Book A – A1

CONSTITUTION
2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress,
on 18 August 2023, effective 01 September 2023

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Table of Contents
PART I – COMMENCEMENT, STATUS, PURPOSES AND POWERS ................................................................. 1
1.
Name ................................................................................................................................. 1
2.
Commencement ................................................................................................................ 1
3.
Headquarters, Offices and Applicable Law ......................................................................... 1
4.
Purposes ............................................................................................................................ 1
5.
Powers............................................................................................................................... 2
PART II – MEMBERSHIP ........................................................................................................................................ 3
6.
Members ........................................................................................................................... 3
7.
Admission as a Member ..................................................................................................... 3
8.
Rights of Members ............................................................................................................. 4
9.
Obligations of Members..................................................................................................... 4
10.
Membership Fee ................................................................................................................ 5
11.
Withdrawal of Membership ............................................................................................... 5
12.
Intervention in a Member Federation ................................................................................ 5
13.
Suspension of Membership and Other Sanctions ............................................................... 6
14.
Expulsion from Membership .............................................................................................. 815.
16.

Consequences of Withdrawal, Suspension or Expulsion of Membership ............................ 8
Reinstatement of Expelled Member ................................................................................... 917.
Compliance .......................................................................................................................10
PART III – AREAS................................................................................................................................................. 11
18.
Areas ................................................................................................................................11
19.
Area Associations..............................................................................................................11
20.
Role of Area Associations ..................................................................................................11
21.
Rights of Area Associations ...............................................................................................12
22.
Obligations of Area Associations .......................................................................................1223.
Intervention and Sanctions on Area Associations ..............................................................13
PART IV – CONGRESS ........................................................................................................................................ 15
24.
Role of Congress ...............................................................................................................15
25.
Composition of Congress ..................................................................................................15
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.

Meetings of Congress ........................................................................................................15
Powers of Congress ...........................................................................................................15
Delegates ..........................................................................................................................16
Attendees and Observers ..................................................................................................17
Notice of Ordinary Congress Meeting................................................................................18
Agenda for Ordinary Congress Meeting.............................................................................18
Call and Notice of Special Congress Meeting and Urgent Decisions by Written Resolution 19

33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.

Quorum ............................................................................................................................20
Chairperson ......................................................................................................................20
Voting ...............................................................................................................................20
Elections ...........................................................................................................................20
Minutes ............................................................................................................................22
Errors ................................................................................................................................22
Convention .......................................................................................................................22

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PART V – COUNCIL ............................................................................................................................................. 23
40.
Role of Council ..................................................................................................................23
41.
Membership of Council .....................................................................................................23
42.
Chairperson of Council ......................................................................................................23
43.
Eligibility ...........................................................................................................................23
44.
Term of Office ...................................................................................................................24
45.
Vacancies ..........................................................................................................................24
46.
Suspension and Removal of a Council Member .................................................................25
47.
Duties and Powers of Council Members ............................................................................27
48.
Status of Council Members in Area Associations and Member Federations .......................29
49.
Council Meetings and Procedures .....................................................................................30
PART VI – PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS .............................................................................................. 31
50.
Role of President ..............................................................................................................31
51.
Eligibility ...........................................................................................................................31
52.
Election of President .........................................................................................................31
53.
Term of Office of President ...............................................................................................31
54.
Duties and Powers of President ........................................................................................31
55.
Vice-Presidents .................................................................................................................32
PART VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD ......................................................................................................................... 34
56.
Role of Executive Board ....................................................................................................34
57.
Membership of the Executive Board .................................................................................34
58.
Duties and Powers of Executive Board Members ..............................................................36
59.
Executive Board Meetings and Procedures........................................................................38
60.
Executive Board Appointments Panel ...............................................................................38
PART VIII – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER .......................................................................................................... 42
61.
Role ..................................................................................................................................4262.
Eligibility ...........................................................................................................................42
63.
Terms ...............................................................................................................................4264.
Authority ..........................................................................................................................42
PART IX – ELIGIBILITY OF WORLD ATHLETICS OFFICIALS AND VETTING PANEL .................................... 44
65.
Eligibility ...........................................................................................................................44
66.
Role of Vetting Panel ........................................................................................................45
67.
Composition and Term of Vetting Panel ............................................................................45
68.
Duties, Powers, Responsibilities and Procedures...............................................................45
69.
Decisions of Vetting Panel.................................................................................................45
PART X – ATHLETICS INTEGRITY UNIT ............................................................................................................ 47
70.
Establishment ...................................................................................................................47
71.
Role ..................................................................................................................................47
72.
Independence ...................................................................................................................47
73.
Integrity Unit Board ..........................................................................................................47
74.
Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel .........................................................................48
PART XI – DISCIPLINE......................................................................................................................................... 50
75.
Integrity Code of Conduct .................................................................................................50
76.
Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal .....................................................................................50

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PART XII – ADMINISTRATIVE ............................................................................................................................. 52
77.
Official Languages .............................................................................................................52
78.
Financial Year ...................................................................................................................52
79.
Annual Council Report ......................................................................................................52
80.
Transparency Standards ....................................................................................................53
81.
Application of Income .......................................................................................................53
82.
Amendments to the Constitution ......................................................................................53
83.
Dissolution........................................................................................................................5384.
Disputes and Appeals........................................................................................................54
85.
Notifications .....................................................................................................................54
PART XIII – DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION ........................................................................................... 56
86.
Specific Definitions ...........................................................................................................5687.
Interpretation ...................................................................................................................61
APPENDIX............................................................................................................................................................. 63

World Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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World Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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PART I – COMMENCEMENT, STATUS, PURPOSES AND POWERS
1.

Name

1.1

World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF)) is an association of the Member Federations.

1.2

The IAAF was formed in 1912 and was registered as an association in the Principalityof Monaco on 28 October 1993. The IAAF is established for an indefinite period under
the laws of Monaco (Loi n◦1.355 of 23 December 2008). As of 2019, the IAAF
changed its name to "World Athletics".

1.3World Athletics is the sole competent international authority for the sport of Athletics
worldwide and is recognised as such by the IOC.

2.

Commencement

2.1

This version of the Constitution shall come into force on 1 September 2023.

3.

Headquarters, Offices and Applicable Law

3.1

The headquarters and registered office of World Athletics shall be situated in Monaco.
World Athletics’ headquarters may not be transferred outside the Principality ofMonaco.

3.2

World Athletics may have additional offices outside of Monaco, as decided by the
Executive Board.

3.3

The governing law of World Athletics is the law of Monaco.

4.

Purposes

4.1

The purposes of World Athletics are to:a.

promote, develop, and be the governing body for the sport of Athletics
worldwide;b.

encourage participation in Athletics at all levels throughout the world throughcompetitions, events, programmes and activities;c.

establish, manage, control and supervise International Competitions andrecognise records in Athletics from International Competitions;d.

regulate the sport of Athletics through the development of rules and regulations
and a judicial system by which they are enforced;

e.

protect the integrity of Athletics and World Athletics by developing andenforcing standards of conduct and ethical behaviour and implementing good
governance;f.

protect clean athletes in Athletics by applying and enforcing the World AntiDoping Code including implementing rules, programmes, systems anddisciplinary measures;g.

encourage and support the development, organisation and delivery of Athletics
worldwide through its Areas and Member Federations;

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support and assist Area Associations and Member Federations to promote anddevelop Athletics in accordance with the Purposes of World Athletics;i.

advance the sport of Athletics through ongoing research and development
including the dissemination of technical, medical, logistical and otherinformation about Athletics;

j.

preserve the right of every individual to participate in Athletics as a sport,
without unlawful discrimination of any kind undertaken in the spirit of friendship,solidarity and fair play;k.

be recognised by the IOC and play a leading role in the Olympic Movement. In
particular to undertake its responsibilities to organise, supervise and officiate
the Athletics programme at the Olympic Games;l.

cooperate with other sports organisations, public and private organisations andauthorities to promote the interests of sport generally, and Athletics inparticular, throughout the world;m.

preserve and promote the best of the history of the sport of Athletics and inparticular, to maintain a heritage collection of notable historical artefacts,
documents, photographs and memorabilia;n.

partner with corporate and other entities to protect and enhance World
Athletics’ Intellectual Property including entering into the commercial, marketingand sponsorship arrangements for the sport of Athletics and World Athletics;
and,

o.

promote and implement programmes and practices to ensure the sustainabilityof Athletics including the environment in which Athletics is undertaken.

5.

Powers5.1

Subject to this Constitution and the law of Monaco, World Athletics has all the powers
of a legal person and may do all such acts or things which are necessary, desirable,
incidental or conducive to advancing the Purposes of World Athletics.

2

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PART II – MEMBERSHIP
6.

Members

6.1

The Members of World Athletics are the Member Federations.

6.2

The Member Federations listed in the Appendix to this Constitution are the Membersof World Athletics as at the date this Constitution is effective, subject to Articles 13(Suspension of Membership and Other Sanctions) and 14 (Expulsion from
Membership).

7.

Admission as a Member

7.1

A national governing body for the sport of Athletics in any Country may apply foradmission as a Member of World Athletics.

7.2

A national governing body in a Territory is not eligible to be a Member Federation.
This Article shall not affect the status of existing Member Federations of Territories
who were admitted to Membership of World Athletics (formerly the IAAF) prior to 31
December 2005. Every reference to a Country in this Constitution shall be deemed
to mean a Territory which has been admitted as a Member Federation under this
Article, unless specified otherwise.

7.3

There shall only be one Member Federation from any one Country or Territory.

7.4

An application by a national governing body seeking Membership shall be made inaccordance with the admission procedures set out in the Rules and Regulations.

7.5

To be considered for Membership, an applicant seeking admission as a Member shalldemonstrate to the Council’s satisfaction that:a.

it is recognised as the national governing body for the sport of Athletics in its
Country;b.

it is a separate legal entity properly constituted in accordance with the law
applicable to its Country;c.

it is Financially Solvent;d.

its application for Membership is supported by the Area Association of the Area
in which the applicant is situated; and,e.

such other requirements as set out in the Rules and Regulations.

7.6

The Council has the power to decide, in its discretion, by Special Majority, whether
to admit a national governing body to be a Member of World Athletics on a provisional
basis, including deciding the Area in which it is designated.

7.7

Provisional membership of any Member Federation granted by the Council by Special
Majority shall be put to the next Ordinary Congress meeting or a Special Congressmeeting for approval of permanent Membership or otherwise. The rights andobligations of Member Federations as set out in this Constitution shall not apply until
such time as permanent Membership is granted.

7.8

The admission or otherwise to Membership is at the sole discretion of Congress.

7.9

Once admitted, a Member Federation is a Member for indefinite duration, unless it
withdraws its Membership or is suspended or expelled from Membership inWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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accordance with this Constitution.
8.

Rights of Members

8.1

Subject to this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, each Member Federation has
the right to:a.

appoint Delegates to attend, speak and vote at meetings of Congress, inaccordance with this Constitution;b.

appoint representatives to attend and speak at the Convention and otherforums held by World Athletics;c.

submit nominations for the election of President, Vice-Presidents and IndividualCouncil Members;d.

submit nominations for members of Commissions;e.

receive the Annual Council Report together with such other reports that are
required to be made to Congress as specified in this Constitution;f.

receive circulars and other official information as specified in the Rules andRegulations;g.

enter athletes in International Competitions in accordance with the Rules andRegulations;h.

be a member of an Area Association in accordance with the constitution andrules of the Area Association;i.

such other rights and privileges as set out in this Constitution, the Rules andRegulations.

