INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION CONSTITUTION and GENERAL REGULATIONS 2016 as accepted by the 56th Ordinary Congress June 2016 See also the Special Regulations/Technical Rules Single and Pair Skating / Ice Dance, Synchronized Skating and Speed Skating / Short Track Speed Skating Note: In the Constitution and Regulations, the masculine gender used in relation to any physical person (for example Skater/Competitor, Official, member of an ISU Member etc. or pronouns such as he, they, them) shall, unless there is a specific provision to the contrary, be understood as including the feminine gender 1 INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION Regulations laid down by the following Congresses: 1st Scheveningen 1892 29th Bergen 1961 2nd Copenhagen 1895 30th Helsinki 1963 3rd Stockholm 1897 31st Vienna 1965 4th London 1899 32nd Amsterdam 1967 5th Berlin 1901 33rd Maidenhead 1969 6th Budapest 1903 34th Venice 1971 7th Copenhagen 1905 35th Copenhagen 1973 8th Stockholm 1907 36th Munich 1975 9th Amsterdam 1909 37th Paris 1977 10th Vienna 1911 38th Davos 1980 11th Budapest 1913 39th Stavanger 1982 12th Amsterdam 1921 40th Colorado Springs 1984 13th Copenhagen 1923 41st Velden 1986 14th Davos 1925 42nd Davos 1988 15th Luchon 1927 43rd Christchurch 1990 16th Oslo 1929 44th Davos 1992 17th Vienna 1931 45th Boston 1994 18th Prague 1933 46th Davos 1996 19th Stockholm 1935 47th Stockholm 1998 20th St. Moritz 1937 48th Québec 2000 21st Amsterdam 1939 49th Kyoto 2002 22nd Oslo 1947 50th Scheveningen 2004 23rd Paris 1949 51st Budapest 2006 24th Copenhagen 1951 52nd Monaco 2008 25th Stresa 1953 53rd Barcelona 2010 26th Lausanne 1955 54th Kuala Lumpur 2012 27th Salzburg 1957 55th Dublin 2014 28th Tours 1959 56th Dubrovnik 2016 2 ISU Constitution 2016 INDEX I. General pages Article 1 paragraph 1 Name, Constitution and Legal Status 11 paragraph 2 Validity of Constitution 11 paragraph 3 ISU Members 11 paragraph 4 Provisional ISU Members 11 paragraph 5 Affiliated Clubs 11 paragraph 6 Legal Identity 11 Article 2 paragraph 1 ISU Jurisdiction 12 paragraph 2 Headquarters 12 Article 3 paragraph 1 Objectives 12 paragraph 2 Events 12 paragraph 3 Interference 12 Article 4 paragraph 1 Methods & Activities 13 paragraph 2 Development Program 13 Article 5 paragraph 1 Financial Year 14 paragraph 2 Financial Liabilities 14 paragraph 3 Auditors 14 paragraph 4 Indemnification 14 paragraph 5 Authority 15 paragraph 6 Limitations to commit or legally bind the ISU 15 II. ISU Membership Article 6 paragraph 1 General Requirements 16 paragraph 2 Provisional ISU Membership 16 paragraph 3 Minimum Requirements 17 paragraph 4 ISU Member Separation of Branches 19 paragraph 5 Number of votes 19 paragraph 6 Applications for ISU Membership 19 Paragraph 7 Verification of applicants 20 paragraph 8 ISU Member documentation changes 20 paragraph 9 Acceptance or rejection 20 paragraph 10 Appeals 20 Article 7 paragraph 1 Obligations of ISU Members, their members and 21 participants paragraph 2 Participation 21 paragraph 3 Rights of Provisional ISU Members 21 paragraph 4 Rights of Special Clubs 21 paragraph 5 Provisional ISU Members in ISU Statutes 21 paragraph 6 Sponsorship of Clubs 21 paragraph 7 Obligations of Office Holders, Coordinators, 22 Advisors, Employees and Consultants III. Organization Article 8 Organization 23 A. Congress Article 9 paragraph 1 Meetings of Congress 24 paragraph 2 Participation in meetings of Congress 24 