Competition Policies & Procedures

Sportsmanship All athletes, coaches and family members should conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner throughout the event, whether in competition, at a special event, in the community or in their hotel. Further, all delegates should conduct themselves with the awareness that they are representatives of their family, local program and community, as well as Special Olympics North Carolina.

Statement of Participation – Article I, Section E of the Official Special Olympics Summer Sports Rules Special Olympics seeks to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship and love of participation for their own sake. Special Olympics in its training of coaches and officials believes in the philosophy that every athlete should participate in events that challenge that athlete’s ability level and to his or her fullest potential. This means that in team sports each coach MUST offer every able- bodied and present athlete the opportunity to participate in each game. Failure to do so may subject the team to a forfeit. To the Games and Competition Directors, this means that each games and tournament should offer as many sports as practical and events for all levels of the athletes eligible for Special Olympics.

Divisioning – Article I, Section V of the Official Special Olympics Summer Sports Rules Introduction 1c. The fundamental difference that sets Special Olympics competitions apart from those of other sports organizations is that athletes of all ability levels are encouraged to participate, and every athlete is recognized for his/her performance. Competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in equitable divisions. Historically, Special Olympics has suggested that all divisions be created so that the variance between the highest and lowest scores within that division not differ by more than 15%. This 15% statement is not a rule, but should be used as a guideline for establishing equitable divisions when the number of athletes competing is appropriate.

Responsibilities of the Competitor 2b. Athletes who do not participate honestly and with maximum effort in all preliminary trials and/or finals shall be disqualified from all remaining events by the relevant Sports Rules Committee at the competition.

Responsibilities of the Coach 3e. Coaches shall be honest and instruct athletes to compete with maximum effort in all preliminary trials and/or finals, or s/he will be shall be prohibited from coaching by the relevant Sports Rules Committee at the competition.

3g. Coaches are responsible for assuring that the reported assessments and preliminary or qualifying scores for their athletes accurately reflect the ability of their athletes. If for any reason, this assessment or score is not considered to be correct by the coach, it is the responsibility of the coach to notify the Competition Manager.

Responsibilities of the Competition Manager 4d. The Competition Manager shall disqualify any coach, athlete, or team that has not adhered to the applicable sports divisioning requirements.

Procedures for Divisioning 5a. An athlete’s ability is the primary factor in divisioning Special Olympics competition. The ability of an athlete or team is determined by an entry score from a prior competition or is the result of a seeding round or preliminary event at the competition itself. Other factors that are significant in establishing competitive divisions are age and sex.

Awards It is the intent of this event to provide equitable and safe competition in all sports. Divisions may consist of three to eight athletes or teams. Everyone will not win a medal. Try not to be a coach or supporter who equates success with winning a medal. True success is when an athlete competes to the best of their ability.

Awards ceremonies will be held at each sports venue following competition. Official Special Olympics Games medals will be awarded to first, second and third place finishers, while official ribbons will be awarded to fourth through eighth place finishers.

Athletes who do not successfully complete their event or who are disqualified will receive a participant ribbon.

In the case of a tie, each athlete or team that has achieved the same result shall receive the award for the highest place (e.g., two athletes who tie for second place shall receive the silver medal). Athletes or teams that follow shall receive the appropriate award for their order of finish (e.g., an athlete who crossed the finish line fourth shall receive the fourth place ribbon, regardless of whether or not the athletes who preceded him or her tied).

Competition Protests Emotional displays have no part and serve no useful purpose in this procedure. Competition Managers are volunteers and will be asked not to tolerate any poor sportsman-like behavior associated with filing a protest. Only certified coaches are permitted to file a protest. They must be certified in the sport in which they are filing the protest. The official form and procedures follow. PROTEST PROCEDURES

As in all Olympic-style sport competition, it is the right of any certified coach to file a protest in a situation where he or she feels that their athlete or team has been slighted in a misapplication of the rules. Despite the harsh connotation of the term “protest,” filing such a form does not have to be an emotional dispute, but, should be considered a legitimate tool for the coach to seek clarification of an official’s ruling.

Some key points:

 Before filing a protest, see if the issue might be resolved by speaking directly to the competition manager. Often mistakes in scoring or awards can be corrected on the spot.

 Protest forms are available at each venue’s information table or by requesting one from the competition manger.

 Written protests should be filed no later than 30 minutes after the conclusion of the event (e.g. game/race) being protested and returned to the competition manager.

 The sports rules committee has 30 minutes to respond to the protest.

 If the sports rules committee can not reach a decision, or if the coach remains unsatisfied with the verdict, he or she may appeal to the overall games rules committee. The ruling of this committee is FINAL.

 Despite your “seeing something better than the officials,” judgment calls may not be protested if the rule in question is defined as a judgment call. In these situations, the protest will be denied.