9.

Obligations of Members

9.1

In accordance with this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, each Member
Federation shall:

4a.

administer, promote and develop Athletics in the Member Federation Country
in accordance with the Purposes of World Athletics;b.

comply with this Constitution and all Rules and Regulations;c.

democratically elect or appoint its officers and executive body in accordancewith the Rules and Regulations;d.

supply information to World Athletics as specified in the Rules and Regulations
or as otherwise requested in writing;e.

continue to meet all the requirements for admission to Membership set out in
Article 7.5;f.

adopt a constitution, rules and regulations which comply with, and are notinconsistent with, this Constitution, the Rules and the Regulations;g.

submit a report annually to World Athletics and its Area Association inaccordance with the Rules and Regulations;

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Book A – A1h.

compete in at least one International Competition or one Area Championships
in the period between meetings of Ordinary Congress;i.

be a member of its Area Association and co-operate with it, in accordance with
the Area Association’s constitution and rules; and,j.

pay any Membership Fee, by the Due Date.

9.2

In the event of any inconsistency between the constitution, rules and regulations of a
Member Federation and the Constitution, Rules and Regulations of World Athletics,
then to the extent of that inconsistency, the Constitution, Rules and Regulations ofWorld Athletics will prevail.

10.

Membership Fee

10.1

Members shall pay any Membership Fee(s) set by Congress on the recommendationof Council by the Due Date.

10.2

A Member may be suspended or expelled from Membership in accordance with thisConstitution if any Membership Fees or other fees or payments to World Athletics aredue and outstanding for more than thirty (30) days after the Due Date, or any later
date, approved by Council upon application by the Member Federation.

11.

Withdrawal of Membership

11.1

A Member Federation that is not in default of any payments as specified in Article
10.2 may withdraw its Membership of World Athletics by giving not less than six (6)months written notice to World Athletics in accordance with the procedure set out in
the Rules and Regulations.

12.

Intervention in a Member Federation

12.1

World Athletics may intervene in the governance or management of a Member
Federation in whatever manner Council considers appropriate if in Council’s opinion,
after enquiry and having provided a reasonable opportunity for the Member
Federation to be heard, and if approved by Special Majority of Council, the Member
Federation:

12.2

a.

is having significant governance, administration, operational or financial
difficulties;b.

ceases to meet one or more of the admission requirements specified in
Article 7.5;

c.

takes or has taken against it any action or proceedings to dissolve it;d.

is involved in any conflict which prevents it from operating effectively; or,e.

is otherwise unable to fulfil its purposes.

If World Athletics decides to intervene under Article 12.1, Council shall:a.

notify the Member Federation of the decision to intervene, the proposed period
of intervention and the terms of the intervention;b.

take such steps as are reasonable and practicable to resolve the issues
affecting the Member Federation, including but not limited to calling a general
meeting of the members of the Member Federation, appointing a person orWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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persons to act in place of the executive body of the Member Federation or toassume temporary management of the operations of the Member Federation,or request the assistance of the relevant Area Association to address andresolve the issues; and,c.

act in accordance with the constitution of the Member Federation, unless it isinconsistent with this Constitution, the Rules or the Regulations, in which casethis Constitution or the Rules and Regulations, as applicable, shall apply.

13.

Suspension of Membership and Other Sanctions

13.1

Provisional Suspension by Council: Council may provisionally suspend a Member
Federation’s Membership for a period specified in Article 13.2 if, in the opinion ofCouncil, the Member Federation:

13.2

13.3

13.4

a.

is in breach of any one or more of its obligations under Article 9 (Obligations ofMembers) including its failure to pay the Membership Fee or any other fees or
payments due and owing by the date specified in Article 10.2;b.

is otherwise in breach of any other Article in this Constitution or any Rule,
Regulation or a decision of Congress or Council;c.

acts in a manner which is contrary to any of the Purposes of World Athletics, or
the government of the Country or Territory that the Member represents, acts ina manner contrary to any of the Purposes;d.

ceases to meet one or more of the admission requirements set out in Article
7.5;

e.

has any one or more of the circumstances in Article 12.1 apply to it.

The period of a provisional suspension imposed by Council under Article 13.1 shallbe:a.

a fixed period decided by Council, provided that the period is no longer than the
period to the next Ordinary Congress meeting; orb.

an indefinite period dependent on the satisfaction of terms and conditions
imposed by Council, provided that the period is no longer than the period to thenext Ordinary Congress meeting.

Before provisionally suspending a Member Federation under Article 13.1, Council
shall:a.

notify the Member Federation in writing of its proposal to provisionally suspend
it from Membership including the proposed period of provisional suspension
and the reasons for such proposal; and,b.

give the Member Federation at least twenty-one (21) days to respond to the
proposal to provisionally suspend its Membership, unless Council considers
there is urgency, in which case this period may be reduced to such lesser period
as it sees fit in the circumstances.

Council may at any time during the period of any provisional suspension of a Member
Federation:a.

6extend the period of provisional suspension from that imposed under Article
13.2, for a further period, provided that the further period is no longer than theWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

Book A – A1

period to the next Ordinary Congress meeting; or,
b.

13.5

13.6

13.7

revoke the provisional suspension, either on application by the Member
Federation or of its own volition, if it is satisfied that the grounds on which theprovisional suspension was imposed no longer apply.

Additional Sanctions by Council: In place of, or in addition to, any provisional
suspension imposed under Article 13.1, if any of the grounds set out in Article 13.1
apply or a Member Federation is in breach of Article 17, Council may impose any one
or more of the following sanctions on a Member Federation:a.

set specific terms or conditions to be met or steps to be undertaken to thesatisfaction of Council;b.

issue a caution or censure;c.

impose a fine;d.

withhold grants or subsidies;e.

exclude a Member’s athletes, athlete support personnel and/or Officials who
are Citizens of the Member Federation Country, and Member Federation
Officials, from any International Competitions or any World Athletics position or
body;

f.

remove or deny accreditation of, or other benefits to, athletes, athlete support
personnel and/or Officials who are Citizens of the Member Federation Country
and Member Federation Officials, for any International Competitions and other
World Athletics events and activities;g.

suspend rights to attend, speak and/or vote at meetings of Congress; orh.

impose any other sanctions it considers appropriate.

Before imposing any sanction under Article 13.5, Council shall:a.

notify the Member Federation in writing of its proposal to impose a sanction
including the nature of the proposed sanction and the reasons for suchproposal; and,b.

give the Member Federation at least twenty-one (21) days to respond to the
proposal unless Council considers there is urgency, in which case this period
may be reduced to such lesser period as it sees fit in the circumstances.

Suspension by Congress: Congress may suspend a Member Federation’s
Membership for a period specified in Article 13.8 if:a.

Council recommends such suspension following the provisional suspension byCouncil under Article 13.1;b.

Congress considers, of its own volition, that any one or more of the grounds set
out in Article 13.1 apply;c.

any terms or conditions imposed by Council under Article 13.2(b) or under
Article 13.5 are not met to the satisfaction of Congress; ord.

any sanctions imposed under Article 13.5 are not fulfilled by the Member
Federation, to the satisfaction of Congress.

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13.8

The period of suspension imposed by Congress may be a fixed period, or anindefinite period subject to the satisfaction of any terms and conditions imposed by
Congress.

13.9

Before Congress suspends a Member Federation from Membership under
Article 13.7, Council (if it is recommending such suspension) or Congress (in othercircumstances) shall:

13.10

a.

notify the Member Federation in writing of its proposal to suspend it from
Membership including the reasons for such proposal;b.

give the Member Federation at least thirty (30) days to respond to the proposal
to suspend the Member at a meeting of Congress; and,c.

give the Member Federation the right to be heard at Congress.

At any Congress meeting held any time during the period of any suspension of a
Member Federation, Congress may:a.

extend the period of suspension from that imposed under Article 13.8 for afurther period; or,b.

revoke the suspension, either on application by the Member Federation or of
its own volition, if it is satisfied that the grounds on which the suspension was
imposed no longer apply or any terms and conditions imposed with thesuspension have been satisfied.

13.11

The suspension (including provisional suspension) of, or imposition of any othersanctions against, any Member Federation imposed by Council or Congress, shall bepromptly notified by the Chief Executive Officer to all Member Federations and Area
Associations.

13.12

Nothing in this Article 13 limits or waives any other powers of Congress or Council
under this Constitution nor any powers of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal toimpose sanctions in accordance with this Constitution or the Rules and Regulations.

14.

Expulsion from Membership

14.1

Congress may expel any Member Federation from Membership, if:a.

the Member Federation has been suspended under Article 13.7, and thematters giving rise to the suspension have not been addressed to thesatisfaction of Congress; or,b.

the circumstances in Article 13.1 have seriously impacted or may seriously
impact on the reputation of World Athletics or Athletics or have been carried out
repeatedly or persistently by a Member Federation.

14.2

The process for Congress to expel a Member Federation from Membership shall be
the same as that required for suspension as set out in Article 13.9.

14.3

The expulsion of any Member Federation from Membership shall be promptly notified
by the Chief Executive Officer to all Member Federations and Area Associations.

15.

Consequences of Withdrawal, Suspension or Expulsion of Membership

15.1

Where any Member Federation has withdrawn its Membership or had its Membership
suspended (including provisionally suspended) or is expelled, the following

8

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consequences shall apply:
a.

b.

c.

the Member Federation concerned shall:i.

automatically and with immediate effect be suspended from the Area
Association, if it was suspended from World Athletics (including
provisionally suspended), or cease to be a member of the Area
Association, if it withdrew, or was expelled, from Membership of World
Athletics;ii.

not in any way hold itself out as a Member of World Athletics or the Area
Association;iii.

forfeit all rights in and claims upon World Athletics and its property
including its Intellectual Property,iv.

not use any World Athletics property, including its Intellectual Property,
unless prior agreed; and,v.

not be entitled to any rights, entitlements, or privileges to which it would
otherwise have been entitled including representation and/or
participation in any competition, activity, event, function or meeting ofWorld Athletics including a Congress meeting;no Official or Area Official who is a Citizen of the Member Federation Country,
or holding any office in the Member Federation will:i.

be entitled to take up or continue to hold office in any position within
World Athletics (including any Commission, board, panel, or tribunal
constituted by World Athletics) or with any Area Association or otherMember Federation; and,ii.

be entitled to any other rights, entitlements or privileges to which theywould otherwise have been entitled including representation, entry,
participation or involvement in any capacity in any competition, activity,
event, function or meeting of World Athletics (including meetings ofCongress, Council and the Executive Board) or any Area Association;

no athlete, athlete support personnel or other person who is a member, or under
the jurisdiction, of the Member Federation may represent, enter, compete,
participate or otherwise be involved in any capacity on behalf of that Member
Federation, in any competition, activity, event, function or meeting of World
Athletics or any Area Association, unless specified otherwise in the Rules.

16.

Reinstatement of Expelled Member

16.1

A Member Federation that has been expelled from Membership by Congress may bereinstated as a Member at the discretion of Congress if:a.

a proposal for reinstatement is made by the Member Federation to Council inwriting at least six (6) months prior to an Ordinary Congress meeting or aSpecial Congress meeting called for that purpose in accordance with Article 32;b.

having considered the proposal, Council agrees, by Special Majority torecommend to Congress the reinstatement of the Member Federation toMembership; and,c.