paragraph 3 Representatives of ISU Members 24 3 paragraph 4 Agenda & Procedures Congress 24 paragraph 5 Congress decisions final 24 Article 10 paragraph 1 Place and date of Congress Meetings 25 paragraph 2 Quorum for Congress 25 paragraph 3 Cancellation or postponement 25 paragraph 4-5 Mail vote 25 Article 11 paragraph 1 Alterations in Constitution, Procedural Provisions 26 and General and Special Regulations paragraph 2 Majorities for alterations 26 Article 12 Languages - original text 26 Article 13 paragraph 1-2 Elections - Eligibility for election 27 paragraph 3 Maximum age 28 paragraph 4 Ineligible persons 28 paragraph 5 Special elections to fill vacancies 28 paragraph 6-8 Precedence 28 Article 14 paragraph 1-4 Vacancies 29 paragraph 5 Retirement 29 Article 15 paragraph 1-4 Honorary Members and ISU Awards 30 paragraph 5 ISU Gold Award of Merit 31 paragraph 6 ISU Diploma of Service 31 paragraph 7 Other Awards 31 paragraph 8 Withdrawal of Honorary Awards 32 B. Council Article 16 paragraph 1 Composition 33 paragraph 2 President 33 paragraph 3 Vice Presidents 34 paragraph 4 Advisors to the Council 35 Article 17 paragraph 1 Functions of Council 36 paragraph 2 Council Decisions final 39 paragraph 3 Assistance to the Council 39 C. Director General Article 18 Director General 40 D. Sports Directors Article 19 paragraph 1 General Role Sports Directors 42 paragraph 2 Functions of the Sports Directors 42 paragraph 3 Conditions applicable to Sports Directors 43 E. Technical Committees Article 20 paragraph 1 Number of Technical Committees 44 paragraph 2 Eligibility and Composition 44 paragraph 3 Functions of the Technical Committees 45 F. Athletes Commission Article 21 paragraph 1 Eligibility and composition 47 paragraph 2 Nomination/Election Procedure 48 Paragraph 3 Function of the Athletes Commission 49 G. The Medical Commission Article 22 paragraph 1 Eligibility and Composition 50 paragraph 2 Functions of the Medical Commission 50 H.. Officials Assessment Commission Article 23 Evaluation of Figure Skating Officials 51 4 I. Development Commission Article 24 paragraph 1 Appointment of Development Commission 52 paragraph 2 Development Commission supervision 52 paragraph 3 Development Commission cooperation 52 paragraph 4 Development Commission duties 52 IV. Judicial Bodies Article 25 paragraph 1 Disciplinary Commission 54 paragraph 2 Composition 54 paragraph 3 Independence 54 paragraph 4 Minimum Number of ISU Members – Vacancies 54 paragraph 5 Decisions 55 paragraph 6 Filing of Complaints 55 paragraph 7 Rules of Procedure 55 paragraph 8 Jurisdiction 55 paragraph 9 Sanctions 56 paragraph 10 Doping Case Sanctions 57 paragraph 11 Charges against DC members 57 paragraph 12 Appeals 57 paragraph 13 Effectiveness of appealed decisions 57 V. Arbitration Article 26 Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – Appeals Arbitration paragraph 1 Appeals 58 paragraph 2-6 CAS Jurisdiction 58 Article 27 Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – Ordinary Arbitration paragraph 1 CAS Jurisdiction 59 paragraph 2-4 Requests for Arbitration 59 VI. Communication and Liquidation Article 28 paragraph 1 Communications 60 paragraph 2 Publications of Decisions 60 paragraph 3 Validity of decisions issued in Communications 60 Article 29 paragraph 1-2 Liquidation of ISU 60 VII. Procedural Provisions to the Constitution A. Congress– Organization Article 30 paragraph 1 Invitations 61 paragraph 2 Proposals to Congress 61 paragraph 