2021 IIHF Abuse andHarassment Policy

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Table of Contents
1.

Preamble ....................................................................................................................... 3

2.

Scope of Application.................................................................................................... 3

3.

Definitions .................................................................................................................... 4

4.

Fundamental Principles ............................................................................................... 6

5.

Rights and Obligations of the IIHF and the MNAs ..................................................... 8

6.

Violations ...................................................................................................................... 97.

Disclosure and Reporting Procedure ....................................................................... 10

8.

Investigation Procedure ............................................................................................ 12

9.

Disciplinary Procedure .............................................................................................. 12

10. Conflict of Law and Transitional Provision .............................................................. 14
11. Review and Monitoring of the Policy ........................................................................ 14
Appendix 1: Diagram of Abuse and Harassment Procedures ....................................... 15
Appendix 2: Incident Report Form ................................................................................... 16
Appendix 3: Recommendations and References for MNAs ........................................... 18

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1.

Preamble
It is a strong belief of the International Ice Hockey Federation (hereinafter referred toas “the IIHF”) that everyone engaged in and around Ice Hockey has the right toparticipate in a respectful environment free of abuse and harassment in order tostrengthen and promote the game of Ice Hockey around the world. Thus, consistent
with the objectives and principles of the IIHF, the IIHF adopts and commits to thefollowing Abuse and Harassment Policy based on Rule 1.2.2.1 (a) and (b) of the IIHF
Code of Conduct.1 Furthermore, the IIHF recognizes the importance of various
international legislation with regard to human rights and equitability such as Article
10.1 UN International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport or
Article 19 UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. By means of this Policy, the IIHF
underlines that all forms of harassment and abuse regardless of cultural setting
contradict the IIHF’s vision to safeguard children and adults in Ice Hockey.

2.

Scope of Application
2.1

Material and Territorial Scope of Application
This Policy applies to all violations as defined in Clause 3.1 and 6 of thisPolicy and shall cover all violations within the jurisdiction of the IIHF, including
violations in advance of, during and after IIHF Competitions.

2.2

Personal Scope of Application
2.2.1 This Policy is applicable to the following institutions, organizations andpersons:(a) IIHF Member National Associations and their staff representatives;(b) The IIHF governing bodies (Congress, Executive Committee, Council,
Presidency);(c) Persons elected or appointed as an IIHF representative in any IIHF
Competition or IIHF Event or to a position in any IIHF governing
institution or IIHF Committee/Board;(d) Organizing Committees of IIHF Competitions and their staff
representatives;(e) IIHF Officials and Referees; and1 IIHF Code of Conduct.

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(f) IIHF National leagues, clubs, teams and their leaders, managers,
players, coaches, other team staff and referees whatsoever andhowsoever associated, in all matters within the jurisdiction of the IIHF
including, without limitation, IIHF Competitions, international games(Bylaw 19), and international transfers.
2.3

Applicability in time
The rules contained within this Policy shall apply from 1 June 2020 onwards.
All amendments made to this Policy shall apply from the passage dateonwards.

3.

Definitions
3.1

Abuse and Harassment
In alignment with the IOC Consensus Statement (2016) and Safeguarding
Guidelines (2016)2 the IIHF defines Abuse and Harassment as follows:(a) Psychological abuse – means any unwelcome act including
confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation,
infantilisation, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense ofidentity, dignity, and self-worth.
(b) Physical abuse – means any deliberate and unwelcome act – such as forexample punching, beating, kicking, biting and burning – that causes
physical trauma or injury. Such act can also consist of forced orinappropriate physical activity (e.g., age-, or physique- inappropriate
training loads; training when injured or in pain), forced alcohol
consumption, or forced doping practices.
(c) Racism and discrimination – means any action or attitude, that
subordinates or prejudices an individual or group based on race, skincolour, gender, ethnic, national or social origin, religion, philosophical orpolitical opinion, marital status or sexual orientation.
(d) Sexual harassment – means any unwanted and unwelcome conduct of asexual nature, whether verbal, non-verbal or physical. Sexual harassment
can take the form of sexual abuse.

