INTERNATIONAL ORIENTEERING FEDERATION

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL ORIENTEERING FEDERATION Minutes of COUNCIL MEETING No. 168 Place Helsinki, Finland Date January 2014 Participants Brian Porteous (BWP) President Leho Haldna (LH) Senior Vice President Mike Dowling (MD) Vice President Astrid Waaler Kaas (AWK) Vice President Owe Fredholm (OF) Member Tatiana Kalenderoglu (TK) Member Timo Ritakallio (TR) Member Niklaus Suter (NS) Member Maria Silvia Viti (MSV) Member Dominic Yue (DY) Member Laszlo Zentai (LZ) Member Barbro Rönnberg (BR) Anna Jacobson (AJ) Björn Persson (BP) Riikka Tolkki (RT) Secretary General Assistant Secretary General Sports Director Sports Administrator Invitations Mikko Salonen (MS) FOC Chairman (agenda item 168/17.5.4) Áron Less (AL) FOC Member (agenda item 168/17.5.4) Sandor Talas (ST) MTBOC Chairman (19.1) Håkan Blomgren (HB) ITC Member (agenda item 168/22) 1 Opening 2 Approval of agenda Brian Porteous formally opened the meeting. The agenda was approved, with the following additions: 28.1 Motto 28.2 Recognition award It was agreed that any further proposals from the Commissions be added to the agenda as required. 3 Approval of previous minutes The minutes of Council meeting 167 held on October 2013 were approved as a true record of that meeting. 4 To note decisions taken by since Council meeting No Decisions taken by Council No decisions had been taken since the previous Council meeting. 1

2 4.2 Decisions taken by the ESB 5 Correspondence 29 Oct: The ESB ruled on the FOC s proposal for appointment of SEAs and ASEAs and decided to appoint: - Sixten Sild (EST) SEA for the 2014 Asian OC in Kazakhstan - Roman Zbranek (CZE) SEA Assistant for the 2014 JWOC in Bulgaria - Felix Büchi (SUI) SEA for the 2015 WCup events in Norway - Cesare Tarabocchia (ITA) SEA and János Sümegi (HUN) SEA Assistant for the 2016 JWOC in Switzerland - Hannu Pyy (FIN) SEA Assistant for the 2016 WMOC in Estonia - David Rosen (GBR) SEA for the 2014 NAOC in Canada. See also the below note. Because of the Council decision that IOF Commission Chairmen should not act as SEAs for IOF major events, the ESB did not endorse the FOC s proposal to appoint David Rosen (Rules Commission Chair) SEA for the 2016 WMOC in Estonia. However, in view of the urgency of appointing an SEA for the 2014 NAOC in Canada and because of the intended EA Clinic, the ESB agreed to appoint him SEA for this event. 6 Nov: The ESB approved the World Cup Special Rules 2014 by three votes in favour and one against. At the request of Mike Dowling, the ESB agreed to note that the reason behind the different views was that it is a deviation from adopted Council policy to count the scores from all events for the total World Cup score. 20 Nov: The ESB unanimously approved the SOC s proposals for Special Rules for SkiO World Ranking Events and Start allocation method for major SkiO events. 22 Nov: The ESB unanimously approved SOC s proposal that Antti Myllärinen be appointed to replace Tommy Jauhojärvi as SEA for the SkiO WCup Round 1 in Finland for the latter part of the event, i.e. for the period 5 8 December Dec: Due to the first event of the SkiO WCup round in Finland having to be declared void, the organiser offered to organise a replacement event. The ESB unanimously approved the proposed changes to the programme as follows: - 5 Dec: Event 2: Mixed sprint relay - 6 Dec: Event 3: Long distance mass start - 7 Dec: Event 1: Middle distance individual start (replacement for Middle distance mass start on 4 th December) - 8 Dec: Event 4: Sprint 16 Dec: The ESB unanimously approved the FOC s proposal for ROC dates as follows: - Asian Orienteering Championships 2014 KAZ, September - North American Orienteering Championships 2014 CAN, October - Oceania Orienteering Championships 2015 AUS, 2-11 January 10 Jan 2014: The ESB unanimously approved the FOC s proposal to appoint Jari Kymäläinen (FIN) SEA for the 2016 WMOC in Estonia. 5.1 International University Sports Federation (FISU) FISU proposed to the IOF that the existing collaboration convention signed in 2008 be updated, and the revision process commenced. The IOF communicated to FISU its assessment of the Russian bid to host the World University Championships in ski orienteering in 2016 and submitted to FISU its proposal for a candidate to be appointed FISU Technical Delegate for ski orienteering. 2

