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WOLRD DRUG FREE POWERLIFTING
CONSTITUTION
Article
I
Section 1.1 Name. The name of the
organization shall be the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation, hereinafter
referred to as the Federation or as the W.D.F.P.F.
Section 1.2 Official Emblem and
Seal. The WDFPF’s Official Emblem
and Seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Federation and shall be
in such form as may be approved from time to time by the Executive Committee.
Section 1.3
Purpose. The WDFPF is
organized and is being operated exclusively to foster international amateur
drug free powerlifting competition. No
part of the Federation’s activity shall involve the provision of athletic
facilities or equipment. As part of its
purpose of fostering international amateur drug free powerlifting, the
Federation shall have authority to develop, promote, and regulate the sport,
certify international drug free amateur powerlifting teams and clubs, organize
officials, present seminars in instruction for powerlifters and officials,
sanction international drug free powerlifting meets, maintain world records,
publish a newsletter and otherwise encourage the growth of the sport.
Anything to the contrary not withstanding,
the Federation shall not have any authority to perform any function not allowed
organizations organized and operated to foster world amateur sports
competitions as defined by international law.
Article
II
Section 2.1 Membership in the
Federation. The membership of the
Federation consists of two divisions:
A. Group, which
consists of National Associations who have made application with the WDFPF,
have at least four members, have paid the membership fee of one hundred dollars
($100.00 U.S.) plus one dollar ($1.00) per registered national member, and have
been voted to be accepted by existing member nations.
B.
National
Association. National Associations
members are and shall be the recognized powerlifting committee of the
International Associations of the WDFPF.
Membership in the powerlifting committees of the member nations shall be
open to all having an active interest in the sport of drug-free powerlifting
and meet the requirements established by the home nation.
1.
A Bona fide Nation must register with the WDFPF and pay the required
annual registration fee.
2.
The National
Association powerlifting committee shall consist of three voting
representatives and represent at least four registered membership.
3.
The National
Association shall be represented by an International Liaison and two other representatives
from that member nation.
4.
A Bona fide
Nation shall adhere to the philosophy and concept of drug-free powerlifting as
established in this constitution.
C.
Individual,
consists of athletes eligible for participation as defined by the member nation
or within this constitution, along with other individuals, such as referees and
officials, having an active interest in the sport of drug-free powerlifting.
Section 2.2 Memberships in the WDFPF.
The voting membership of the World Committee for the Federation shall
consist of the Executive Committee (the Board of Directors) along with one
International Liaison and two representatives from each member nation.
Section 2.3 Eligibility for
Membership. Eligibility for
membership in the WDFPF shall be as set forth herein and as specified by the
World Committee from time to time.
Section 2.4 Application. Any nation desiring to become a member of
the WDFPF shall make application to the Secretary General of the
Federation. Such application shall be
in a form prescribed by the World Committee, in such detail as the World
Committee may reasonably require, and shall provide evidence of the eligibility
of the applying nation for membership.
The World Committee, at its discretion, may delegate to any person or
organization the actual tasks of verifying authenticity of said application.
Section 2.4 Dues. Each member nation shall pay dues to the
WDFPF each year in an amount, if any, determined by the World Committee. The amount may vary from year to year.
Article
III
Section
3.2 Responsibilities – World Committee.
A.
Has jurisdiction over the International and World championships in the
sport of drug-free powerlifting and shall institute, locate and supervise all
such championships.
B.
May award championship events for not only the year selected, but for up
to, not to exceed four years, provided the World Committee approves it. If any championships are awarded at an
Executive Committee meeting other than at the annual meeting of the Federation
(the Congress), and less than two-thirds (2/3) of the total committee is
present and in agreement, then a postal (mail) vote must be taken of the absent
members before any championship awards become final.
C.
May reject any entries for competition at any international or world
championship, or may delegate this power to its subcommittee.
D.
Has power to appoint subcommittees (whose members need not be members of
the World Committee) to manage but not conduct, the various championships.
E.
Approves the officials for international or world meetings and
championships involving drug free powerlifting.
F.
Has the responsibility to ensure that all drug-free powerlifting
competitions, international or world in scope, are conducted according to the
rules of competition specified by the WDFPF.
G.
In the interest of complying with (F) above, may establish procedures
for the certification of International Referees of the Federation.
H.
Must approve any competition designated a “World” or an “International”
championship.
I.
Shall conduct any and all meetings under “Robert’s Rules of Order”.
J.