2 IOC Consensus Statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport, 30 March

2016; IOC Guidelines for international federations and national olympic committees related to creating
and implementing a policy to safeguard athletes from harassment and abuse in sport, 2 June 2016

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(e) Sexual abuse – means any conduct of a sexual nature, whether noncontact, contact or penetrative, where consent is coerced/manipulated or
is not or cannot be given.
(f) Neglect – means the failure of a coach or another person with a duty ofcare towards the player to provide a minimum level of care to the player,
which is causing harm, allowing harm to be caused, or creating an
imminent danger of harm.
These forms of Abuse and Harassment may occur in combination or in
isolation.
3.2

Further definitions
The capitalised terms used in or being in reference to this Policy have thefollowing meanings:
Abuse means acts of commission or omission leading to players experiencing
harm.
Player Support Person means any Coach, Manager, Agent, Team Staff,
Medical or paramedical personnel, Parent of a player or any other person
assisting a player in any fashion.
Bullying (or cyber-bullying if conducted online) means unwanted, repeated
and intentional, aggressive behavior usually among peers, which can involvea real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying can include actions such as
making threats, spreading rumours or falsehoods, attacking someone
physically or verbally and deliberately excluding someone.
CAS means the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Harm means negative impact or consequences upon a person.
Hazing means an organized, usually team-based, form of bullying in sport,
involving degrading and hazardous initiation of new team members by veteranteam members.
IIHF Competition or Event means an event in accordance with IIHF Bylaw 1.
IIHF Representatives means IIHF Staff (whether full-time, part-time,permanently or temporarily), IIHF Council members including the President
and Vice-Presidents, members of IIHF Committees, Directorate members,
Auditors, members of the IIHF judicial and ethics bodies and any other
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member of a body or group designated by the IIHF to act on behalf of oradvise the IIHF.
IOC means the International Olympic Committee.
Member National Association (herein after referred to as “MNA”) means anational entity that is a member of or is recognized by the IIHF as the entity
governing ice hockey in the respective country.
Negligence means acts of omission regarding player safety.
Player means any natural person competing in an IIHF Competition or acompetition of an MNA.
Policy means this Abuse and Harassment Policy and all its future
amendments.
Representatives of MNAs in analogy to IIHF Representatives.
Safeguarding means the actions the IIHF undertakes to ensure everyone
protected by this Policy is safe from physical and emotional harm, abuse,violence, exploitation and neglect in the sport of Ice Hockey.
The IIHF means the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Volunteer means a person acting on behalf of the IIHF without getting paid in
return.

4.

Fundamental Principles
4.1

Zero tolerance
Any form of abuse and harassment as defined in Clause 3.1 is prohibited
under the IIHF Code of Conduct and IOC Code of Ethics:3
Rule 1.2.2.1 IIHF Code of Conduct(a) There shall be no abuse or discrimination against the human dignity of aperson or group of persons by whatever means, including on grounds ofrace, skin colour, gender, ethnic, national or social origin, religion,
philosophical or political opinion, marital status, sexual orientation or othergrounds.

3 IOC Code of Ethics.

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(b) Any activity constituting any form of harassment (physical, mental, moral,
professional or sexual); physical, verbal or sexual abuse; moral or mental
injury; acts of violence or illegal activity will not be tolerated. All IIHF
Members must conform to the IIHF sexual harassment policy.
Rule 5.2 IIHF Code of Conduct[…] Any player or team official who physically abuses those officiating an IIHF
competition shall be suspended immediately for all international games until
the Disciplinary Board reaches a decision.
The IIHF is committed to Safeguarding all people engaged in Ice Hockey andtakes a zero tolerance approach to any form of racism, discrimination,bullying, harassment and abuse.
4.2

Principle of paramountcy
The needs and welfare of victims and other vulnerable groups are paramount,and the IIHF pursues an approach favorable to the welfare of victims, children
and other vulnerable groups in all its dealings.

4.3

Collective responsibility to respond
It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the game of Ice Hockey torecognize and respond to signs of harassment and abuse. It is imperative toact and report in alignment with the established IIHF procedure.

