International mountaineering and climbing federation UIAA announces to its member organizations that the largest German and Austrian clubs: DAV, OeAV and VAVOe are leaving UIAA.

The letter of the president UIAA, who was sent this week to its national members (incl. to the Czech Mountaineering Union) says, that the German and Austrian clubs will leave UIAA after December 31st 2008. The reason given is that they do not approve of the new constitution because “… It is not the organization where our democratic principles, balance of interests and effective work for the benefit of the member associations and their associated individuals, can be guaranteed”, the UIAA president Mike Mortimer quote the reasons from the German and Austrians letter.

The UIAA president asks if the fact that after 75 years two largest federations will leave the UIAA does portent the end of the UIAA?
And he says that it "is up to us", he reminds the works from the last year e.g. partition from the IFSC, regaining the position with the International Olympic Committee, and promises: "The withdrawal of two of our largest federations will present us with financial challenges but these will be manageable. The board and the management committee will shoulder the challenges given to us by the General Assembly. Our course was charted for us by this body. This is our mandate and we must follow it!."

The full text of the letters:

The letter of the president of UIAA:
 Letter to Federations concerning DAV&Austrians - pdf

The letter of the German and Austrian clubs:
 Letter from DAV_OeAV_VAVOe Dec 2007 - pdf