Meetings shall be open only to a maximum of three representatives from
each member country.
Section
3.3 Annual Meeting, the Congress. There shall be an annual meeting of the
World Committee to receive the annual committee reports as well as for the
transaction of such other business as may come before it. The Congress shall be held in conjunction
with the World Powerlifting Championships of the WDFPF or at such time as
designated by the Executive Committee.
Additional meetings of the World Committee may be called pursuant to Section
3.4 below. All published notices of
meetings shall include the meeting place, date, time and purposes.
Section
3.4 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the World Committee for
any purpose or purposes may be called by the President or by a majority of the
Executive Committee upon notice at such time and place as may be stated in the
notice.
Section
3.5 Voting Rights and Representatives. The right to vote during the World Congress
or at meetings of the World Committee shall be limited to the following
persons:
A.
Each elected member of the Executive Committee (Board of Directors).
B.
Each member nation (fully affiliated governing body) has a duty to
appoint three voting representatives for the WDFPF Congress and/or postal
ballots. One of these will be the
International Liaison for the nation, who will also be responsible for
communications with the WDFPF. The names, addresses and contact numbers of all
three (3) voting representatives, must be submitted to the WDFPF Secretary
General annually.
C.
If the contact details of any of the voting representatives are
subsequently altered, the WDFPF Secretary General must be informed. In addition, the Secretary General must be
immediately informed if:
a.
One or more of the 3 designated voting representatives is unable to
attend the annual congress, and it is intended that their vote(s) should be
exercised on behalf of that nation, by other named bona fide member(s) of that
nation’s affiliate body. (Note: This information must come from the nation’s
International Liaison. It is not
sufficient for any individual to attend the Congress declaring that they have
been so nominated. Under such
circumstances voting rights will normally be denied, though such an individual
may be allowed to attend the Congress as an observer subject to a majority vote
of the World Committee.)
D.
It is a matter for each national body to decide which three (3) persons
shall exercise voting rights on behalf of its members. However it is recommended that where
possible, the officials concerned should be elected by their own governing body
membership.
E.
For WDFPF postal ballots it is expected that ballot/voting papers will
be completed after due consideration of the relevant questions, only by the
persons with assigned voting privileges.
F.
Nations affiliated under the “single & Below Minimum” registration
scheme will normally be represented by their International Liaison, who will
exercise one vote at the Congress or in postal ballots. This fact notwithstanding, conditions A to C
will also apply in these cases.
Section
3.6 Voting. At any meeting duly called and held, a majority of the votes cast
upon a given question by the delegates entitled to vote thereon who are present
in person shall decide such question
No member may cast more than one vote, though a member might hold
multiple offices.
Section
3.7 Organization. The President, or in their absence, a member
or the Executive Committee, elected by those members of the World Committee
present, shall act as chair of the meetings of the World Committee. The Secretary General of the Federation
shall act as secretary of all meetings of the World Committee, but in the
absence of the Secretary, the chair of the meeting may appoint any other person
to act as secretary of the meeting. A
chair, for the purpose of conducting the meeting, may be approved by a majority
vote of the World Committee in attendance.
Section
3.8 Quorum. A quorum for the purpose of conducting business under the
provisions of Sections 3.3 and 3.4 shall be twenty-five
percent of the voting membership of the World Committee. Members of the Executive Committee will not
be counted in the calculation of a quorum, although they will be able to have
full voting privileges on the World Committee.
Section
3.9 Procedures. For all meetings of the World Committee,
Executive Committee and subcommittees of the Federation, the current “Robert’s
Rules of Order” are the general rules of order, except where they are in conflict
with the provisions of this constitution and in such cases, this constitution
prevails.
Section
3.10 Order of Business. At all meetings for the World Committee the
following is the order of business:
A.
Roll call of voting members.
B.
Treasurer’s report
C.
Report of Officers and Committees
D.
Unfinished business
E.
Action on proposed amendments (at annual meetings)
F.
New business
G.
Installation of officers (at annual meeting, even numbered years)
H.
Adjournment
Section
3.11 Other persons attending the Congress. Persons other than named designated voting
representatives may also attend the annual WDFPF Congress as observers, subject
to approval by majority vote of the World Committee. This dispensation must be sought before any congress business is
conducted. Observers may also
contribute to discussion at the Congress provided granted permission by the
President/Committee Chair. Such
permission must be sought in respect of a particular subject/topic – and is not
accorded as a general matter for the entire proceedings. The President/Committee Chair may request an
opinion of information from an observer at the Congress.