Congress approves reinstatement of Membership at the Congress meeting, byWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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Special Majority.
17.

Compliance

17.1

Member Federations shall comply with all applicable Rules and Regulations and any
applicable policies and procedures published by World Athletics and as areprescribed by World Athletics as applying to Member Federations.

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PART III – AREAS
18.

Areas

18.1

World Athletics is divided into the following six (6) geographical regions of the world
called Areas:

18.2

a.

Africa;

b.

Asia;

c.

Europe;d.

North America, Central America and the Caribbean;e.

Oceania;f.

South America.

The Areas are designated for the purposes of:a.

promoting, developing and co-ordinating Athletics in each Area includingorganising Area Competitions;b.

electing the Area Presidents who are Ex Officio members of Council;c.

electing members of the Area Councils in accordance with the constitution of
the Area Association.

19.

Area Associations

19.1

Each Area shall have an Area Association which has delegated authority from World
Athletics to make decisions in their Area in accordance with this Constitution, theRules and the Regulations.

19.2

Each Area Association shall be a separate legal entity properly constituted inaccordance with the law applicable to a Country in its Area.

19.3

Each Area Association shall have as its members, the Member Federations in the
Area set out in the Appendix to this Constitution, as amended from time to time inaccordance with this Constitution. An Area Association may also have Territories in
its Area as members, and other categories of members of the Area Association, but
without voting rights.

19.4

The President and Chief Executive Officer shall be notified of, and have the right toparticipate in, all meetings of each Area Council and Area Meetings.

19.5

An Area Association has no authority to act as an agent or representative of World
Athletics, or to enter into any contract or commitment on behalf of World Athletics,
except as expressly authorised in this Constitution, Rules and Regulations orotherwise in writing by Council or the Executive Board.

20.

Role of Area Associations

20.1

The role of each Area Association is to:a.

promote and develop the sport of Athletics in its Area;

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encourage participation in Athletics at all levels throughout the Area throughcompetitions, events, programmes and activities;c.

establish, manage and control Area Competitions and recognise records inAthletics from those competitions;d.

cooperate with other sports organisations, public and private organisations andauthorities to promote the interests of sport generally, and Athletics inparticular, in the Area; and,e.

carry out such other roles and responsibilities as set out in the Rules,
Regulations or otherwise delegated to it in writing by the Council or Executive
Board.

21.

Rights of Area Associations

21.1

Subject to this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, each Area Association has
the right to:a.

its Area President being an Ex Officio member of Council provided that its Area
President is Eligible in accordance with Article 65;b.

if requested by World Athletics, enter into agreements with World Athletics todeliver competitions, events, programmes and activities in the Area;c.

appoint Observers to attend meetings of Congress, if invited to do so, in
accordance with Article 29.4(c);d.

appoint representatives to attend and speak at the Convention and otherforums held by World Athletics;e.

submit nominations for members of Commissions;f.

receive the Annual Council Report together with such other reports that are
required to be made to Congress in this Constitution;g.

receive circulars and other official information as specified in the Rules; and,h.

such other rights and privileges as set out in this Constitution, the Rules andRegulations.

22.

Obligations of Area Associations

22.1

In accordance with this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, each Area
Association shall:

12a.

administer, promote and develop the sport of Athletics in its Area in accordancewith the Purposes of World Athletics;b.

manage and organise Area Competitions;c.

comply with this Constitution and all Rules and Regulations and any applicablepolicies and procedures published by World Athletics and as are prescribed byWorld Athletics as applying to Area Associations;d.

have and maintain a central office in the Area to administer the affairs of the
Area Association;

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have its Area President democratically elected, and the members of its Area
Council and other officers democratically elected or appointed in accordancewith the constitution of the Area Association and the Rules and Regulations;f.

hold Area Meetings at least every two (2) Calendar Years at which
representatives of the Member Federations and other members of the Area
Association, in the Area, are entitled to attend, speak and vote;g.

supply information to World Athletics as specified in the Rules and Regulations
or as otherwise requested in writing;h.

maintain its status as a separate legal entity properly constituted in accordancewith the law applicable to a Country in its Area;i.

adopt a constitution, rules and regulations which comply with and are consistent
with this Constitution, the Rules and the Regulations; and,j.

submit a report annually to World Athletics in accordance with the Rules andRegulations.

22.2

Each Area President shall ensure the obligations in Article 22.1 are met by its Area
Association.

22.3

In the event of any inconsistency between the constitution, rules and regulations ofan Area Association and the Constitution, Rules and Regulations of World Athletics,
then to the extent of that inconsistency, the Constitution, Rules and Regulations ofWorld Athletics will prevail.

23.

Intervention and Sanctions on Area Associations

23.1

World Athletics may intervene in the governance or management of an Area
Association for the same reasons and on the same basis as it may do for Member
Federations, as set out in Article 12, so that every reference to Member Federationsin that Article shall mean Area Associations.

23.2

In addition, Council may impose any one or more of the following sanctions on an
Area Association if any of the grounds set out in Article 23.3 apply:a.

set specific terms or conditions to be met or steps to be undertaken to thesatisfaction of Council;b.

issue a caution or censure;c.

impose a fine;d.

withhold grants or subsidies;e.

exclude Area Officials from any International Competitions or from being an
Official;f.

remove or deny accreditation, or other benefits, to Area Officials and Officials
who are resident in a Country in the Area, for International Competitions andother World Athletics events and activities;g.

suspend the Area President from Council;h.

impose any other sanctions it considers appropriate.

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23.3

23.4

23.5

14

The grounds on which Council may impose a sanction under Article 23.2 are if the
Area Association:a.

is in breach of any one or more of its obligations under Article 22 (Obligationsof Area Associations);b.

is otherwise in breach of this Constitution or any Rule, Regulation or decisionof Congress or Council; orc.

acts in a manner which is contrary to the Purposes of World Athletics.

Before imposing any sanction on an Area Association, Council shall:a.

notify the Area Association in writing of its proposal to impose a sanction
including the reasons for such proposal; and,b.

give the Area Association at least twenty-one (21) days to respond to the
proposal to impose a sanction, unless Council considers there is urgency, inwhich case this period may be reduced to such lesser period as it sees fit in thecircumstances.

If World Athletics intervenes into an Area Association under Article 23.1 or imposesa sanction on an Area Association under Article 23.2, neither action will affect therights and obligations under this Constitution of the Member Federations which are
members of the Area Association, unless Council undertakes separate steps, as
permitted by this Constitution, Rules and Regulations, against any such Member
Federation or any Member Federation Official.

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PART IV – CONGRESS
24.

Role of Congress

24.1

Congress is the highest authority of World Athletics and the sport of Athletics
worldwide.

25.

Composition of Congress

25.1

Congress consists of the Member Federations represented by up to three (3)Delegates each.

26.

Meetings of Congress

26.1

Congress shall meet every two (2) Calendar Years in an Ordinary Congress meeting.

26.2

Every second meeting of Congress will be an Election Congress meeting, at which
the President, Vice-Presidents and the Individual Council Members will be elected inaccordance with Article 36 (Elections).

26.3

The date and venue of all meetings of Congress will be decided by Council andnotified in accordance with Article 30 (Notice of Ordinary Congress Meeting) or Article
32 (Call and Notice of Special Congress Meeting), as applicable.

26.4

Council may decide, in exceptional circumstances, that an Ordinary Congressmeeting is held virtually with none of the Delegates being physically present or heldwith some Delegates physically present and some attending the meeting virtually.

26.5

Council may decide to hold a Special Congress Meeting virtually with none of theDelegates being physically present or held with some Delegates physically present
and some attending the meeting virtually. For the avoidance of doubt, exceptional
circumstances do not need to exist for this decision to be made in relation to a Special
Congress Meeting.

26.6

In addition to Ordinary Congress meetings, Congress may:a.

meet in a Special Congress; or,b.

make urgent decisions by written resolution electronically on extraordinary
matters (as decided by Council).

26.7

The procedure for meetings of Congress shall be as specified in this Constitution andthe Rules of Congress.

26.8

In addition to meetings of Congress, there shall be a Convention held in conjunction
with each Ordinary Congress meeting, as described in Article 39.

27.

Powers of Congress

27.1

The Congress has the powers set out in this Constitution, and in particular to:a.

admit, suspend, expel and reinstate Members;b.

amend this Constitution;c.

elect and remove the President;d.

elect and remove the Vice-Presidents;

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Book A – A1e.

elect and remove Council Members;f.

remove Executive Board Members;g.

approve members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal, upon therecommendation of Council;h.

approve members of the Vetting Panel, upon the recommendation of Council;i.

approve members of the Integrity Unit Board, upon the recommendation of theIntegrity Unit Board Appointments Panel;j.

approve and amend the World Plan for Athletics;k.

receive annual reports from the Vetting Panel, the Integrity Unit Board and theDisciplinary and Appeals Tribunal;l.

receive and approve the Annual Council Report;m.

appoint the Auditors, on the recommendation of the Executive Board;n.

receive and approve annual reports from the Auditors;o.

grant the titles of Honorary Life President, Honorary Life Vice-President andHonorary Life Personal Members, on the recommendation of Council;p.

grant awards for services to World Athletics and the sport of Athletics, on therecommendation of Council;

q.

dissolve World Athletics in accordance with Article 83;r.

set the Membership Fee and Due Date for payment.

28.

Delegates

28.1

Each Member Federation is entitled to elect or appoint up to three (3) Delegates toattend each Ordinary Congress meeting and any Special Congress meeting.

28.2

Each Member Federation is required to have at least one (1) Delegate attend all
meetings of Congress.

28.3

World Athletics will arrange and meet, to the extent possible, the reasonable costs oftravel and accommodation for one (1) Delegate to attend all meetings of Congress.
Member Federations shall meet the costs of any other Delegates they wish to attend.

28.4

Each Delegate shall be:

28.5

16

a.

a member of the Member Federation;b.

a Member Federation Official; and,c.

elected or appointed to be a Delegate by the executive body of the Member
Federation in accordance with its constitution.

No member of Council, the Executive Board, the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal,
the Integrity Unit Board, the Integrity Unit Appointments Panel, the Executive Board
Appointments Panel, the Vetting Panel, or any Staff may be a Delegate.

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28.6

A person may not be a Delegate for more than one (1) Member Federation at any
meeting of Congress.

28.7

The Delegates for each Member Federation attending a meeting of Congress shallbe notified to World Athletics in accordance with the Rules and Regulations.

28.8

Each Member Federation represented by its Delegates at a meeting of Congress has
the right to speak and vote. Each Member Federation is entitled to one (1) vote oneach resolution before Congress.

29.

Attendees and Observers

29.1

In addition to the Delegates, the following persons shall attend meetings of Congress
as Attendees:a.

the President;b.

the Vice-Presidents;c.

the Area Presidents;d.

the chairperson and other member from the Athletes’ Commission who aremembers of Council;e.

the Individual Council Members; and,f.

Executive Board Members.

29.2

All Attendees have the right to speak at meetings of Congress but have no right to
vote.

29.3

In addition to the Delegates and the Attendees, the following persons are entitled to
be Observers at meetings of Congress:

29.4

a.

chairpersons of Commissions;b.

Honorary Life Presidents;c.

Honorary Life Vice-Presidents;d.

Honorary Life Personal Members;e.

chairpersons of the Vetting Panel, Integrity Unit Board, and Disciplinary andAppeals Tribunal;f.

Chief Executive Officer and other Staff if requested by the Chief Executive
Officer;g.

the Auditors; and,h.

other persons invited by Council or the President, which may include advisors
to World Athletics.