3 5.2 International Military Sports Council (CISM) Correspondence relating to the orienteering events included in the Military World Games to be held in Mungyeong, Korea in International Olympic Committee (IOC) Information received from the IOC that the 2013 subsidy of 25,000 USD had been paid out to the IOF. 6 Membership applications 7 President s report No applications for membership had been received. BWP informed Council that the programme of future Olympic Games and the related evaluation processes would be discussed at the IOC meetings to be held in conjunction with the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Due to the pending decision on the evaluation process, the intended meeting with the IOC Sports Department representatives about the 2022 Games has been further postponed. Meanwhile, the work to improve ski orienteering s chances to be a serious contender for the Games has continued on other fronts. The efforts to identify a main sponsor continue, and several avenues are currently being investigated. The programme of the IF Forum held in Lausanne, Switzerland on November 2013 focused on key issues in the areas of social media and event management. COUNCIL WORKING PRACTICES 8 Review of the implementation of the Activity Plan The Council reviewed the Activity Plan, paying particular attention to areas where it seems unlikely that the target set for current Congress period will be reached. BR will update the document and circulate it to Council for review and further updates prior to the March Council meeting. 9 Joint Council-Commission meeting The Council noted the programme of the joint meeting and expressed its satisfaction that Matthias Merz, the recently appointed co-ordinator of the Athletes Commission in foot orienteering had accepted to make a presentation. Council also noted that a separate meeting would be held with the Commission chairmen. FOCUS ON KEY OUTCOMES 10 Strategic initiatives in the Activity Plan 10.1 Provisional members, actions required The Council agreed that an assessment of the current level of activity in each of the provisional member federations be made prior to the next meeting. According to the IOF Statutes approved in 2010, a provisional member can only retain this status for two consecutive Congress periods. Depending on the results of the assessment, the Council may then determine to extend the provisional membership with one further Congress period or, alternatively, decide to upgrade or expel a member. 3

4 The Council agreed that, to qualify for the status of member, a federation must organise annual National Championships in at least one orienteering discipline. The federation must also have rules, policies and programmes that are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and the IOF Anti-Doping Rules. Further, the federation is required to provide the IOF with a report on the development of the sport in the country since its admission to provisional membership of the IOF Start-up kit project The Council noted that Zoran Milovanovic, with the assistance of AJ, had prepared a first outline of the start-up package for new and emerging countries. Council approved the proposed concept and expressed its appreciation for the work. The draft work plan is expected to be ready in March. 11 Status reports on development in the regions 12 Academies and Clinics 13 Potential new members YOUNG PEOPLE Council took note of reports on ongoing and future development projects in the regions. The preparations of the WOC clinic to be held in conjunction with the World Orienteering Championships in Italy are proceeding, and the cooperation with the O-Ringen Academy will continue. Requests for support for Event Adviser clinics and development projects have been received from the Commissions. The Council noted AWK s report, and approved the proposed principles for allocation of financial support for the projects. Since the previous Council meeting Albania, Singapore and Nepal have indicated that they are interested in becoming members of the IOF and that they work towards achieving the admission criteria. Council also noted Macao s wish to become a member of the IOF but, as the Macao Olympic Committee still remains unrecognised by the IOC, affiliation with the IOF is currently not possible. 14 Status report on project activities MSV presented the new guidelines for the European Union s integrated programmes in the fields of education, training and youth for the years The Council noted the report. POSITION ON THE WORLD SPORTING STAGE 15 IOF World Ranking 15.1 Status report In November 2013, the IOF World Ranking service provider 6prog informed the IOF about its decision not to continue to operate the system after the end of the year. A new service provider was identified and the work to establish the new ranking system commenced. The new official IOF Foot Orienteering World Ranking is expected to be fully operational in March. The World Ranking for ski orienteering continues to be operated by 6prog until the end of the season Guiding rules for the IOF World Ranking scheme Guiding rules for the new IOF World Ranking scheme are being developed. 4