Article
IV
Executive Committee
Section
4.1 Purpose. The business, activities and affairs for the WDFPF shall be
managed and controlled by its World Committee.
Between meetings of the World Committee, full management and control of
the WDFPF shall reside with the Executive Committee.
Section
4.2 Membership. The Executive Committee (Board of
Directors) of the Federation shall include:
A.
The President of the Federation
B.
The Vice-President of the Federation
C.
The Secretary General of the Federation
D.
The Treasurer of the Federation
Section
4.3 Meetings. Between annual meetings of the World Committee, the Executive
Committee shall conduct the business of the Federation. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be
held at the time and place designated in the notice of meeting whenever called
by the President or two-thirds (2/3) of the World Committee members. Notice of the time and place of a special
meeting shall be given to each member of the Executive Committee, by word,
telegram or cable. This notice should
be given at a reasonable time prior to the special meeting and where practical,
at least ten (10) days prior to the special meeting. Such notice shall specify the purpose of the special meeting.
Section
4.4 Quorum. For the purpose of conducting business under the provisions of Section
4.3, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the Executive Committee.
Section
4.5 Committees. The World Committee may, by resolution
passed by a majority of the World Committee, designate one or more committees
to exercise, to the extent provided in the resolution, the powers and authority
of the World Committee in the management of the business and affairs of the
Federation, but no such committee shall have power or authority in reference to
amending the certification of incorporation, or amending this constitution, or
adopting an agreement of merger or consolidation. The President shall appoint each committee chair. Each committee, which may be established by
the World Committee or this constitution, may fix its own rules and
procedures. Reasonable notice of
meetings of committees, other than of regular meetings provided for by the
rules, shall be given to the committee members. All actions taken by the committees shall be recorded in the
minutes of the meetings.
Section
4.6 Action Without Meeting. Nothing contained in this constitution shall
be deemed to restrict the power of the Executive Committee or any committee
designated, pursuant to Section 4.5, to take any action, required or
permitted, to be taken by them, without meeting, if a consent in writing
setting forth the action so taken shall be signed by a majority of the committee
members
Section
4.7 Operating Committees. The following are the committees of the
Federation.
A.
Drug Control Committee
B.
Publicity Committee
C.
Referees/Technical Committee
D.
Discipline Committee
Section
4.8 Rules. Each committee may adopt rules for its own management not
inconsistent with this constitution.
Section
4.9 Contracts. The Executive Committee may authorize any person to enter into
any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name and on the
behalf of the WDFPF and such authority may be general or confined to specific
instances.
Section
4.10 Officers. The four members of the Executive Committee will be elected by
the World Committee. Each of the four
elected officers shall serve for a term of three years following the election,
or until a successor is elected. Should
a member of the Executive Committee become incapacitated,, the next ranking
member of the Executive Committee shall call a meeting of the World Committee
to select a successor to the incapacitated officer, to serve until the next
regular election.
Section
4.11 Duties of Officers. The duties of the officers of the Federation
are those, which are promulgated by the Federation and in addition, are as
follows:
A.
President. The president
shall preside at all meetings of the World Committee and Executive
Committee.
The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
B.
Vice-President. The
Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the president. The Vice-President shall carry forth any duties
as assigned by the President.
C.
Secretary General. The Secretary
General shall make proper arrangements for keeping the records of the WDFPF,
issuing official notices of all meetings of the Federation and performing such
other duties as may be directed by the President. The Secretary General shall also serve as the Secretary of the
World Committee and Executive Committee.
D.
Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive and account for
all funds of the Federation. The
Treasurer shall perform any such duties as assigned by the President.
Section
4.12 Officials with Regional Responsibilities. The WDFPF may appoint officials to represent
the interests of the Federation in specific geographical areas.
Article
V
Resignations and Removals
Section
5.1 Resignations. Any member of the Executive Committee, or
any member of any committee, may resign at any time by giving written notice to
the President or the Secretary General.
Any such resignation shall take effect at the time specified within the
resignation or, if the time is not specified, then upon receipt of the
resignation. The acceptance of such
resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
Section
5.2 Removals. The Executive Committee may, at any meeting thereof, by
two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting, remove with cause from
office any member of any committee and any officer. Any member of the Executive Committee may be removed, with or
without cause, by a majority of the voting members of the World Committee.
Article
VI
Discipline
Section
6.1 Suspension and Expulsion.
A.