In addition, the following persons may, in Council’s discretion, be invited to attend
Congress as Observers:a.

members of Commissions and Working Groups;

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Book A – A1b.

members of sub-committees, taskforces and other groups appointed by the
Executive Board; and,c.

up to three (3) Area representatives from each Area, in addition to the Area
Presidents.

29.5

Observers shall only have the right to speak at meetings of Congress if approved by
the chairperson of the Congress meeting and shall have no right to vote.

29.6

Meetings of Congress shall be open and, if room permits (as decided by the Chief
Executive Officer), any other person may attend meetings of Congress, provided theymeet any registration requirements and are permitted, in the discretion of the Chief
Executive Officer, to attend. Such persons may not speak or vote at meetings ofCongress.

29.7

All meetings of Congress will, if reasonably practicable, be broadcast or otherwise
made accessible to the public, other than matters the Congress decides by Simple
Majority, to be kept confidential.

30.

Notice of Ordinary Congress Meeting

30.1

The Chief Executive Officer shall, in usual circumstances, give not less than twelve(12) months (or such shorter period as Council shall, in exceptional circumstances,
decide) written notice of each Ordinary Congress meeting to all Member Federations
and Area Associations.

30.2

This notice shall specify:a.

the date, time and venue in which the Ordinary Congress meeting is to be held;b.

the date and time by which notification of the Delegates of the Member
Federations for the Ordinary Congress meeting shall be received by the Chief
Executive Officer;c.

if an Election Congress meeting, the positions to be elected and the date andtime by which nominations for them shall be received by the Chief Executive
Officer (being three (3) months prior to the Election Congress meeting);d.

the date and time by which any proposed resolutions and other items ofbusiness of Congress (as specified in Article 31) are to be submitted to theChief Executive Officer, (being six (6) months prior to the Ordinary Congressmeeting).

30.3

If the Council decides that a Congress meeting is to be held virtually or with some ofthe delegates being present physically and some virtually, Council will give as muchnotice of this to the Member Federations and Area Associations as is reasonably
practicable in the circumstances.

31.

Agenda for Ordinary Congress Meeting

31.1

An agenda containing the business to be discussed at an Ordinary Congress meetingshall be sent by the Chief Executive Officer to the Area Associations and Member
Federations by no later than two (2) months before the date of the Ordinary Congressmeeting. The business on the agenda shall include the following:a.

18

presentation and approval of the Annual Council Report, including the audited
financial statements and Auditor’s reports, for the preceding financial year;

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Book A – A1b.

receipt and approval of annual reports from the Vetting Panel, Integrity Unit
Board and the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal covering the preceding
financial year;c.

any resolution(s) proposing to amend this Constitution;d.

if an Election Congress meeting, the election of the positions of President, VicePresidents and Individual Council Members;e.

approval of any members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal, upon therecommendation of Council;f.

approval of any members of the Vetting Panel, upon the recommendation ofCouncil;g.

approval of any Independent Members of the Integrity Unit Board, upon therecommendation of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel;h.

any other items of business that have been properly submitted in accordancewith this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, for consideration at theOrdinary Congress meeting.

32.

Call and Notice of Special Congress Meeting and Urgent Decisions by Written
Resolution

32.1

The Chief Executive Officer shall call a Special Congress meeting, as soon aspracticable, upon a written request from:

32.2

32.3

32.4

a.

the Council; orb.

one third (1/3rd) or more of the Member Federations.

A request made under Article 32.1 to call a Special Congress meeting, shall state:a.

the specific purpose for which the Special Congress meeting is being called;
and,

b.

the specific resolution(s) on which the Delegates are requested to vote.

On receipt of the request to call a Special Congress meeting, the Chief Executive
Officer shall give not less than three (3) months’ notice to the Members and Area
Associations of:a.

the date, time and venue in which the Special Congress meeting is to be held;b.

whether Council plans to hold the Special Congress meeting virtually or withsome of the delegates being present physically and some virtually;c.

the date and time by which notification of the Delegates of the Member
Federations shall be received by the Chief Executive Officer; and,d.

the proposed resolution(s) that have been properly submitted for consideration.

The Council may propose a written resolution be sent electronically to the Member
Federations for approval. A resolution consented to by the requisite majority of aquorum of Member Federations shall be valid as if passed at an Ordinary Congresswith delegates present and voting.

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33.

Quorum33.1

No business shall be transacted at any meeting of Congress unless a quorum ispresent at the time when the meeting is due to commence (as set out in the notice of
the Congress meeting) and at all times during the meeting.

33.2

The quorum for a meeting of Congress shall be no less than one third (1/3rd) of thetotal number of Members entitled to vote.

33.3

If a quorum is not obtained within thirty (30) minutes of the scheduled commencement
time of the meeting of Congress, then the meeting shall be adjourned to a later timeon that day, or the next day, at a time and place as determined by the Council. If noquorum is obtained at this meeting of Congress, then the persons present at suchsecond meeting of Congress are deemed to constitute a valid quorum.

34.

Chairperson

34.1

The chairperson of Congress is the President.

34.2

If the President is unavailable for a Congress meeting, the Senior Vice-President willbe the chairperson for that meeting, or if the Senior Vice-President is not available
then Council shall appoint one (1) of the remaining Vice-Presidents to be thechairperson for that meeting.

35.

Voting35.1

Voting at Congress shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules of Congress.

35.2

Resolutions of Congress shall be passed by an Absolute Majority, unless a Special
Majority is expressly specified in the Constitution and except for elections where theRules of Congress provide that the highest-polling candidate is declared elected.

35.3

In the event of a tie in the votes on a resolution or decision of Congress, the resolution
or decision shall not be carried and the vote is lost, except for a tie in votes in anelection under Article 36 in which case Article 35.4 shall apply. The President is notentitled to a casting vote for tied votes.

35.4

In the event there is a tie in the number of votes for the highest-polling candidates inan election under Article 36, a second vote shall be taken between the tied candidates
for the position being elected, and the highest-polling candidate in that vote will bedeclared elected.

36.

Elections36.1

Elections for the President, Vice-Presidents and Individual Council Members (thecomposition of which is specified in Article 41) shall be undertaken by secret ballot in
the manner specified in the Rules of Congress.

36.2

Only Member Federations may nominate candidates to be elected for President,
Vice-Presidents and Individual Council Members. Each candidate must be Eligible inaccordance with Article 65 (Eligibility) and be a member of, or be affiliated to, theMember Federation which is nominating them. The procedure for nominating
candidates will be as set out in the Rules and Regulations. Member Federations canonly nominate one candidate to be a Council Member but may nominate thatcandidate for different positions on the Council. All Council Members (other than the
Athletes’ Commission members described in Article 41.1(d)) must be elected by theCongress or the Area Association.

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36.3

36.4

36.5

The order for elections shall be as follows:a.

Election of President;b.

Election of Vice-Presidents;c.

Election of Individual Council Members.

Election of Presidenta.

The President shall be elected by the Member Federations through theirDelegates present at the Congress meeting.

b.

The candidate for the position of President who receives an Absolute Majority
on the first round shall be declared elected. If no candidate receives an
Absolute Majority in the first round, then the lowest polling candidate shall be
removed and a second round of voting for all the remaining candidates for the
position of President shall be undertaken. This process shall be repeated until
a candidate for the position of President receives an Absolute Majority.

Election of Vice -Presidentsa.

The four (4) Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the Member Federations
through their Delegates present at the Congress meeting.

b.

The Vice-Presidents must each be from Member Federations in different Areas.

c.

The minimum numbers of each sex required for the four (4) Vice-Presidents
shall be as follows:

d.
36.6

i.

2023 Election Congress: minimum of one (1) female and one (1) male
Vice-President;ii.

2027 Election Congress and for each Election Congress thereafter: two(2) female Vice-Presidents and two (2) male Vice-Presidents.

Voting for the Vice-Presidents shall be undertaken in accordance with the Rulesof Congress.

Election of Individual Council Members:a.

The thirteen (13) Individual Council Members shall be elected by the Member
Federations through their Delegates present at the Congress meeting castinga vote for thirteen (13) Council Members in accordance with the Rules ofCongress.

b.

The total number of Council Members of each sex following the election of the
President and Vice-Presidents, shall be counted (Initial Numbers of Each Sex)and declared to Congress prior to the election of the Individual Council
Members, from amongst the following thirteen (13) positions:i.

the President and Vice-Presidents elected under Articles 36.4 and
36.5;

ii. the current Area Presidents elected in accordance with Article
22.1(e); and,iii. the Athletes’ Commission members on Council elected under Article
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Book A – A1

41.1(d).
c.

The number of Individual Council Members of each sex (called “IndividualCouncil Member Number of Each Sex”) to be elected for the remaining thirteen(13) available positions shall be calculated by subtracting the Initial Numbers ofEach Sex from the required Minimum Numbers of Each Sex specified in Article
36.6(d).

d.

The minimum number from each sex which is required from amongst the total
number of Council Members (Minimum Number of Each Sex) on Council (asreferred to in Article 41.3) shall be as follows:i.

ten (10) of the male sex and ten (10) of the female sex, for the electionsin 2023;ii.

thirteen (13) of the male sex and thirteen (13) of the female sex for theelections in 2027 and thereafter.

37.

Minutes

37.1

Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of Congress and made available to all Member
Federations, Area Associations and other persons who attend Congress as
Attendees or Observers as specified in Article 29 (Attendees and Observers).

38.

Errors38.1

Any irregularity, error or omission in notices, agendas and relevant papers for ameeting of Congress and any other error in the organisation of a meeting of Congress
shall not invalidate the meeting nor prevent the meeting from considering thebusiness of the meeting provided that:a.

the chairperson of the meeting in their discretion determines that it is still
appropriate for the meeting to proceed despite the irregularity, error oromission; and,b.

a resolution to proceed is put to the Congress meeting to proceed and carriedby Special Majority.

39.

Convention

39.1

A Convention shall be held in conjunction with each Ordinary Congress meeting.

39.2

The purpose of the Convention is to discuss ideas, developments and issues facing
Athletics and World Athletics.

39.3

The programme for the Convention shall be decided by Council, after consultation
with Member Federations and Area Associations.

39.4

Each Member Federation will be entitled to have, at its cost, such number ofrepresentatives (in addition to the Delegates), attend the Convention as is decided
by Council, depending on venue capacity.

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PART V – COUNCIL
40.

Role of Council

40.1

The role of Council is to govern the sport of Athletics as set out in this Part V.

41.

Membership of Council

41.1

Council shall be comprised of:a.

the President, elected by Congress in accordance with Article 36.4;b.

four (4) Vice-Presidents, elected by Congress in accordance with Article 36.5.
One (1) of the four (4) Vice-Presidents shall be the Senior Vice President
elected by Council in accordance with Article 55.5;

c.

six (6) Area Presidents, elected by each Area Association in accordance with
Article 22.1(e);d.

the chairperson of the Athletes‘ Commission and one (1) other member of theAthletes’ Commission elected by the members of the Athletes’ Commission
from amongst the elected members of the Athletes’ Commission, who shall beof each sex;e.

thirteen (13) Individual Council Members, elected by Congress in accordancewith Article 36.6.

41.2

Subject to Article 41.3, there shall not be more than one (1) Council Member (in any
capacity) from any one (1) Member Federation Country except that this Article shallnot apply to the members of the Athletes’ Commission on the Council as set out in
Article 41.1(d);41.3There shall be a Minimum Number of Each Sex in the composition of Council, as
described in Article 36.6(d).

