Official Code of Conduct
AOA Officials are governed by the Alpine Canada Alpin Officials Code of Conduct.
Alpine ski officials shall demonstrate high standards of judgment and competency as they represent Alpine Canada and their provincial alpine associations at all times. The hallmarks of good officials are promptness, firmness and justice, tempered by tact and consideration.
Officials must be impartial and must supervise and control an event in a manner that reflects the spirit and intent of the rules and regulations. They will provide a competition that will preserve the health and safety of all involved. They will do their utmost to guarantee that each competitor receives an equal and fair opportunity to win. They will promote sportsmanship and an atmosphere of enjoyment.
Officials must maintain high standards of moral and ethical conduct that includes self-controlled responsible behavior, consideration for others’ physical and emotional well-being, courtesy and good manners.
Officials must abstain from the use of illegal drugs and the consumption of alcohol while in the performance of their duties as a representative of Alpine Canada and their provincial alpine associations.
Officials must refrain from the use of profane, insulting, harassing or otherwise offensive language in the conduct of his/her duties.
Officials should both teach and learn with every assignment. Officials should exhibit and promote respect, understanding and compassion towards hosts, competitors, coaches and volunteers no matter where they are on the learning curve.
Officials must not engage in “on” or “off” the record criticism of race organizations, competitors, coaches and volunteers to the public or to other alpine skiing organizations. In giving event feedback to race organization, competitors, coaches and volunteers, officials shall make suggestions that are constructive, founded and relevant to the improvement of ski racing.
Disciplinary action against officials
If an official appears to have exhibited behavior or conduct that is contrary to the code of conduct and the parties concerned cannot resolve the matter informally, the following procedure shall be followed for all nationally-sanctioned events. Any complaints arising from a FIS-sanctioned event will be dealt with through the procedures established by the International Ski Association (FIS).
A complaint in writing describing the issue shall be submitted to the appropriate officials’ chair of the appropriate governing body:
| LEVEL | AUTHORITY |
|---|---|
| FIS | FIS TD Commissioner for Canada |
| National championships | Alpine Canada Officials’ chair |
| Provincial championships | PSO officials’ chair |
| PSO and divisional events | PSO officials’ chair |
| Local event | Regional or zone officials’ chair |
Lodging a complaint:
The appropriate officials’ chair shall review the submission and if they feel the matter warrants it, they shall establish a committee of three persons to consider whether action should be taken against the official. The chair may or may not be a member of the committee. The members of the committee should be drawn from persons experienced with ski racing.
Should the officials’ chair, after reviewing the submission, feel that further action is not warranted, they shall communicate their decision in writing to the parties concerned explaining why. A copy of this decision will also be sent to the board (or an appropriate official) of the governing body.
Review by a committee:
A duly-constituted committee will determine the manner in which it will pursue an investigation of all relevant details concerning the complaint. The committee may invite further submissions from the parties, written or other; it may invite the parties to appear before it and provide oral evidence; it may seek information from anyone in addition to the parties who it feels may shed light on the matter; it may pursue any other avenue that in the committee’s opinion, would enable them to reach an informed decision. In all matters, the official shall be fully informed of the nature of the complaint and the evidence discovered through the investigation and be given an opportunity to respond in whatever manner the committee deems appropriate.
After considering all relevant information, the committee will decide whether or not the complaint is justified and communicate that in writing to the parties with reasons for the decision. A copy of this decision will also be sent to the board (or an appropriate official) of the governing body.
Should the committee determine that actions of the official have violated the code of conduct, the committee may impose whatever consequences they feel appropriate including but not limited to: a sanction, direction for remedial training, reprimand, probation, revocation of participation privileges and/or loss of credentials.
Appeal of a decision:
The decision taken by the appropriate officials’ chair as to whether a complaint should proceed or of a review committee as to whether a breach of code has occurred, may be appealed by either party as outlined below:
The process for considering an appeal shall follow that of a complaint other than decisions by the national officials’ chair/review committee.
Where a decision of the national officials’ chair or a review committee brought together by the national officials’ chair is subject to an appeal, that appeal will be considered by the entire national officials’ committee excluding the chair and any members who were involved with the review committee, as the case may be. Decisions of the national officials’ committee are final and not subject to further review.