As described below, the Federation, through the Discipline Committee,
has the right to suspend for a definite or an indefinite period of time, or to
expel a member or member nation who has contravened any of the Articles of
these By-Laws or any rules of the Federation.
The Federation, through the Discipline Committee, shall have the right
to suspend or expel any athlete who has violated the rules of amateurism or
rules adopted by the Federation pursuant to these By-Laws.
B.
Before exercising its authority under these Articles, the Discipline
Committee shall notify the person, persons or organization, in writing of:
1. The factual basis for
the infringement or infraction of a rule, By-Law or good
conduct.
2.
The proposed sanction or penalty
to be imposed by the Committee upon a finding of an infringement or infraction.
3.
The charged party’s obligation to respond in writing to the charges
within fifteen
days
(15) after receipt of the notification.
4.
The charged party’s right to a hearing before the Discipline Committee,
which
hearing shall take place
no sooner than thirty (30) days and no later than sixty (60) days after the
charged party has requested a hearing.
Said notification shall be sent certified
mail without the necessity of requiring a return receipt and shall be deemed to
have been received by the charged party five (5) days after mailing.
C.
The charged person, persons or organization:
1.
Will have fifteen (15) days from the date of receipt, or presumed
receipt, of the notice to file an answer to the specific charges or will be
deemed to have admitted the facts set forth in the notice, in which event, the
Discipline Committee may impose a sanction or penalty no greater than that set
forth in the notice.
2.
In any written response to the specific charges, may request a hearing
before the Discipline Committee or may submit the matter to the Discipline
Committee based on the facts or argument set forth in the written response
3.
Failure to request a hearing shall be deemed a waiver of the right to a
hearing before the Discipline Committee, but shall not be deemed a waiver of
the right to appeal to the Executive Committee as hereinafter set forth.
4.
In the event the charged party, or their representative, fails to appear
at any hearing scheduled at the request of the charged party, the matter shall
be deemed to have been submitted to the discretion of the Discipline Committee on the written notice
and the written response, with a hearing waived as provided above.
D.
Hearings conducted before the Discipline Committee shall be recorded
either by sound or by video recording devices as determined by the Committee’s
sole discretion.
E.
The Committee shall receive evidence and testimony in support of the
charges followed by evidence, testimony, and/or argument offered by the charged
party.
F.
Any witness offering testimony may be subject to cross-examination by
the Committee or the charged party.
G.
Formal Rules of Evidence shall not be applicable to any
hearing before the Discipline Committee.
H.
The Discipline Committee shall render its determination within fifteen
(15) days after a hearing or after final submission of the written response if
a hearing has been waived. Said
determination shall be mailed to the charged party by certified mail, without
the necessity of requiring a return receipt and shall be deemed received by the
charged party within five (5) days after mailing.
I.
A charged party shall have the right to appeal any adverse determination
by the Discipline Committee to the Executive Committee by giving written notice
of such appeal not later than fifteen (15) days from the date the determination
of the Discipline Committee was mailed
Said appeal shall be directed to the Secretary General of the Federation
who shall schedule a date, time and place for said hearing reasonably
convenient to the members of the Executive Committee and the charged party, in
that order of priority. Pending the
adjudication by the Executive Committee, the effectiveness of any determination
by the Discipline Committee shall be stayed.
J.
At the hearing before the Executive Committee, a representative
designated by the Discipline Committee shall present such evidence, testimony
and argument supporting the charges followed by the charged party presenting
evidence, testimony and/or argument in their defense. Any witness offering testimony may be subject to
cross-examination by the representative of the Discipline Committee, the
charged party or any member of the Executive Committee. Formal Rules of Evidence shall not apply to
any hearing before the Executive Committee.
K.
Any charged party appealing a decision of the Discipline Committee may
elect to waive a hearing before the Executive Committee and may submit the matter
for determination by the Executive Committee based on the written notification,
the written response and the recorded hearing before the Discipline Committee;
provided, however, that the Executive Committee may reject said waiver at any
time prior to a final decision by the Executive Committee based on a
determination by the Executive Committee that:
1.
The quality of the recording is not adequate to permit a review of the
proceedings.
2.
Additional testimony or evidence should be offered.
3.
The issues involved, for any reason, require further hearing.
L.
Within a reasonable time following submission of the matter to the
Executive Committee, the
Executive Committee shall issue its written findings of fact and
decision, which decision shall
be the final decision of the case.
M.