5 The Council noted the need for a decision as to which ranking list to be used for the start lists at the upcoming World Cup round in Turkey. The work to integrate MTB orienteering and ski orienteering World Ranking Events in the new system remains to be done. 16 Political agenda for our Olympic ambitions 17 IOF event organisers The matter had been dealt with under agenda item Applications to host IOF Events 17.2 Appointments RT presented a summary of event applications received by the deadline 1 January The Council noted the report and decided that the application deadline would be extended to 15 March 2014 for those major events not having been applied for. As regards the 2018 WOC Council decided that, in addition to re-opening the application process, a working group with the task of identifying and approaching possible candidate organisers be established. It was determined to appoint Mikko Salonen leader, and BP and MD members of the group. Further, the Council agreed to initiate a thorough analysis of both the current WOC concept and of the split-woc model proposed by the Nordic federations at the General Assembly in 2012, and of any other possible concepts. The aim of the review would not be to make any changes in the short term, but to provide a solid background for future strategy deliberations. It was determined that the working group and also a reference group be set up in March FootO World Cup 2016 Due to the World Cup programme for 2016 not yet being complete, the matter was not dealt with at this meeting European SkiO Championships (ESOC) and World Masters SkiO Championship (WMSOC) 2015 The Council appointed Switzerland organiser of the 2015 ESOC and WMSOC and approved the proposed dates, i.e January Review of the IOF competition programme, road map The matter will be dealt with at the March Council meeting Sprint Relay World Cup 2015 The FOC proposed to Council that the Sprint Relay World Cup series in 2015 be official, and that no sanction fee be introduced for Sprint Relay races organised in conjunction with other World Cup events. The Council approved the proposal Event dates and programme World TrailO Championships (WTOC) 2015 The Trail Orienteering Committee had submitted to the Council its proposal for dates and programme of the 2015 WTOC in Croatia. The proposal was accompanied by the 5

6 Championship organiser s request for a rules deviation to allow for the Tempo qualification and final to be held on separate days. According to the valid competition rules, the qualification and the final shall be held on the same day. Noting that both the Senior Event Adviser and the TOC had declared support for the request, Council approved the rules deviation. Council also approved the proposed event dates and the programme. The WTOC will be held in the period June European Orienteering Championships (EOC)/European Trail Orienteering Championships (ETOC) 2016 The Council approved the proposal for dates of the 2016 EOC and ETOC in the Czech Republic. The events will be held in the period May World Cup 2015, Round 2 The Council approved the programme of the World Cup 2015 Round 2 in Sweden and Norway as follows: 3 June Long distance in Norway (Halden) 5 June Sprint relay in Norway (Halden) 6 June Sprint distance in Sweden (Lysekil) 7 June Middle distance in Sweden (Uddevalla) World Orienteering Championships (WOC) 2017 FOC Chairman Mikko Salonen and FOC Member Áron Less informed Council that the organiser of the 2017 WOC would like to stage the event in the first week of July. If the proposal is approved, it would imply that WOC is organised prior to, instead of after the JWOC which is the traditional pattern. In accordance with the IOF s recommendation, all JWOC applicants have applied to organise the event in the second week of July. FOC therefore asked Council for guidance on the feasibility of changing the order of the events. Should Council agree to change the order, and to approve the proposed dates, it would also mean a deviation from the recently approved IOF policy regarding conflicting event dates. There would only be a couple of days between the two events while the policy states that the prohibited period is one week. After a brief discussion, the Council decided that the 2017 WOC be organised in the period 1 7 July as requested by the organiser. As regards the conflicting event dates, Council stressed that, whenever possible, the prohibited periods outlined in the policy should be adhered to. In particular circumstances, Council may however allow for some flexibility SEA report, World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) Reports The Council discussed the 2014 WMOC issues raised by AWK. It was noted that the Senior Event Adviser s proposal for appointment of two Assistant SEAs is being considered by the FOC and that the Event Supervisory Board (ESB) will be asked to take the decision. The IOF Office assists the organiser with promotion of the event. RT informed Council of the standard procedures for dealing with SEA reports. The Council took note of the following reports: 18.1 IF Forum (SUI) 18.2 World Conference on Doping in Sport (RSA) 18.3 SkiO World Cup, round 1 (FIN) 6

