I note the comments on this thread by a number of CQWW Committee members,
although except for K5ZD they do not identify themselves as such. Two
notes/questions:
1. Why was the decision on Crimea made by CQ Magazine's K2MGA and W2VU
instead of by the Committee?
2. What was the necessity for a change of rules in the middle of the CQWW
contests (CQWW RTTY already had run; CQWW Phone was 7 days away), given
that the CQ contest rules themselves incorporate the DXCC rules (see Rule
IV.C.2.) and the DXCC Administrator has clearly interpreted the DXCC rules
on this very issue for awards and competitions?
In other words, why remove the decision from your own expert committee in
the middle of the contests to change longstanding reliance on the DXCC
rules (+ WAE & IG9 special case)?
In my opinion, the ARRL got it as right as is possible given the situation,
and CQ should have followed the more expert opinion of ARRL. DXCC sees
this type of issue too frequently, and has well established precedent as
well as expertise. (For ARRL competitions and DXCC, stations in the
disputed area count as Russia if using their Russian-issued license,
Ukraine if using their Ukrainian-issued license.)
Disqualifying a whole group of radio amateur contesters solely because they
live in a certain geographic area is a first in my 50 years as a ham, and
not something the U.S. government, U.N, or the EU has in any way suggested
either directly or indirectly by any of their policies or otherwise.
This by no means should be mis-interpretted that I approve the actions that
resulted in this situation. Something like the settlement of the
Danish-German border should be a model. Rules were agreed among all sides,
a fully fair and free vote held, and the line drawn according to the vote
as agreed. Not everyone was happy, of course. Some Danes ended up with
homes in Germany, and some Germans ended up with homes in Denmark, but
everyone accepted the result. Generations later the border remains as
voted, although you can hardly tell because there are no guards and
everyone enjoys complete freedom of travel.
73
Dave K3ZJ
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