41.4

An Area President cannot be a Council Member in any other capacity (including as
an Individual Council Member) at the same time as being an Area President. If an
Area President is elected at Congress as a Council Member, they must immediately
resign from office as Area President, and the Area Association must elect a
replacement Area President, who shall be a member of Council in that capacity.

42.

Chairperson of Council

42.1

The chairperson of Council is the President.

42.2

If the President is unavailable for a Council meeting, the Senior Vice-President willbe the chairperson for that meeting, or if the Senior Vice-President is not available
then Council shall appoint one (1) of the remaining Vice-Presidents to be thechairperson for that meeting.

43.

Eligibility

43.1

A person seeking to be a Council Member (in any capacity), or to remain in office asa Council Member (in any capacity) must be Eligible in accordance with Article 65(Eligibility).

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44.

Term of Office

44.1

The term of office for all Council Members shall be four (4) years, commencing at thecommencement of the first Council meeting held after the conclusion of the Election
Congress meeting at which their election is made or appointment is effective, andexpiring at the commencement of the first Council meeting held after the conclusionof the next Election Congress meeting.

44.2

A person who is appointed to fill a casual vacancy in accordance with Article 45.2,
who was not previously serving on the Council before they were appointed to fill thatcasual vacancy, shall hold office from the commencement of the first Council meeting
held after their appointment and time spent filling that casual vacancy shall not (if they
have served for two years or less in the casual vacancy) count towards the maximum
term of office set out in Article 44.3.

44.3

Subject to Article 44.4, the maximum number of terms of office for any Council
Member is three (3) terms, except that for the President the maximum term is as
specified in Article 53.2. Any term served by a Council Member on the Executive
Board will be counted as a term of office for the purposes of calculating the maximum
number of terms of office on either the Executive Board or Council.

44.4

Except for the President (where Article 53.3 applies), any Council Member that wasa Previous Council Member for a term or terms of office prior to the 2019 Election
Congress meeting, shall be entitled (if re-elected or appointed to Council or the
Executive Board) to a maximum of two (2) further terms of office on Council and/or
the Executive Board expiring at the 2027 Election Congress meeting, regardless ofthe number of terms of office served on Previous Councils.

44.5This Article 44 is subject to Article 45 (Vacancies), and Article 46.2 (Removal ofCouncil Member).

45.

Vacancies

45.1

Casual Vacancy: A casual vacancy in the position of a Council Member arises if,
prior to the expiry of a Council Member’s term of office, one of the following
circumstances occurs:

24a.

resignation of the Council Member, in writing, from office;b.

death of the Council Member;c.

removal from office of the Council Member under Article 46.2 (Removal ofCouncil Member);d.

cessation from office of the Council Member under Article 65.6 (Cessation of
Office);e.

failure by the Council Member to attend three (3) consecutive meetings of theCouncil without prior excuse from the President or Council;f.

in the case of an Area President, the Council Member has, for whatever reason,ceased to be the Area President; and,g.

in the case of the chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission or the other memberof the Athletes’ Commission, the Council Member has, for whatever reason,ceased to be the chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission or a member of theAthletes’ Commission respectively.

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45.2

Vacancies: If a casual vacancy arises on the Council under Article 45.1 (Casual
Vacancy) it shall be filled for the balance of the term of office of the vacating Council
Member as follows:a.

If the vacant position is the President, the Senior Vice-President will become
the interim President, and if they are not available, then one (1) of the otherVice-Presidents as decided by Simple Majority of Council will become theinterim President;b.

If the vacant position is the Senior Vice-President, one (1) of the other VicePresidents, as decided by Simple Majority of Council, will become interim
Senior Vice-President;c.

If the vacant position is for a Vice-President, then one (1) of the IndividualCouncil Members of the applicable sex, decided by Simple Majority of Council,
will become an interim Vice-President;d.

If the vacant position is an Area President, the person who is democraticallyelected (in accordance with Article 22.1(e)) as the replacement president of the
Area Association will be the Area President on Council, unless that election isscheduled to be six (6) months or more after the date that the casual vacancy
arises, in which case, a vice-president of the Area Association (as elected by
the Area Council) will become the interim Area President on Council until theelection for the Area President is held;e.

If the position is the chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission, the person who
is elected by the Athletes’ Commission of the applicable sex as the replacement
for that position, will become chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission;f.

If the position is the other member of the Athletes’ Commission, the person who
is elected by the Athletes’ Commission of the applicable sex to be the othermember of Council, will be the replacement person for that position;g.

If the position is any Individual Council Member, then if the casual vacancy
arises two (2) years or less before the next Election Congress meeting, it willremain vacant until the next Election Congress meeting. If the casual vacancy
arises more than two (2) years before the next Election Congress then theCouncil shall decide if the vacancy shall be filled and, if so, shall determine theprocedure for candidates to fill that casual vacancy in accordance with the
Candidacy Rules. Any election to fill that casual vacancy shall be held byElectronic Voting in accordance with the Candidacy Rules.

46.

Suspension and Removal of a Council Member

46.1

Suspension of Council Membera.

Council may, by Special Majority, suspend a Council Member from Council if a
Council Member:i.

is under investigation by a Relevant Authority for, or is charged with, oris given notice by a Relevant Authority of, a proposal to make an order
or finding against that Council Member in respect of any of thecircumstances described in Articles 65.4(b) to 65.4(k) inclusive(Ineligibility);ii.

is, in Council’s opinion, in breach of one or more of their duties under
Article 47.1; orWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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Book A – A1

iii.

b.

46.2

Before making a decision under Article 46.1(a), Council shall provide theCouncil Member against whom the suspension is proposed;i.

written notice of the proposed suspension including the grounds andreasons for such proposal;ii.

the right to make submissions to Council within a reasonable period
being not less than forty-eight (48) hours after sending the Council
Member notice of the proposed suspension.

c.

A suspension under this Article 46.1 shall be for a period not longer than twelve(12) months, and may be subject to such terms and conditions as Council
considers appropriate. A suspension imposed under this Article may be
extended by Special Majority of Council for a further period until the next
Ordinary Congress meeting if reasonably justified in the circumstances.

d.

In addition to suspension by Council under Article 46.1(a) if a Council Member
is suspended (including provisionally suspended) or otherwise declared
Ineligible under Article 65.4 pending the outcome of any investigation or
charges being decided by a Relevant Authority, the Council Member shall
automatically be suspended from Council for the period of that suspension or
Ineligibility, without any further decision of Council.

e.

If a Council Member is suspended from Council under any provision of this
Article 46, and is also an Executive Board Member, or a member of the Integrity
Unit Board or a member of the Integrity Unit Board Appointment Panel theyshall automatically be suspended from those positions on the Executive Board(in whatever capacity they are an Executive Board Member), the Integrity Unit
Board or Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel, as applicable.

Removal of a Council Member:a.

26

is alleged to have breached, or is under investigation by an Area
Association or a Member Federation for alleged breach of any rules of
the Area Association or the Member Federation.

A Council Member may be removed as a Council Member before the expirationof their term of office on one or more of the following grounds:i.

if they are found by the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal to be inrepeated or persistent breach of duties by the Council Member under
Article 47.1;

ii.

if they are found to be no longer Eligible to hold office as a Council
Member by the Vetting Panel;iii.

Council determines that they be removed following a decision of a
Relevant Authority the effect of which renders them unsuitable to holdoffice as a Council Member.

b.

For the avoidance of doubt, any challenge to a decision made under this Article
46.2(a) will be dealt with in accordance with Article 84, below.

c.

If a Council Member is removed from Council under this Article 46.2, and is also
an Executive Board Member, or a member of the Integrity Unit Board or amember of the Integrity Unit Board Appointment Panel they shall automaticallybe removed from those positions on the Executive Board (in whatever capacity
they are an Executive Board Member), the Integrity Unit Board or the Integrity

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Book A – A1

Unit Board Appointments Panel, as applicable.
47.

Duties and Powers of Council Members

47.1

Duties: The duties of each Council Member are to:a.

consider the interests of Athletics and World Athletics as a whole throughout
the World;b.

at all times act in good faith and in the best interests of World Athletics;c.

exercise the powers of Council for proper purposes;d.

act, and ensure World Athletics acts, in accordance with this Constitution and
its Rules and Regulations including but not limited to the Integrity Code of
Conduct;e.

be bound by all Council decisions and act in accordance with the principle ofcollective responsibility;f.

not agree to, nor cause or allow, the activities of World Athletics to be carriedon in a manner likely to create a substantial risk of serious loss to World
Athletics’ creditors;g.

not agree to World Athletics incurring any obligations unless the Council
Member believes at that time, on reasonable grounds, that World Athletics will
be able to perform the obligations when it is required to do so;h.

except for the President, not speak or make statements publicly on behalf ofWorld Athletics unless authorised to do so by the President, or in accordancewith delegated authority in writing from the Council or the Executive Board.
Council Members may make statements about World Athletics in accordancewith Rules or Regulations set by the Council from time to time;i.

exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonable Council Member would
exercise in the same circumstances;j.

in addition to any other steps specified in the Rules or Regulations, disclose to
World Athletics the nature and extent of any interest in a transaction or
proposed transaction of World Athletics as soon as the Council Member
becomes aware of the fact that they have such interest;k.

not disclose or distribute confidential information, other than in their capacity asa Council Member, to any person, or make use of or act on the confidential
information except:i.

as agreed by the Council for the purposes of World Athletics;ii.

as required by law; oriii.

as ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction;l.

make reasonable efforts to attend and actively participate in all Council
Meetings and Congress Meetings;m.

use their best efforts to consult widely with Member Federations, Area
Associations, athletes and others who participate and have an interest in
Athletics, to keep abreast of the issues facing them. Nothing in this Article

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Book A – A1

waives the duty of confidentiality in respect of information disclosed to them as
Council Members under Article 47.1(k); and,
n.
47.2

28

participate in an annual review of Council’s performance in the manner decided
by Council.

