Athlete Agreements

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Athlete Agreements
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Table of Contents

• What is the Sport Solution?
• Athlete Agreements
• What are Athlete Agreements
• Why they are important
• Structure of an Athlete Agreement
• NSO roles and responsibilities
• Athlete obligations
• The athletes role
• Disciplinary process

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What is the Sport Solution?

• 1996 AthletesCAN joined forces with the Faculty
  of Law at UWO
• Offers Canadian amateur athletes access to free
  information and assistance on sport-related
  issues
• Athlete agreements, NSO procedures, preparation
  for NSO appeals, correspondence, arbitration,
  mediation
• Selection, carding/funding, discipline,
  qualifying, harassment, doping, other

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What is the Sport Solution?

• 406 files since May 1, 1996
• Cases between January 2004 and August 2006

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Athlete Agreements

• Required for athletes by NSOs
• States the rights, privileges and obligations of
  both parties and provides an avenue of recourse
• Other important points
• Term is usually one year
• Usually makes reference to other ancillary and
  secondary documents (NSO by-laws, Code of
  Conduct, etc.
• There is implied right to procedural fairness

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Why are AAs important?

• Law unto Itself
• Reliance and Enforceability
• Starting place
• Authority
• Rules to abide by

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Structure of an AA

• A type of contract
• Common elements of an AA may include
• Roles and responsibilities
• Athlete obligations
• Process and procedures

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NSO Roles and responsibilities

• Team selection
• Carding/Funding assistance
• Athlete development and eligibility
• Athlete representation

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Athlete Obligations

• Adherence
• Participation
• Payment
• Communication

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Athletes Role

• Review the content
• Know and understand your responsibilities and
  obligations
• Jot down questions and concerns and contact you
  NSO or the Sport Solution
• If you sign, you must abide

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Disciplinary process

• Application and scope
• Minor infractions
• Major Infractions
• Agreements are usually vague
• For example, unsportsmanlike conduct,
  injurious to the image of the sport

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