4.4

Principle of confidentiality
4.4.1 All information obtained through cases arising under this Policy will always
be dealt with in strict confidence to the extent permitted by law. Information
can only be shared without consent of a covered party as defined in
Clause 2.2 of this Policy where the duty to protect the party from harmsupersedes another party’s right to privacy as highlighted in Rule 1.2.2.1of the IIHF Code of Conduct or else if required by law. Confidentiality must
be respected by any person concerned by the procedure.
4.4.2 The IIHF will not comment publicly on the specific facts of a pending case
except in response to public comments attributed to the player or theplayer’s representatives.
4.4.3 Each person, entrusted with Safeguarding competencies by the IIHF, mustsign an appropriate conflict of interest declaration and confidentiality
undertaking in relation to his/her work related to this Policy.

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4.5

Protection of Whistleblowing
The IIHF recognizes that whistleblowing embodies the right of every individualfor personal freedom and therefore highlights the importance of a safe
disclosure mechanism and commits to protecting those who find the courage
to speak up by granting anonymity and creating a confidential reporting
system in accordance with Clause 4.4 of this Policy. Protection is guaranteed
regardless of the outcome. However, only reporting conducted in good faithshall be protected.

4.6Time Sensitivity
Abuse and Harassment decisions shall be made in a timely manner andshould not be subject to unnecessary delay.

5.

Rights and Obligations of the IIHF and the MNAs
5.1

Binding effectThis Policy is binding for:(a) the IIHF;(b) All MNAs;(c) All entities and persons affiliated with the IIHF or the MNAs, i.e. enteredinto a contract with, delegated responsibilities to or any other form ofcooperation and affiliation.

5.2

Local safeguarding
The IIHF is fully aware of and respects the autonomy of its MNAs. Therefore,
the IIHF strongly encourages all MNAs to adopt its own abuse andharassment policies in order to tackle harassment and abuse at a local levelin their organizations and events taking place under its own jurisdiction. The
MNAs abuse and harassment practices shall comply with all provisions of thisPolicy and the UNICEF International Safeguards for Children in Sport.4

5.3

Duty to inform
The IIHF and the MNAs have a mutual obligation to inform each other if any
measures or sanctions are being imposed on the basis of this Policy or any
similar local policy.

4 UNICEF International Safeguards for Children in Sport.

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5.4

Mutual recognition
5.4.1 Subject to the right of appeal, any decision taken by the IIHF pursuant tothis Policy shall be recognized, respected and enforced by all MNAs.5
5.4.2 The IIHF can recognize a conviction or decision imposed on a covered
party as defined in Clause 2.2 of this Policy if such party:(a) Convicted of a criminal offence which would constitute a violation ofthis Policy as defined in Section 6 of this Policy;(b) Held by his/her MNA or any other competent sports governing body towhich he/she is subject, to have committed an infringement which
would constitute a violation of this Policy.
Where appropriate, the IIHF reserves the right to open a separate
Disciplinary Procedure against the covered party in relation to his/her IIHF
related activities.

6

Violations
The following conduct constitutes a violation of this Policy:(a) Psychological abuse;(b) Physical abuse;(c) Racism and discrimination;(d) Sexual harassment;(e) Sexual abuse;(f) Neglect;(g) Complicity, i.e. authorizing, knowingly assisting, causing, encouraging, aiding,abetting, covering up or any other type of intentional complicity causing a
violation of this Policy;(h) Inducement, i.e. soliciting, instructing, persuading or encouraging any person to
engage in conduct whether by act or omission causing a violation of this Policy;

5 Possible formulation in MNA policies: “Any sanction imposed on a covered person by the IIHF or

recognized by [MNA] to be affiliated with the IIHF shall be recognized and enforced by the [MNA]”

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(i) Failure to cooperate with any investigation carried out by or on behalf of the IIHF
by:(i) failing to provide accurately, completely and without undue delay any
information and/or documentation and/or access or assistance requested byan investigating party;(ii) Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out including
without limitation concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentationor other information that may be relevant to the investigation.
(j) Retaliation, i.e. any action taken by a covered party against a person participating
in any investigation or proceedings pursuant to this Policy or against the reporting
person or persons affiliated with the reporting individual.
(k) Reporting against a covered party in bad faith, i.e. making intentional false
accusations, casting suspicion of misconduct and other wilful defamation causing
negative consequences for the affected person.
A violation may occur in-person, remotely or online and might consist of a one-off
incident or a series of incidents. Any person or entity violating the IIHF Abuse andHarassment Policy is subject to the disciplinary procedure set forth in Section 9 ofthis Policy.