Powers and Responsibilities of Council: Council has the powers andresponsibilities to:a.

approve provisional membership and provisionally suspend
Federations under Article 7.6 and Article 13.1 respectively;

Memberb.

develop the World Plan for Athletics, for approval by Congress, and regularly
monitor progress against that plan;c.

approve and review World Athletics Strategic Plan, on the recommendation of
the Executive Board, and regularly monitor progress against that plan;d.

adopt, amend and repeal Rules and Regulations;e.

approve the Annual Report for approval by Congress;f.

consider and make recommendations to Congress for amendments to theConstitution;g.

consider and make recommendations to Congress for:i.

the granting of the following titles Honorary Life Presidents, Honorary
Life Vice-Presidents and Honorary Life Personal Members;ii.

the recognition of awards to be granted for service and contribution to
Athletics and World Athletics;h.

recommend to Congress the amount of the Membership Fee, and decide on
the Due Date on the recommendation of the Executive Board;i.

review the existing International Competitions and competition structure, decideon new competitions and event, approve the annual and multi-year
International Competition programme and select hosts and locations ofInternational Competitions;j.

approve and amend policies and procedures for the appointment and training
of officials for International Competitions;k.

appoint officials including technical officials for International Competitions;l.

recognise world records;m.

approve, monitor and assess a Development Programme for the benefit ofMember Federations for the global advancement of Athletics;n.

establish and disestablish such Commissions (including an Athletes’
Commission) and Working Groups as it considers appropriate including
determining how members of those Commissions and Working Groups areappointed and removed, and monitoring their progress;o.

establish and disestablish such other bodies, panels, or taskforces withdelegated authority from Council, as decided by Council;

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p.

consider and make recommendations to Congress to approve members of theVetting Panel;q.

make and amend Rules and Regulations for the establishment and authority of
the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal;r.

consider and make recommendations to Congress to approve members of theDisciplinary and Appeals Tribunal;s.

elect a Council Member to be a member of the Integrity Unit Board under Article
73.2(b);t.

make and amend Rules and Regulations for the establishment and authority of
the Integrity Unit;u.

elect a Council Member to be a member of the Integrity Unit Board
Appointments Panel under Article 74.2 (c and approve the Independent
member of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel, on therecommendation of the Executive Board under Article 74.2(b);v.

establish, and monitor the performance of, such bodies and entities as it
considers appropriate to further the Purposes of World Athletics and in which
World Athletics has an interest, on the recommendation of the Executive Board;w.

approve the programme for the Convention;x.

define and monitor delegations of authority from the Council to the President,
Vice-Presidents, Council Members and the Executive Board;y.

establish and disestablish panels or committees with authority to hear andresolve any issues and/or disputes that are specifically referred to them by theRules and Regulations (including but not limited to disciplinary cases seeking
sanctions for alleged breach of the Rules and Regulations);z.

resolve and determine any disputes or matters not provided for in thisConstitution; and,aa.

do all other acts and things which are specified in this Constitution, Rules andRegulations to be undertaken by Council.

48.

Status of Council Members in Area Associations and Member Federations

48.1

A Council Member shall, as of right:a.

be a voting member of the executive body of the Member Federation in theCountry in which the Council Member is a Citizen;b.

be entitled to attend and speak at the general assembly held annually by that
Member Federation; and,c.

be entitled to attend and speak at Area Council meetings of the Area
Association to which that Member Federation is a member;d.

be entitled to attend and speak at the general assembly held annually by that
Area Association.

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49.

Council Meetings and Procedures

49.1

Council Meetings:a.

Council will meet at least three times in each Calendar Year.

b.

Council meetings may be called at any time by the President or at the requestof the Executive Board, on fourteen (14) days’ notice, unless a matter is urgent,
in which case the notice period may be reduced to no less than twelve (12)hours.

c.

Except to the extent specified in this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations,Council shall regulate its own procedure.

49.2

Meetings using Technology: Any one (1) or more Council Members (including
Council as a whole) may participate in any meeting of the Council and vote on any
proposed resolution at a meeting of the Council without being physically present.
Such meetings may occur by telephone, through video conference facilities or byother means of electronic communication (other than electronic mail (e-mail)communication) provided that prior notice of the meeting is given to all Council
Members and all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear each othereffectively and simultaneously. Participation by any Council Member in this mannerat a meeting shall constitute the presence of that Council Member at that meeting.

49.3

Quorum: The minimum number of Council members who shall be present to obtaina quorum for a Council meeting shall be 50% plus 1 of the total number of Council
Members.

49.4

Voting:

49.5

30

a.

Each Council Member present at a Council meeting shall have one (1) vote oneach resolution.

b.

All resolutions of Council shall be carried by an Absolute Majority, unless aSpecial Majority is expressly specified in the Constitution, Rules or Regulations.

c.

In the event of a tie in votes the President shall have both a deliberative and acasting vote, unless the resolution directly affects the President, in which casea replacement chairperson as described in Article 42.2 shall be the chairpersonof the meeting for that resolution.

d.

Except for resolutions passed outside of a Council meeting under Article 49.5
(Resolutions), voting at Council meetings shall be by voice, or upon request of
any Council Member, by a show of hands or by secret ballot. Proxy voting is
not permitted at Council meetings.

Resolutions: A resolution in writing signed or consented to by email, facsimile orother forms of visible or other electronic communication by a quorum of Council
Members under Article 49.3, shall be valid as if it had been passed at a meeting ofCouncil. Any such resolution may consist of several documents in the same form
each signed or consented to by one (1) or more of Council Members.

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PART VI – PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
50.

Role of President

50.1

The role of the President is to be the lead representative of World Athletics and thesport of Athletics.

51.

Eligibility

51.1

The President must be Eligible in accordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

52.

Election of President

52.1

The President will be elected at each Election Congress meeting in accordance with
Article 36.4.

52.2

Area Presidents and members of the Athletes’ Commission on Council may not holdoffice as President at the same time. An Area President or member of the Athletes’
Commission on Council may seek election to be President, but if successful, must
immediately resign from office as Area President, or as a member of the Athletes’
Commission, as applicable.

53.

Term of Office of President

53.1

The term of office for the President shall be four (4) years, commencing at the firstCouncil meeting held after the Election Congress meeting at which their election is
made, and expiring at the commencement of the first Council meeting held after the
next Election Congress meeting.

53.2

Subject to Article 53.3, the maximum number of terms of office for the President isthree (3) in the position of President, provided that, if a Previous Council Member iselected as President that person shall be entitled to serve a total maximum of five (5)terms (including any prior terms of office on Council, in any capacity).

53.3

The President who is in office prior to the 2019 Election Congress meeting, shall beentitled (if re-elected as President) to serve a maximum of two (2) further terms ofoffice as President (expiring at the first Council meeting held after the 2027 Election
Congress meeting), regardless of the number of terms of office previously served on
Previous Councils (in any capacity) or as President.

53.4

This Article is subject to Article 45.2 (Vacancies) and Article 46.2 (Removal of Council
Member).

54.

Duties and Powers of President

54.1

Duties: The President has the duties set out in Article 47 as a Council Member, andArticle 58.1 as a member of the Executive Board.

54.2

Powers and Responsibilities: The President has the powers and responsibilities to:a.

be the lead representative for World Athletics and the sport of Athletics;b.

be the main spokesperson for World Athletics in accordance with policies
decided by the Executive Board, which may include delegating this
responsibility to others;c.

chair meetings of Congress;

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Book A – A1d.

lead the work of Council including ensuring Council is organised properly,
functions effectively, acts within its powers and meets its obligations andresponsibilities;e.

lead the work of the Executive Board including ensuring the Executive Board(and its committees) is organised properly, functions effectively, acts within its
powers, and meets its obligations and responsibilities;f.

oversee the activities of the Commissions and Working Groups, between
Council meetings, including ensuring they are functioning effectively, acting
within their powers and meeting their obligations and responsibilities, as
decided by Council;g.

be an ex officio voting member of all Commissions and Working Groups,
attending such meetings of them as they consider appropriate;h.

ensure the decisions of Congress, Council and the Executive Board are
implemented, and the Constitution, Rules and Regulations are complied with;i.

liaise and facilitate effective communication and relationships with Member
Federations, Area Associations, sponsors and other stakeholders;j.

support, monitor and liaise with the Chief Executive Officer to form a strong,collaborative working relationship, with regular contact between them, on behalfof the Executive Board;k.

only authorise transactions, and sign any documentation, on behalf of World
Athletics with at least one other person from the Executive Board or the Chief
Executive Officer, in accordance with decisions, policies and procedures
decided by the Executive Board or within delegated authority in writing fromCouncil or the Executive Board;l.

perform such other tasks and duties as are delegated to the President by
Congress, Council and the Executive Board.

55.

Vice-Presidents

55.1

There shall be four (4) Vice-Presidents elected at each Election Congress meeting inaccordance with Article 36.5.

55.2

There shall be no more than one Vice-President from any one Area.

55.3

All Vice-Presidents must be Eligible in accordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

55.4

Area Presidents and the members of the Athletes’ Commission on Council may nothold office as Vice-President. An Area President or member of the Athletes’
Commission on Council may seek election to be a Vice-President, but if successful,must immediately resign from office as Area President, or member of the Athletes’
Commission, as applicable.

55.5

One (1) of the four (4) Vice-Presidents shall be elected as the Senior Vice-President
by Council, after consultation with the President, at the first Council meeting following
the conclusion of each Election Congress meeting.

55.6

The role of the Senior Vice-President is to deputise for the President, as requestedby the President.

55.7

The role of the Vice-Presidents is to:

32

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Book A – A1a.

deputise for the President if neither the President nor the Senior Vice-President
are able to act, as, either on an ad hoc or a standing basis, at the direction of
the President;b.

be members of the Executive Board;c.

be members of Council.

55.8

A Vice-President may be appointed as the Council Member on the Integrity Unit
Board, or the Council Member on the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel, but
may not be elected to the Executive Board Appointments Panel.

55.9

The term of office of a Vice-President is the same term as the Vice-President has asa Council Member as set out in Article 44 (Term of Office).

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Book A – A1

PART VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD
56.

Role of Executive Board

56.1

The role of the Executive Board is to govern World Athletics as set out in this Part
VII.

57.

Membership of the Executive Board

57.1

The Executive Board shall be comprised of:a.

the President;b.

the four (4) Vice-Presidents;(together referred to as Ex Officio EB Members);c.

three (3) Appointed EB Members, appointed by the Ex Officio EB Members
upon the recommendation of the Executive Board Appointments Panel under
Article 60.6(e); andd.

the Chief Executive Officer (non-voting).

57.2

From the 2027 Election Congress, there shall be a minimum of three (3) members ofeach sex on the Executive Board.

57.3

There must not be more than one (1) Executive Board Member from any one (1)Member Federation Country.

57.4

The Area Presidents and the Athletes’ Commission members on Council, may not be
appointed as Appointed EB Members but any other person who is Eligible may be
appointed as an Appointed EB Member including Individual Council Members,
Member Federation Officials or persons who are not members of a Member
Federation or otherwise formally associated with the sport of Athletics.

57.5

Eligibility: All members of the Executive Board must be Eligible under Article 65(Eligibility).

57.6

Chairperson of Executive Board

57.7

34

a.

The chairperson of the Executive Board is the President.

b.

If the President is unavailable for an Executive Board meeting, the Senior VicePresident will be the chairperson for that meeting. If the Senior Vice-President
is not available, then the Executive Board shall appoint one of the remaining
Vice-Presidents to be the chairperson for that meeting.

Term of Office: The term of office for Executive Board Members shall be as follows:a.

For the Ex Officio EB Members (other than the President), the term of office on
the Executive Board is the same as their term of office as a Council Member. If
any Ex Officio EB Member ceases to be a Council Member, they shall
automatically cease to be a member of the Executive Board. The term of officeof the President on the Executive Board is the same as their term of office as
President.

b.

For the Appointed EB Members, the term of office shall be approximately four(4) years being the period from their appointment to the Executive Board, to theWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

Book A – A1

conclusion of the first Council meeting following the Election Congress meetingat which the terms of office of the Ex Officio EB Members expire.

57.8

57.9

c.

Subject to Article 57.7(d), the maximum number of terms of office for any
member of the Executive Board is three (3) terms, except that for the President,
the maximum term is as specified under Article 53 (Term of Office of President).
Any term served by an Executive Board Member on Council will be counted asa term of office for the purposes of calculating the maximum number of termsof office on the Executive Board or Council.

d.

Any Executive Board Member that was a Previous Council Member for a termor terms of office prior to the 2019 Election Congress meeting, shall be entitled(if re-elected or appointed to Council or the Executive Board) to a maximum oftwo (2) further terms of office on the Executive Board expiring at the 2027
Election Congress meeting, regardless of the number of terms of office servedon Previous Councils.

e.