3-4 Drafting Matters 62 paragraph 5 Urgent Matters 62 paragraph 6 Forums on topics 62 paragraph 7 Call to Order 63 paragraph 8 Attendance of Office Holders 63 paragraph 9 Attendance of Honorary Members 63 paragraph 10 ISU Members Right to vote 63 paragraph 11 Voting at Congress 63 paragraph 12 Notification of participation 64 paragraph 13 Number of representatives 64 paragraph 14 Right to vote for National Associations 64 paragraph 15 Rights of National Associations 65 paragraph 16 Resolutions 65 paragraph 17 Majorities 65 paragraph 18 Chair of Congress meetings 65 5 paragraph 19 Branch meetings 65 paragraph 20 Chairs of Branch meetings 65 paragraph 21 Decision power Congress/Council/Director 65 General/Sports Directors paragraph 22 Proceedings and Minutes 65 paragraph 23 Elections 66 paragraph 24 Elections in case of restricted number of candidates 66 paragraph 25 Valid ballots 66 paragraph 26 First ballot - subsequent ballots 66 paragraph 27 Tie breaking ballot 66 paragraph 28 Order of precedence 66 paragraph 29 Technical operation of elections 66 paragraph 30 Scrutineers 67 B. Congress Agenda Article 31 Congress Agenda 68 C. Speed Skating Branch Agenda Article 32 Speed Skating Branch Agenda 71 D. Figure Skating Branch Agenda Article 33 Figure Skating Branch Agenda 73 E. Council Article 34 Paragraph 1 Minimum number of annual Council meetings 76 Paragraph 2-4 Council meetings and decisions 76 Paragraph 5 Quorum for Council meetings 76 Paragraph 6 Council meeting Agenda 76 Paragraph 7-8 Proposals – Answers through correspondence 76 Paragraph 9 Decisions on ISU Member disputes 77 Paragraph 10 Budget additions 77 Paragraph 11 Confidentiality 77 F. Technical Committees Article 35 paragraph 1 Plan of work 78 paragraph 2-5 Technical Committee meetings and decisions 78 paragraph 6 Information to Technical Committees 78 G. Athletes Commission Article 36 paragraph 1 Plan of work and control 79 paragraph 2 Athletes Commission meetings 79 H. The Medical Commission Article 37 paragraph 1 Plan of work 80 paragraph 2-4 Commission meetings and decisions 80 6 I. Office Holders and Officials Definition and Functions Article 38 paragraph 1 ISU Office Holders 81 paragraph 2 Officials 81 paragraph 3 Functions of the ISU Representative 81 paragraph 4 Functions of the ISU Event Coordinators/ISU 81 Assistant Event Coordinators paragraph 5 Regional Event Coordination Assistants (RECAs - 82 Figure Skating Branch only) paragraph 6 ISU Technical Delegates for the Olympic Winter 82 Games Other Definitions Article 39 paragraph 1 ISU Statutes 83 paragraph 2 Regulations 83 paragraph 3 Branches and Disciplines 83 paragraph 4 ISU Events 84 paragraph 5 Events 84 paragraph 6 Individual Series events 84 paragraph 7 International Competitions/Local Competitions 84 paragraph 8 Competitions 84 paragraph 9 Segments 85 paragraph 10 Distances/Races 85 paragraph 11 Qualifying Rounds (pre-preliminaries, preliminaries, 85 heats, Eight-Finals, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals) & Finals paragraph 12 Age Categories 85 paragraph 13 Skater – Competitor 86 7 ISU General Regulations 2016 INDEX A. General Page Rule No. 100 Definition 86 Affiliated Clubs 86 ISU Events 86 Rights 87 101 Regulations 87 B. Eligibility Rule No. 102 Eligibility Status 88 Definition of an ineligible person 88 Participation of eligible persons 89 Restricted eligibility 89 Payments 90 Trademarks 90 Loss of eligibility 92 103 Reinstatement as an eligible person 94 C.