7 19 Competition rules 19.1 Revised qualification process for allocation of WMTBOC start slots The MTBO Commission Chairman Sandor Talas was invited to present the revised proposal for a new WMTBOC Long Distance qualification system, Thanking ST for the presentation, Council commented that the outlined changes had brought the proposal more into line with the requirements. A few issues with political dimension would however still need to be looked at. Each nation should be guaranteed one place in the A-final, and the home nation should get a minimum of three places. A country should not get more than six places in the A-final except that, in addition, the reigning world champion would have a personal place. ST responded that it would not cause any problems to implement these principles in the system. Council asked ST to rewrite the document so as to include the agreed principles and also the reasons behind the decision to propose a change to the qualification model that had been introduced only one year earlier. The Office will then circulate the revised document to Council for approval by before it is sent to the federations for consultation Rules for the North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC) The Council approved the rules for the North American Orienteering Championships Rules deviation request, electronic punching The Council considered the 2014 WOC organiser s request for a rules deviation to allow for the use of the SportIdent Air+ touch-free punching system for the WOC Sprint Relay. Both the IOF Event Advising Team and the Foot Orienteering Commission had supported the request. It was decided to allow the organiser to use the SportIdent Air+ punching system for the WOC Sprint Relay. The approval does not imply a general approval of the system for IOF Major Events Embargo principles BP asked Council for guidance regarding the interpretation of the embargo policy. The valid Competition Rules (rule 26.6) state: The organiser shall bar from the competition any competitor who is so well acquainted with the terrain or the map, that the competitor would have a substantial advantage over other competitors. The rules do not state anything specific about the consequences of the embargo violation. A strict interpretation of the rule is that the athlete or the team is barred from participation in the entire Championship, while another interpretation might be that the athlete or the team is barred from competition only in the area where the violation of embargo has been committed. BP said that, with the development of the sport, World Championships are now organised in urban areas where people live, study and work. Due to this, he felt that the very strict interpretation in some cases might be impractical and he hence asked Council for guidance regarding the feasibility of introducing a more relaxed embargo rule. Having discussed the matter, Council agreed on the principle that an individual or a team should be barred from competition in the area where the violation of embargo has been committed, but not from other WOC competitions organised outside the embargoed area. The discipline commissions will be asked to assist with the formalisation of the new interpretation Emit Touch-Free Punching system for World Ranking Events in MTB orienteering Emit had submitted to the IOF an application for provisional approval of the Emit Touch-Free punching system for World Ranking events in MTB orienteering. The Rules Commission, the 7

8 20 Protocol guide MTBO Commission and the IT Commission had considered the application and agreed to recommend to Council that approval be granted. The Council decided accordingly. In light of the feedback received from the Athletes Commissions on the decision regarding the podium places, the Council determined to once more revisit this matter. It was noted that a new proposal relating to the same issue had also been received from the MTBO Commission. Following a lengthy discussion on the issue, Council unanimously reiterated that it is of utmost importance for the image of the sport that the prize-giving ceremonies are worthy and professional. Due to different opinions on the matter, a vote was taken on the number of podium places in each of the relevant competitions and formats. By voting 6 in favour, 4 against and no abstentions Council decided that six athletes be allowed on the podium in individual World Championship events and in the overall World Cup. In World Championship relays and, where applicable, in the overall World Cup relays, the three best teams will be on the podium. Votes: 7 in favour, 3 against and no abstentions. By voting 6 in favour, 4 against and no abstentions, Council decided that, in Junior World Championships, the six best individual athletes and six best relay teams will be on the podium. The decision taken on the medal ceremonies implies that, in the flower ceremony, only the three best athletes and teams will be awarded. AJ informed Council that the Office would also make a few other minor improvements to the wording of the Protocol Guide, the aim of which would be to clarify that some items are mandatory only for World Championships. 21 Rules project, status report LH gave an update on the work to revise the IOF rules. LH and David Rosen (DR) had agreed to divide up the work so that DR is responsible for restructuring the existing competition rules and LH is responsible for the general rules that are common for all disciplines. The draft version of the rules will be presented to Council at the March meeting Proposal for paragraph relating to high altitude AWK proposed that a paragraph relating to competing at high altitude be included in the competition rules. It was noted that, following the discussion at the previous Council meeting, the Medical Commission had been asked to comment and, in its initial response, stated that competing at high altitude does not pose any significant risk to the athletes. The Council asked that the Medical Commission be asked to look further into this and other relevant issues related to the health of the athletes. 22 IOF services to event organisers BWP welcomed Håkan Blomgren (HB) to the meeting and invited him to give a presentation on the IT services project. In his presentation, HB stated that the first phase of the project had been completed in October, and interested service providers had then been invited to submit to the IOF their proposals by 1 December From among the proposals received by the deadline, the 8