This Article 57.7 is subject to Article 57.8 (Vacancies) and Article 57.9
(Suspension of Executive Board Member).

Vacanciesa.

For the purposes of this Article, a casual vacancy shall have the same meaning
as that described in Article 45.1 except that every reference to Council andCouncil Member in that Article shall mean Executive Board and Executive
Board Member respectively.

b.

If a casual vacancy arises in any Ex Officio EB Member’s position, it shall befilled in accordance with Article 45.2 (Vacancies).

c.

If a casual vacancy arises in an Appointed EB Member’s positions, the following
shall apply:i.

If an Election Congress meeting is to be held in less than six (6) months
from the date the vacancy arose, the remaining Executive Board
Members may either appoint a person of their choice to fill the vacancy,or leave the vacancy unfilled until that Election Congress meeting.

ii.

If an Election Congress meeting is to be held in six (6) months or morefrom the date the vacancy arose, it shall be filled for the balance of theterm of office of the vacating Executive Board Member in accordancewith the procedure in Article 60.6 (EB Appointments Panel
Responsibilities) and the appointment shall take effect immediately upon
notification by the Executive Board to the Appointed EB Member
concerned.

Suspension of Executive Board Membera.

The Executive Board may, by Special Majority, suspend an Executive Board
Member from the Executive Board, if the Executive Board Member:i.

is under investigation by a Relevant Authority, or is charged with, or isgiven notice by a Relevant Authority of a proposal to make an order orfinding against that Executive Board Member in respect of any of thecircumstances described in Article 65.4 (Ineligibility);ii.

is, in the Executive Board’s opinion, in breach of one or more of theirduties under Article 58; orWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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Book A – A1

iii.

b.

57.10

is alleged to have breached, or is under investigation, by an Area
Association or a Member Federation for alleged breach of any rules of
the Area Association or Member Federation.

Before making a decision under Article 57.9(a), the Executive Board shallprovide the Executive Board Member against whom the suspension is
proposed:i.

written notice of the proposed suspension including the grounds andreasons for such proposal;ii.

the right to make submissions to the Executive Board within areasonable period being not less than twenty-four (24) hours after giving
notice of the proposed suspension.

c.

A suspension under this Article shall be for a period not longer than twelve (12)months, and may be subject to such terms and conditions as the Executive
Board by Simple Majority considers appropriate. A suspension imposed under
this Article may be extended by the Executive Board for a further period of
twelve (12) months if reasonably justified in the circumstances.

d.

In addition to suspension by Executive Board under Article 57.9(a) if an
Executive Board Member is suspended (including provisionally suspended) orotherwise declared Ineligible under Article 65.4 pending the outcome of any
investigation or charges being decided by a Relevant Authority, the Executive
Board Member shall automatically be suspended from the Executive Board forthe period of that suspension or Ineligibility, without any further decision of the
Executive Board.

Removal of Executive Board Member:a.

b.

An Executive Board Member may be removed from the Executive Board before
the expiration of their term of office on one or more of the following grounds:i.

if they are found by the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal to be inrepeated or persistent breach of duties by the Executive Board Member
under Article 58.1;

ii.

if they are found to be no longer Eligible to hold office as an Executive
Board Member by the Vetting Panel;iii.

if the Executive Board determines that they be removed following adecision of a Relevant Authority the effect of which renders them
unsuitable to hold office as an Executive Board Member.

If an Executive Board Member is removed from the Executive Board under this
Article 57.10, and is also a Council Member, they shall automatically beremoved as a Council Member (in whatever capacity they are an Executive
Board Member).

58.

Duties and Powers of Executive Board Members

58.1

Duties of Executive Board Members: The duties of all Executive Board Members
shall be the same as for Council Members under Article 47.1 except that every
reference to Council in that Article shall mean Executive Board.

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58.2

Powers and Responsibilities of Executive Board: The Executive Board shall havethe powers and responsibility to:a.

develop and review the Strategic Plan, for approval by Council;b.

adopt and review an annual plan and budget for World Athletics;c.

appoint (including all terms and conditions of such appointment) and monitor
the performance of the Chief Executive Officer and, if necessary, terminate
such appointment;d.

monitor progress against the annual plan, budget and the Strategic Plan;e.

make recommendations to Council for the Membership Fee including the Due
Date for payment;f.

identify and manage risks to World Athletics;

g.

define and monitor delegations of authority from the Executive Board to theChief Executive Officer;h.

consider and recommend Rules for approval by Council;i.

establish sub-committees, taskforces, or other groups to carry out any work of
the Executive Board, under its delegated authority including but not limited to
one or more sub-committees for remuneration, finance and audit and risk;j.

approve any Major Transactions;k.

make and amend policies and procedures within its powers and responsibilities
including setting remuneration and expenses policies applicable to the
President, Vice-Presidents, Executive Board Members, Council Members,
Integrity Unit Board members, members of Commissions and Working Groups,
the Chief Executive Officer and any related matters as may be decided by the
Executive Board;l.

consider and make recommendations to Council for amendments to theConstitution, Rules and Regulations;m.

consider and make recommendations to Congress of the Auditors to appoint
under Article 27.1(m);n.

control expenditure, source income, and prudently invest World Athletics’ funds
to fulfil the Purposes of World Athletics;o.

open and operate in the name of World Athletics such bank accounts as are
deemed necessary;p.

engage, contract or otherwise agree to obtain the assistance or advice of any
person or organisation;q.

resolve and determine any disputes or matters not provided for in thisConstitution;r.

commission every other year audits of its anti-doping and integrity programme
including the Athletics Integrity Unit in accordance with Article 79.3;

s.

commission audits on a regular basis (at least once every three years) in order

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Book A – A1

to assess and improve the quality of its governance arrangements, monitor
ethical compliance, obtain assurance as to World Athletics’ internal control
framework; and,t.

subject to this Constitution, exercise all the powers of World Athletics inaccordance with its Purposes and do all things that are not expressly required
to be undertaken by Congress or Council.

59.

Executive Board Meetings and Procedures

59.1

Meetings: Meetings of the Executive Board shall occur at such regular intervals as
decided by the Executive Board and may also be called at any time by the President
or two (2) Executive Board Members. Except to the extent specified in thisConstitution, the Executive Board shall regulate its own procedure.

59.2

Meetings using Technology: Any one (1) or more Executive Board Members(including the Executive Board as a whole) may participate in any meeting of the
Executive Board and vote on any proposed resolution at a meeting of the Executive
Board without being physically present. Such meetings may occur by telephone,through video conference facilities or by other means of electronic communication(other than electronic mail (e-mail) communication) provided that prior notice of themeeting is given to all Executive Board Members and all persons participating in themeeting are able to hear each other effectively and simultaneously. Participation by
any Executive Board Member in this manner at a meeting shall constitute thepresence of that Executive Board Member at that meeting.

59.3

Quorum: The quorum for an Executive Board meeting shall be four (4) Executive
Board Members.

59.4

Voting:a.

Each Executive Board Member shall have one (1) vote on each resolution.

b.

All resolutions of the Executive Board shall be carried by an Absolute Majority,
unless a Special Majority is expressly specified in the Constitution, Rules orRegulations.

c.

In the event of a tie in votes the chairperson of the meeting shall have both adeliberative and a casting vote.

d.

Except for resolutions passed outside of an Executive Board meeting under
Article 59.5 (Resolutions), voting at Executive Board meetings shall be byvoice, or upon request of any Executive Board Member, by a show of hands orby secret ballot. Proxy voting is not permitted at Executive Board meetings.

59.5

Resolutions: A resolution in writing signed or consented to by email, facsimile orother forms of visible or other electronic communication by all of the Executive Board
Members under Article 59.3, shall be valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of
the Executive Board. Any such resolution may consist of several documents in thesame form each signed or consented to by one (1) or more of Executive Board
Members.

60.

Executive Board Appointments Panel

60.1

Role: The role of the EB Appointments Panel is to identify, recruit, assess and makerecommendations to the Executive Board for the appointment of the three (3)Appointed EB Members of the Executive Board.

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60.2

Composition: The EB Appointments Panel shall comprise the following three (3)people:a.

the President;b.

one (1) Council Member, elected by Council, who is not a member of the
Executive Board;c.

one (1) person, appointed by Council, who is independent of World Athletics
and is experienced in governance and the functions and appointment
processes of directors.

60.3

Eligibility: All members of the EB Appointments Panel must be Eligible inaccordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

60.4

Convenor: The convenor of the EB Appointments Panel shall be the independent
person described in Article 60.2(c).

60.5Term of Office:

60.6

a.

Subject to Article 60.5(d), Council shall appoint the two (2) members of the EB
Appointments Panel specified in Articles 60.2(b) and 60.2(c) as soon aspracticable after each Election Congress meeting.

b.

Once appointed, the members of the EB Appointments Panel shall remain in
office until the conclusion of the next Election Congress meeting and may bereappointed for further terms without limitation. This Article is subject to thesemembers continuing to be Eligible in accordance with Article 65.2.

c.

The President and Council Member on the EB Appointments Panel shall remain
in office on the EB Appointments Panel until the conclusion of the next Election
Congress meeting, subject to remaining in the positions of President andCouncil Member respectively. They may be reappointed for further terms
without limitation if re-elected as President or to Council respectively. This
Article is subject to these members continuing to be Eligible in accordance with
Article 65.2.

Responsibilities: The EB Appointments Panel shall be independent of the Executive
Board and shall be responsible for:a.

identifying the skills, expertise, and experience which may be necessary for the
Executive Board taking into account those of the Ex Officio EB Members;b.

identifying and inviting suitable candidates to apply for appointment as
Appointed EB Members;c.

publicly advertising the vacancies including position descriptions for the
Appointed EB Members;d.

receiving and assessing applications from candidates for appointment as
Appointed EB Members, including undertaking such enquiries and holding
interviews and meetings as it sees fit;e.

as soon as practicable and within three (3) months of conclusion of eachElection Congress meeting, recommending to the Ex Officio EB Members theapplicant(s) whom the EB Appointments Panel considers best suit theposition(s), for consideration and vote by the Ex Officio EB Members; and,World Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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f.
60.7

such other related matters as set out in any applicable Rules and Regulations.

Relevant Factors: In recommending persons to be Appointed EB Members, the EB
Appointments Panel shall recommend applicants based on merit and in so doing
shall:a.

b.

For the period:i.

2023 to 2027 Election Congress, consider the preference for both sexes
to be members; and,ii.

from the 2027 Election Congress and thereafter, ensure that at least
three (3) of the total number of Executive Board Members are of eachsex; and,take into account the following factors about the applicant and the Executive
Board as a whole:i.

significant prior experience as a director, trustee, or other governance
role;

ii.

knowledge of, and experience in, Athletics;iii.

occupational skills, abilities, and experience;iv.

knowledge of, and experience in, community, sports or not for profit
organisations generally;v.

the need to minimise conflicts of interest;vi.

the ability to contribute independent and diverse views;vii.

the need for a wide range of skills, experiences, backgrounds andgeographical spread.

60.8

Meetings: The EB Appointments Panel shall meet as and when required and in suchmanner as it thinks fit, including by teleconference.

60.9

Quorum: The quorum for a meeting of the EB Appointments Panel shall be three (3)members.

60.10

Decisions: Decisions of the EB Appointments Panel of the applicants to berecommended as Appointed EB Members shall be unanimous.

60.11

Conflicts and Confidentiality:40a.

All information received by the EB Appointments Panel, and its deliberations,shall be kept confidential except to the extent required by law.

b.