7

Disclosure and Reporting Procedure
7.1 Reporting mechanism
7.1.1 Concerns regarding harassment and abuse shall be received in the waythat is most comfortable for the person submitting the report including
anonymous, in-person, verbal, or written report. The reporting individual
shall be provided with a confidential email-address and telephone hotline
as well as an Incident Report Form (Appendix 2).
7.1.2 The receipt of a report will be carried out:(a) by the IIHF Office in all international matters in- and out of competition
and/or if the respective MNA does not have a procedure in place;(b) during an IIHF Competition, by the present the IIHF Safeguarding

Officer who can be contacted and with whom a report can be taken inperson;Page 10 of 19

(c) by the responsible body designated by the MNA abuse andharassment policy in cases subject to the jurisdiction of an MNA.
The responsible body provides the reporting individual with a confirmationof receipt.
7.1.3 IIHF Representatives have the obligation to prevent abuse andharassment and to take immediate action once it has been identified,whether or not a report has been submitted.
7.2 Reporting to IIHF
All concerns regarding harassment and abuse can at all times be reported to
the IIHF via integrity@iihfoffice.com.
7.3 Gender of the handling person
Upon request of the reporting individual, a gender-specific person within IIHF
Office that received the report will be appointed to handle the case.
7.4 Cooperation with the Organizing Committee/MNA
7.4.1 At each Event, the Organizing Committee/MNA shall provide the IIHF witha contact person responsible for abuse and harassment. The appointed
person should speak the official language(s) of the hosting country andEnglish. This designated person assists the IIHF and connects him/herwith the local authorities.
7.4.2 The IIHF ensures that the Organizing Committee/MNA maintains the strict
principle of confidentiality as set forth in Clause 4.4 of this Policy.
7.5 Reporting criminal activity
7.5.1 All current or potential criminal behavior shall be reported to theappropriate legal authorities in agreement with the reporting person and/or
the victim or else if required by law.
7.5.2 The IIHF Office is responsible for the notification of the local authorities.
7.6 Case Management System
The IIHF develops a confidential case management system for all incidents,
allegations and complaints.

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8Investigation Procedure
8.1 Investigation during an IIHF Competition
After the IIHF Safeguarding Officer at an IIHF Event takes the report andconducts all necessary on-site investigations, he/she passes the report
including all additional findings on to a designated person within the IIHF
Office. The IIHF Office generates a case file, assesses the case and conducts
all further investigations it deems necessary. Subsequently, if there is enoughinformation to further process the case, the IIHF Office submits the case file tothe IIHF Ethics Board.
8.2 Investigation outside of an IIHF Competition
Upon receipt of a report, the IIHF Office generates a case file, assesses thecase and conducts all investigations it deems necessary. Subsequently, if
there is enough information to further process the case and the IIHF Office
determines that the case is not frivolous, the IIHF Office submits the case fileto the IIHF Ethics Board.
8.3 Provisional Measures
8.3.1 The IIHF Office may impose provisional measures including without
limitation a provisional suspension as set forth in Rule 3.6 of the IIHF Codeof Conduct. The provisional measure is appealable to the CAS.
8.3.2 A provisional measure shall be taken into account in the determination of
any sanction which may ultimately be imposed.