9 23 IOF LiveCenter project INCREASED VISIBILITY project group had shortlisted two providers for a further evaluation of the respective technical solutions, and of the cost of the systems for the IOF and for the organisers using the services. After meetings held with both the shortlisted vendors, the project group had agreed to propose to the Council to continue the negotiations with one of them. The reason for choosing this particular vendor is that the system has been up and running for several years, and that it has been used in a number of countries. Further, the system has the required functionalities and an open IPA which is easy for programmers, and the costs are considered to be reasonable. BWP thanked HB for his work and invited LH to present the intended way of financing the services. LH said that the developed financing model would comprise three different elements. An athlete s licence would be required for participation in IOF events. The organisers using the system would pay a service fee which would either be additional, or included in an already introduced fee. In addition to these two main sources of income, the system might be attractive for sponsors, although this income would not be significant. The Council agreed that the discussions with the proposed vendor be continued. The detailed requirements shall be developed, and the schedule, costs and payment conditions which would form the basis for a possible contract shall be defined. LH said that, today, live information on IOF Major Events is available on the respective organiser s homepage and the presentation and quality of information varies. There are end users willing to pay for such service, and the IOF should consider providing high quality live tracking, streaming and results service from its events. To investigate the feasibility of the idea, LH had initiated discussions with a company able to provide the said services. A pilot IOF LiveCenter project sponsored by a company, and providing online GPS tracking and results from ski orienteering events has been running since November. During the pilot period ending in March, the use of the IOF LiveCenter is free. A final report on the pilot project will be presented to Council in March. 24 TV Project, status report BWP reported that information on the broadcasts from the 2014 WOC and a rate card had been sent to the member federations. Provided that the interest in obtaining the broadcast is big enough to bring together the finances required for the whole package, there will be more than 12 hours of live or re-live coverage of all the WOC finals. Discussions with the 2015 WOC organiser continue with the aim of providing a similar package. Council noted that there will be live TV broadcasts from the European Ski Orienteering Championships in Tyumen, Russia. STRONG MANAGEMENT AND FUNDING 25 Finance 25.1 End-of-year 2013, preliminary financial report The Council noted the preliminary end-of-year 2013 Balance Sheet and the Income and Expenditure Account, noting that the deficit is likely to be somewhat bigger than the budgeted 9

