the European Latin and the World Senior III Standard are both important events on our calendar. That FIDS has been able to accommodate them into the framework of “Sportdance 2016” is much appreciated by WDSF and will hopefully lead to other championships being considered for future editions.

To the dancers who will compete in both championships – to the 71 couples in the European Latin and to the 404, yes, you heard right: 404 COUPLES in the World Senior III Standard – I wish good luck and good dancing.