9

Disciplinary Procedure
9.1 Applicability of IIHF Disciplinary CodeThe IIHF may take disciplinary action against a person or entity in accordancewith the IIHF Disciplinary Code, if a violation as set out under Clause 6 of thisPolicy has been established.
9.2 IIHF Disciplinary Board
The IIHF Disciplinary Board is the competent judicial body for all abuse andharassment decisions in- and outside of IIHF Competitions. During an IIHF
Competition, the IIHF Disciplinary Board may delegate some investigatory or
adjudicatory actions to a Championship Disciplinary Panel/Directorate, wherepracticability reasons justify it.
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9.3 Burden and standard of Proof
The IIHF bears the burden of establishing that a violation has beencommitted. The standard of proof in all matters under this Policy shall be thebalance of probabilities, a standard that implies that on the preponderance ofthe evidence it is more likely than not that a violation of this Policy has
occurred.
9.4 Disciplinary Measures
9.4.1 Disciplinary measures may be imposed on all covered Individuals. In
addition, if the violation of this Policy involves more than two
representatives of a MNA, if there are multiple violations by a MNA, if an
act cannot be attributed to any specific individual or the IIHF concludes anorganization or entity to be fully or partly responsible for any violation ofthis Policy (Clause 2.2.2), appropriate sanctions on the MNA or entity may
be imposed.
9.4.2 Sanctions shall be imposed in accordance with the IIHF Disciplinary Code.
Such measures include without limitation:(a) a warning;(b) a reprimand;(c) a fine;(d) a suspension or ban from all Ice Hockey activity for a specified or
unspecified period of time.
9.5 Appeal
A decision by the IIHF Disciplinary Board can be appealed to the IIHF Appeal
Board in accordance with the IIHF Disciplinary Code. Decisions of the IIHF
Disciplinary Board or the IIHF Appeal Board can be appealed to the CAS in
accordance with the Code of Sports Related Arbitration. The decision of the
IIHF Disciplinary Board including the implemented sanctions remain in effectwhile under appeal unless the CAS orders otherwise.
9.6 Principle of Proportionality
In all its disciplinary decisions, the IIHF shall strictly guard the principle ofproportionality.
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10

Conflict of Law and Transitional Provision
10.1 Conflict of Law
All MNAs are free in developing their own abuse and harassment Policy.
However, this Policy takes precedence over all other abuse and harassment
policies of a MNA, if they are in direct conflict with it.
10.2 Transitional Provision
As long as an MNA has not implemented an abuse and harassment policy,
the IIHF Abuse and Harassment Policy is applicable.

11

Review and Monitoring of the Policy

This Policy shall be reviewed after one year initially and subsequently every 2 years
or earlier if deemed necessary by the IIHF Office.

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Appendix 1: Diagram of Abuse and Harassment Procedures
All behavior that contravenes the obligations of this Policy must be reported immediately to the IIHF
Office during an IIHF Event. For criminal conduct, the relevant authorities in your country shall also be
notified. Please make sure to contact emergency services immediately if needed.
IIHF Responsibility

Report made to IIHF Office
and/or the IIHF Safeguarding
Officer during an Event(Clause 7.1.2)

MNA Responsibility

Actions of the sanctioned
party

Reporting of
possible
criminal
activity(Clause 7.4)

IIHF Office and/or Safeguarding
Officer determine the jurisdiction
and applicability of the Policy(Clause 2)

International dimension?
(Clause 7.1.2 lit. a)
If yesDisclosure Procedure

Local Criminal Authorities

If no

If no

National Safeguarding
Procedure?
(Clause 7.1.2 lit. a)
If yes

If enough information and report
not clearly submitted in bad faithPossibility of aprovisional measure(Clause 9.4)

Jurisdiction of the MNA(Clause 7.1.2 lit. c)Investigation Procedure

First review and investigation by
the IIHF Office, andSafeguarding Officer if matter at
an IIHF Event(Clause 8.1 and 8.2)

IIHF Ethics Board assesses thecase and conducts further
investigation if needed(Clause 8.3)

Appeal to the IIHF Appeal Board(Clause 9.6)

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Appeal to the CAS(Clause 9.6 and 9.4.1)

Disciplinary Procedure

Decision by the IIHF Disciplinary
Board(Clause 9.2)

Appendix 2: Incident Report FormCONFIDENTIAL - IIHF Incident Report Form
Remarks: You do not need to fully complete this form for the IIHF to open an investigation.
However, the more information You provide, the easier it is for the IIHF to pursue theIncident.
You should return this Form to the IIHF at: integrity@iihfoffice.com.