 Keep emotions in check. Despite the disappointment that often accompanies the urge to file a protest, nothing will be gained by verbally attacking the official in question. Calmly seek clarification, and if unsatisfied, file the protest. Aggressive confrontations receive little sympathy from rules committees and certainly sets up the athlete/team for an even more disappointing outcome.

 Use the evaluation form. While there are relatively few legitimate protests, there are always areas that can be improved upon regarding a competition, the quality of officials, or the rules themselves. If an issue comes up that concerns you, please take a few minutes to note it on your evaluation form.

Revised 06/11/03 Special Olympics North Carolina Competition Protest Form

Must be submitted by a certified coach to the competition manager no later than 30 minutes after the conclusion of the event being protested (e.g. game/race). The protest will then be brought to the sport rules committee who will respond within 30 minutes. All protests are brought to the attention of the SONC Games Director.

Date:______Time Submitted:______

Sport:______Facility/Site:______

Event:______Heat/Division (if applicable):______

Certified Coach Submitting Protest:

Delegation:

Team or Athlete’s Name:

Reason for Protest/Rule Cited:

Signature of Certified Coach:

(Official Use Only)

Decision of sport rules committee: Approved: Denied:

Explanation:

Signed: Time:

Completed form must be returned to the SONC Games Director at the conclusion of the event. Revised 9/13/01 Special Olympics North Carolina Athlete Code of Conduct

All Special Olympics athletes are expected to abide by the following code of conduct:

Sportsmanship Every Special Olympics athlete shall:  practice good sportsmanship.  act respectfully to other athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators.  not use bad language, swear or insult other persons.  not fight with other athletes, coaches, volunteers or staff.

Training and Competition Every Special Olympics athlete shall:  train regularly as determined by the coach.  learn and follow the rules of his/her sport.  listen to the coaches and officials and ask questions when necessary.  always try the best when training, divisioning and competing.  not “hold back” in preliminaries just to get into an easier final heat.

Responsibility for Actions Every Special Olympics athlete shall:  not make inappropriate or unwanted physical, verbal, or sexual advances on others.  not smoke in non-smoking areas.  not drink alcohol, use illegal drugs or possess weapons at Special Olympics functions/events.  not take drugs for the purpose of improving one’s performance.  obey all laws and Special Olympics rules and policies.

Code of Conduct Violations If a Special Olympics athlete violates any part of the code of conduct, Special Olympics may impose disciplinary actions. COACH CODE OF CONDUCT

Coaches for Special Olympics North Carolina must accept and carry out the following specific responsibilities:

 Strive to set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct with the athletes, officials, other coaches, volunteers, local program coordinators, media, Special Olympics North Carolina Staff and the public.  Place the health and safety of Special Olympics athletes above all else.  Not engage in any inappropriate contact or relationship with Special Olympics North Carolina athletes or volunteers.  Respect and abide by deadlines established by all levels of the organization.  Prepare practice plans for each session. Plans should include, but not be limited, to practice schedules, warm ups, fundamental skill instruction, practice drills, instruction of competition and rules, conditioning, scrimmages, and cool down.  Conduct regular practices that assist in the development of each athletes’ physical skills.  Assess each athlete’s skill level in order to place him/her in situations where s/he has maximum opportunities to achieve.  Understand that all athlete participation forms and parent release forms must be updated and on file prior to training. Athlete participation forms should accompany the coach during all training sessions and competitions.  Ensure that athletes compete in events within their sport that challenge their potential and are appropriate to their ability. Coaches should be honest and instruct athletes to compete with maximum effort in all preliminary trials and /or finals, or s/he shall be prohibited from coaching by the relevant Rules Committee at the competition.  Execute the legal duties of a coach:  Properly plan the activity  Evaluate athletes for injury and  Provide proper instruction incapacity  Provide safe physical  Supervise the activity closely environment  Warn of inherent risks  Provide adequate and proper  Provide appropriate emergency equipment assistance  Match athletes fairly by ability level  Provide for the general welfare, safety, health, well being and conduct of each athlete in your charge.  Make sure athletes are properly attired.  Make sure athletes know and compete by the sport rules.  Make sure athletes are assembled at the proper time and place for events.  Dress and act in a professional manner at all times.  Prohibit intoxicating or mind-altering substances such as alcohol and illegal drugs.  Follow the established rules and guidelines of Special Olympics North Carolina, Special Olympics Incorporated and/or any agency involved with Special Olympics North Carolina.  Display good sportsmanship and ensure that athletes demonstrate good sportsmanship.

Inappropriate Behavior Behavior that has a reasonable likeliness to jeopardize the health, safety and/or well being of self or others, and/or has a reasonable likelihood to reflect badly on the organization will result in a warning, probation, suspension, or expulsion from SONC.