Any person, persons or organization suspended, expelled or banned from
Federation sponsored competition may apply for reinstatement to the Federation
or to competition. Said application
shall be directed to the Executive Committee and shall be mailed to the
Secretary General of the Federation, who shall refer it to the members of the
Executive Committee. The application
shall set forth, in detail, the reasons advanced for reinstatement and may
include any supporting documentation or information the applicant deems
appropriate. The Executive Committee
may, at its discretion, conduct such investigation of the applicant, as it
deems appropriate. Within a reasonable
time after receipt and consideration of the application, the Executive
Committee shall submit said application together with its recommendation to the
World Committee for its determination.
The World Committee may grant said application for reinstatement, deny
the application or otherwise modify the suspension, expulsion or banning,
provided, however, that in no event may the World Committee enhance the
sanction or penalty previously imposed on the applicant.
Section
6.2 Internal Grievance Procedure and
Arbitration.
A.
Any member or member nation of the WDFPF may file a written grievance
with the Secretary General pertaining to any matter within the cognizance of
the Federation and/or alleging a violation of any provision of this
constitution.
B.
Any grievance of complaint shall be signed under oath and shall allege
with particularity, the nature of the grievance and/or each claimed violation
of the aforementioned documents by reference to specific sections thereof,
stating in concise language, how, when and where the alleged violation
occurred. The factual allegations shall
be set forth in numbered paragraphs, each paragraph containing a single factual
allegation.
C.
Upon receipt of a grievance or complaint, the Secretary General shall
refer it to the President. Every effort
will be made by the President to resolve the grievance or complaint through
informal means.
D.
In the event that the member or member nation filing the grievance or
complaint is not satisfied with the resolution of the matter reached by
informal methods, they may request a hearing, whereupon the President shall
promptly appoint at least three (3) members of the Discipline Committee, none
of whom shall have an interest in the subject matter of the grievance or
complaint, to hear evidence, make findings of fact and adjudicate the issues
raised.
E.
At any hearing pursuant to (C) and (D) above, all interested parties
shall have the right to counsel, to present evidence in support or in
opposition to the grievance or complaint, to cross-examine witnesses and to
present such factual or legal claims as will support their positions. A summarized record of the proceedings shall
be made by the hearing panel. The rules
of evidence shall not be strictly enforced.
The hearing panel shall expeditiously conduct the hearing and report its
findings of fact and conclusions to the Executive Committee and all interested
parties.
F.
Fair notice and an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the
procedure outlined in Section 6.1(c) shall be afforded to any member or
member nation, before the Federation declares such individual ineligible to
participate, in any capacity, in any amateur drug-free WDFPF powerlifting
competition.
Article
VII
Sanctions
Section
71. Jurisdiction. All International and/or World competitions
must be sanctioned by the WDFPF. This
requirement shall not include those events open only to members of a member
nation or when it falls under the category of closed competition
Section
7.2 Requirements. Sanctions are issued, withheld or withdrawn
in accordance with the following regulations:
A.
No sanction will be issued to any organization whose interest in sports
and games is purely commercial or where the event is to be promoted solely for
the profit or advertising value to be derived from the event.
B.
Sanctions issued to one organization cannot be transferred by the
organization to another. Any sanction
so transferred shall be void for all purposes and the Executive Committee is
empowered to deny further sanctions to any organization violating this
provision.
C.
No further sanction will be given to any organization that has failed to
fulfill expense obligations to athletes or to give prizes as stated on its
application. The foregoing sentence
shall be set forth in every sanction granted.
D.
All sanctions must be signed by the President and Secretary General and
a record thereof must be in a book kept for such purpose.
E.
The control of sanctions for contest and events other than World may be
transferred by decision of the Executive Committee to the member nation of the
WDFPF.
F.
The following clause will appear on all sanction application forms, as
well as on all forms upon which official sanctions are granted: “In granting
this sanction, it is understood and agreed that the WDFPF shall be free from
any liabilities or claims for damages arising by reason of injuries to anyone
during the conduct of this event”.
Section
7.3 Condition. All games, meetings, benefits, exhibitions or entertainments of
any kind where sanction is required according to Section 7.1 are subject
to the following conditions:
A.
An athlete’s entry will not be accepted, nor will they be allowed to
compete or exhibit at any event unless they are registered or certified as
provided in Article VIII.
B.
Announcements and entry blanks of sanctioned events must state that no entries will be accepted
unless the athlete is either registered or certified by a member nation.