Your nameYour email addressYour phone numberYour relationship to
person(s) involvedin the integrity
incident (if not
personallyinvolved)

Nature of Integrity Incident Doping
 Competition
Manipulation

 Abuse /Harassment

 Corruption (anythingoutside of Doping,Competition Manipulation or
Abuse/Harassment)

Subject of Incident
Name(s) of any person(s) alleged to have been involved with the concern, include contact
details if possible (e.g. phone number, email address, etc.).6

Please give as many details as possible about the person(s) or organization involved in
the Integrity Incident, e.g. job title, federation, role in ice hockey etc.

6 For example, for a concern of Abuse / Harassment, indicate the name/contact details of the victim(s)(if not person reporting) and the name of the person(s) accused of the abuse or harassment.

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Description of Integrity Incident
Please give as many details as possible about what happened / your concerns. E.g.
match-fixing attempt, knowledge about doping practices, abuse of athletes, etc.

Additional material / evidence
If available, please add any document, picture or video which may support your report.
Action taken
What has already been done about the Integrity Incident? Who has already been
contacted (police; medical help; other local authorities; people close to the victim etc.)?
Please also include contact details of contacted parties.

Other relevant comments

To be completed by the IIHF
Confirm and specify the action that has beentaken to respond to the report
Name of person to receive the report including
signature
Date of case closing

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Appendix 3: Recommendations and References for MNAs
As stated in Clause 5.2 the IIHF strongly supports the efforts of its MNAs in creating
a robust local abuse and harassment policy. For these purposes the MNA can takeover this Policy customizing it to their own needs. The IIHF Abuse and Harassment
Policy has been developed in accordance with the IOC Safeguarding Toolkit. MNAs
are advised to read and utilize the Toolkit when drafting their own policies andprocedures.
The IIHF calls for a close cooperation with local authorities and grassrootorganizations in order to develop a functioning system complying with local law.
With regard to reporting, the IIHF recommends the MNAs to pay attention to apossible mandatory reporting of misconduct or even suspicion of such under local
law.
Further useful references and links:•

IOC Consensus Statement 2016 (https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/library/safesport/)•

International Safeguards for Children in Sport (https://www.endviolence.org/sites/default/files/paragraphs/download/Implementation-Guide-fororganisations-who-work-with-children-A5-version-re.pdf)•

IOC Guidelines for international federations (IFs) and national Olympic
committees (NOCs) related to creating and implementing a policy to safeguard
athletes from harassment and abuse in sport(https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/wpcontent/uploads/2017/11/IOC_Guidelines_for_IFs_and_NOCs.pdf)•

Bullying, Harassment and Abuse Policies of Hockey Canada(https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/SpeakOut/Downloads/bullying_eng.pdf)•

Safesport Program Handbook USA Hockey(https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/5cbd1899191/USA_Hockey_SafeSport_Handbook__Published_on_6-1919_.pdf#_ga=2.220414107.2067451074.1576500741-1544335768.1576500741)•

UNICEF Safeguarding in Sport (https://www.unicef.org.uk/sport-fordevelopment/safeguarding-in-sport/)•

UNODC and IOC Practical Guide for Development and Implementation ofReporting Mechanisms in Sport
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(https://www.unodc.org/documents/corruption/Publications/2019/1909580_Reporting_Mechanisms_in_Sport_ebook.pdf)• Interpol and IOC Integrity in Sport Initiative: Handbook on conducting fact-finding
inquiries into breaches of sports integrity(https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/What-WeDo/Protecting-Clean-Athletes/Betting/Education-Awareness-raising/Interpol-Handbookon-Conducting-Fact-Finding-Inquires-Into-Breaches-of-Sports-Integrity.pdf)• FIFA Child Safeguarding Toolkit (https://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/toolkit-fifaguardians.pdf?cloudid=nz1lyz3ykaioy7gwfmgs)

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