10 52,400 EUR. Council directed thanks to AJ, who successfully had approached the Finnish Ministry of Education with a request for financial support. For 2013, a grant of 20,000 EUR had been received. The grant is to be used towards staff costs. The Ministry is likely to allocate to the IOF financial support for this purpose also in future Budget 2014 review LH and BR had revised the original budget figures to match the actual situation. The Council approved the revised 2014 budget showing a surplus of 34,700 EUR. As requested at the previous Council meeting, the Office will continue to look into the issue of identifying and taking appropriate cost-saving measures Liability insurance BR reported that a new quote had been received from the JLT insurance company. The Council agreed that the IOF should accept the quote and that the liability insurance should preferably come into effect on 1 March Membership fees LH reminded Council that, in 2012, the membership fee structure had been somewhat adjusted fit the new membership structure adopted by the 2010 General Assembly, and that the number of fee groups had been increased to eight. For the years , LH proposed to retain the general fee structure and to increase the fees by 2% to compensate for the inflation. The Council approved LH s proposal. LH, MD, AWG, BR and AJ were asked to make an evaluation of the member federations as a basis for determining the appropriate fee group for each of them. The final membership fee proposal shall be presented to Council for approval at the March meeting Budget LH presented a first draft version of the budget for the years 2015 and The Council discussed LH s proposal that a Sports Director be employed to work for ski orienteering on a semi-voluntary basis during the winter season. LH was asked to prepare a paper describing the role and the related costs for Council to assess the feasibility of the proposal. It was noted that, in future, a Sports Director would also need to be considered for MTB orienteering. LH will prepare the budget proposal for further discussion and finalisation at the March Council meeting IOF Athletes Licence system LH presented a proposal for introduction of an IOF Athletes Licence, which would be required for participation in IOF Events. He said that a licence system is essential for the professional management of a sports federation. It is not a major source of income but the decision to introduce such a system will, however, have implications for the budget and also for the rules. LH, MD and AJ were asked to prepare a proposal for the next Council meeting Sponsorship issues, status report The issue had been dealt with under agenda item The 2014 General Assembly 26.1 General Assembly invitation and preliminary agenda The Council noted the General Assembly invitation and the preliminary agenda. 10

11 26.2 Pre-General Assembly seminar The programme of the Pre-GA seminar will be decided at the next Council meeting Council elections, nomination procedures It was noted that the call for nomination of Council candidates had been circulated together with the General Assembly invitation. The deadline for Council nominations is the same as for proposals, i.e. 10 March Activity Plan The Council discussed the preparation of the Activity Plan and agreed to pay particular attention to the formulation of the tasks and, as far as possible, seek to define measurable targets. AWK will produce a first draft of the Activity Plan by 15 February, and the Council members responsible for the various areas will be asked to develop it further. A revised version of the draft will then be circulated to the entire Council for further comments IOF Congress and Council term LH presented the proposals for changes to the IOF Statutes. At its October meeting, Council had decided that, in future any member, not only the World Orienteering Championship organiser, be allowed to apply for the IOF Congress. The General Assembly will continue to appoint the organiser and there is no need to amend the Statutes in this regard. At the October meeting, Council also agreed not to change the length of the Congress period but to stay with the current 2-year period. Council discussed, and approved, LH s revised proposal for an extension of the Council term from two to four years. He proposed to introduce a system where Council elections continue to be held every second year, but each time only half of the Council members will be up for election. This will guarantee that no more than 55% of the Council members change at the same time. The Council agreed to propose that the new election model be implemented in Other matters, Council proposals No other proposals were suggested. 27 Representation at events and conferences in AOB 28.1 Motto The Council noted the preliminary list of persons to represent the IOF at events and conferences in It was noted that, except for the World Cup Final, no formal IOF representative would be appointed for the other World Cup events. Should a Council or Commission member be present at an event because of other reasons, this person is naturally allowed to officiate as requested by the organiser. LH informed Council that Mati Poom, Estonia, had suggested that the IOF should consider creating a motto. The Council agreed that the issue be considered in conjunction with the process of creating a marketing strategy for the IOF: 11

12 28.2 Recognition award At the October meeting, the Council had decided that the IOF would create a special award in recognition of Simone Niggli s outstanding contributions to orienteering. BWP suggested introducing a Simone Niggli Trophy that would each year be awarded to the most promising junior in foot orienteering. Nominations would be called for, and a shortlist of three candidates would be made. The final decision would then be made by Simone Niggli and the IOF President. Council approved the proposal. BWP will ask the President of the Swiss Orienteering Federation for his views on the matter before presenting to Council the detailed proposal for decision-making Addition of classes to the JWOC programme MSV had proposed to FOC to consider adding a separate class for younger athletes to the JWOC programme. Council noted, and agreed with FOC s recommendation not to add more classes. It was however felt that organisers of regional and sub-regional events should be encouraged to promote participation of young athletes. 29 Future Council meetings, dates and venues March 2014, Helsinki, FIN July 2014, Trentino-Veneto, ITA (In conjunction with the 2014 WOC & WTOC) 30 Closure of the meeting President Brian Porteous thanked the participants and formally closed the meeting. Brian Porteous President Barbro Rönnberg Secretary General 12