Any member of the EB Appointments Panel who considers they may have apotential conflict of interest in considering the appointment or otherwise of any
applicant, shall declare that potential conflict to the convenor and if theconvenor considers it appropriate to do so, they may require that member tovacate their position on the EB Appointments Panel for that appointment.

c.

If the convenor considers they may have a potential conflict of interest, theyshall notify the Ex Officio EB Members and if they consider it appropriate to doso, they may require the convenor to vacate their position on the EB

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Appointments Panel.
60.12

60.13

60.14

Vacancies: Any vacancy that arises in the membership of the EB Appointments
Panel, whether due to a conflict of interest arising under Article 60.13(a) or 60.11(c),resignation, or removal from the position under Article 60.13, it shall be filled asfollows:a.

in the case of a member on the EB Appointments Panel who was appointed byCouncil, the replacement shall be appointed by the Council; and,b.

in the case of the President, the replacement shall be the Senior VicePresident, or if they are unavailable, then one of the Vice-Presidents appointed
by the Ex Officio EB Members.

Removal: Without prejudice to any action taken pursuant to the Conflicts, Disclosureand Gifts Rules, the Executive Board may remove any member of the EB
Appointments Panel if the Executive Board considers, in its sole discretion, that:a.

a member has a conflict of interest which has not been satisfactorily resolvedby the convenor to the Executive Board’s satisfaction;b.

there are circumstances which may give rise to a question of actual or apparent
bias in the EB Appointment Panel’s composition and/or process;c.

a member is no longer Eligible in accordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

Procedure: Before removing any member from the EB Appointments Panel, theExecutive Board shall notify the member of its proposal to remove them and give themember and the other members of the EB Appointments Panel the opportunity tomake submissions on the proposed removal.

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PART VIII – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
61.

Role

61.1

The role of the Chief Executive Officer is to manage the operations of World Athletics,
except for the Athletics Integrity Unit which is managed by the Head of the Integrity
Unit.

62.

Eligibility

62.1

The Chief Executive Officer must be Eligible in accordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

63.

Terms

63.1

The terms and conditions of employment for the Chief Executive Officer shall bedecided by the Executive Board.

64.

Authority

64.1

The Chief Executive Officer shall be responsible for the day-to-day management ofWorld Athletics (except for the Athletics Integrity Unit) in accordance with thedirections of the Executive Board and the President, the Rules, Regulations, policies,
and procedures of World Athletics and within such limitations and delegated authority
as may be established by the Executive Board.

64.2

The Chief Executive Officer is appointed by, and accountable to, the Executive Board.
They receive direction from and are responsible to the Executive Board and thePresident. If there is any inconsistency between direction of the President and the
Executive Board, the matter shall be referred to the Executive Board.

64.3

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for:42a.

managing the day-to-day operations of World Athletics including managing
World Athletics office and the Staff (except for staff in the Integrity Unit);b.

in consultation with the Executive Board, developing the Strategic Plan for
approval by Council, and implementing this plan;c.

developing an annual plan for approval by the Executive Board, andimplementing this plan;d.

developing and growing the commercial revenues of World Athletics to enable
it to fulfil the Strategic Plan and to continue to grow and develop Athletics;

e.

supporting the President in engaging with stakeholders of World Athletics toenable it to deliver on the Strategic Plan and the World Plan for Athletics
including Member Federations, Area Associations, sponsors, government
authorities and other partners;f.

ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations including
this Constitution, the Rules and Regulations, which, without limitation, include
ensuring the preparation of the Annual Council Reports for approval by Council
and the preparation of minutes of Congress, Council and Executive Board
meetings;

g.

undertaking all of their responsibilities within the approved budgets, and limitsof authority (set by the Executive Board), and to applicable best practiceWorld Athletics 2019 Constitution as amended and approved by Congress on 18 August 2023, effective from 01 September 2023

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standards.
64.4

The Chief Executive Officer shall attend all Congress and Council meetings unlessotherwise required by Council but shall have no voting rights.

64.5

The Chief Executive Officer is a non-voting member of the Executive Board. They
shall attend all meetings of the Executive Board unless otherwise required by the
Executive Board.

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PART IX – ELIGIBILITY OF WORLD ATHLETICS OFFICIALS AND VETTING
PANEL
65.

Eligibility

65.1

A person seeking election or applying to be an Official (Applicant), or to remain in
office as an Official (Existing Official), must be Eligible.

65.2

To be Eligible, every Applicant and Existing Official shall be approved by the Vetting
Panel to:a.

have satisfied the Integrity Check including all applicable disclosure obligations
as required and specified in the Rules and Regulations; and,b.

not be Ineligible.

65.3

The decision to approve that an Applicant and Existing Official is Eligible or otherwise
shall be made by the Vetting Panel, except for prospective or current members of theVetting Panel, in which case the decision shall be made by Independent persons
appointed by Council, in accordance with Article 67.5.

65.4

An Applicant or Existing Official will be Ineligible if:

44a.

Other Position: the person is a member of Staff;b.

Bankrupt: the person is declared by a Relevant Authority to be an
undischarged bankrupt or is subject to a condition not yet fulfilled or any orderunder insolvency laws;c.

Conviction: the person has been convicted by a Relevant Authority of any
offence punishable by a term of imprisonment of two (2) or more years (whether
or not a term of imprisonment is imposed) unless that person has obtained apardon or has served the sentence imposed on them;d.

Disqualified Director: the person is prohibited by a Relevant Authority frombeing a director or promoter of or being concerned or taking part in the
management of a company for breach or non-compliance with any law
applicable to that person;e.

Property Order: the person is subject to an order by a Relevant Authority thatthe person is lacking in competence to manage their own affairs;f.

Majority: the person is a minor by law;g.

Full Civil Rights: the person is deprived of their civil rights by proper
application of the law;h.

Breach of Integrity Code of Conduct: the person is serving a period of
ineligibility (including provisional suspension) for breach of the Integrity Codeof Conduct or for breach of the Former Code of Ethics;i.

Anti-Doping Rule Violation: the person is found by a Relevant Authority tohave committed an anti-doping rule violation at any time, including any person
who has served any period of ineligibility for that violation;j.

Removal: the person was removed from office by Congress, Council or the
Executive Board in accordance with this Constitution, the Rules or Regulations
or under Previous Constitutions;

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Book A – A1k.

Other: the person is otherwise prohibited from holding such position, or any
similar position, under any other circumstances as provided by law.

65.5

Cessation of Office: If the Vetting Panel decides, in accordance with the Rules andRegulations, that an Applicant or Existing Official has not satisfied an Integrity Checkor that any of the circumstances listed in Article 65. 4 (Ineligibility) apply to that
person, the Vetting Panel or Independent persons in Article 67.5, as the case may
be, shall declare the person Ineligible. A declaration to that effect will have immediate
effect.

65.6

Article 65.5 does not limit or waive the right to suspend or remove an Official as
specified in this Constitution.

66.

Role of Vetting Panel

66.1

The role of the Vetting Panel is to decide if an Applicant or Existing Official is Eligible
to be, or remain in office as, an Official in accordance with the Constitution, the Rules
and Regulations.

67.

Composition and Term of Vetting Panel

67.1

The Vetting Panel shall be comprised of three (3) persons who are Independent withexperience in vetting or screening applicants and candidates for appointments toofficial positions. Each member of the Vetting Panel shall be approved by Congresson the recommendation of Council at each Election Congress meeting.

67.2

The term of office for members of the Vetting Panel shall be four (4) years
commencing at the conclusion of the Election Congress meeting at which their
appointment is effective, and expiring at the commencement of the first Council
meeting held after the next Election Congress meeting.

67.3

Members of the Vetting Panel may be reappointed for further terms of office without
limitation, subject to Article 67.4.

67.4

Members of the Vetting Panel must be Eligible in accordance with Article 65(Eligibility).

67.5

The decision whether a prospective member or current member of the Vetting Panelis Eligible shall be undertaken by a panel comprising at least two (2) people appointed
by Council who are Independent. This independent panel shall have the same duties,
powers, responsibilities and procedures as the Vetting Panel with respect toprospective and current members of the Vetting Panel. Every reference to the Vetting
Panel throughout this Constitution (other than Articles 27.1(h) and 47.2(p)) shallmean this independent panel, unless stated otherwise.

68.

Duties, Powers, Responsibilities and Procedures

68.1

The Vetting Panel shall have such duties, powers, responsibilities and procedures as
set out in the Rules and Regulations which shall include reporting to Congressannually under Article 27.1(k).

69.

Decisions of Vetting Panel

69.1

The decisions of the Vetting Panel, or the independent panel in Article 67.5, as thecase may be, shall be final, subject to a right of appeal in accordance with the Rules
and Regulations.

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46

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PART X – ATHLETICS INTEGRITY UNIT
70.

Establishment

70.1

There shall be an Athletics Integrity Unit established and maintained by World
Athletics.

71.

Role

71.1

The role of the Athletics Integrity Unit is to protect the integrity of Athletics. It will dothis through education and testing, and by investigating and prosecuting anti-doping
rule violations and other breaches of integrity within the Rules and Regulations(including the Integrity Code of Conduct and Rules based on the World Anti-DopingCode).

72.

Independence

72.1

The Athletics Integrity Unit shall be part of, but operate independently from, World
Athletics, in accordance with Rules and Regulations, except to the extent that:a.

Council will make and amend all the Rules and Regulations applicable to the
Athletics Integrity Unit;b.

the Executive Board will allocate funding to the Athletics Integrity Unit to enable
it to undertake its functions and fulfil its responsibilities;c.

personnel working in the Athletics Integrity Unit will be employed or engaged
by World Athletics;d.

Council will elect a Council Member to be a non-voting member of the Integrity
Unit Board in accordance with the Rules;e.

the Integrity Unit Board will report to Congress annually under Article 27.1(k).

73.

Integrity Unit Board

73.1

Role: The Integrity Unit will be governed by an Integrity Unit Board in accordancewith the Rules and Regulations.

73.2

Composition: The Integrity Unit Board shall be comprised of:a.

Five members who are Independent, appointed by Congress on therecommendation of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel under Article
74.5(e) who each have governance experience and between them havesignificant skills and experience in anti-doping, other integrity matters and thelaw. The chairperson shall be one of the five (5) Independent members(together referred to as Independent Members of the Integrity Unit Board), and

73.3

b.

a Council Member appointed by Council under Article 47.2(s), who shall be
non-voting; and,c.

the Head of the Integrity Unit, who shall also be non-voting.

Eligibility: Members of the Integrity Unit Board must be Eligible in accordance with
Article 65 (Eligibility).

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73.4

Duties, Powers, Responsibilities and Procedures: The Integrity Unit Board shallhave such duties, powers, responsibilities and procedures as are set out in the Rules
and Regulations which shall include reporting to Congress annually under Article
27.1(k).

73.5

Term of Office: The term of office for members of the Integrity Unit Board will befrom the first Council meeting held after each Election Congress meeting until the firstCouncil meeting held after the next Election Congress meeting (approximately 4
years).

73.6

Members of the Integrity Unit Board may be re-appointed for further terms of office inaccordance with this Constitution, without limitation.

74.

Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel

74.1

Role: The role of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel is to identify, recruit,assess and make recommendations to Congress of the Independent Members of theIntegrity Unit Board, (including the chairperson of the Integrity Unit Board), to beappointed to the Integrity Unit Board.

74.2

Composition: The Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel shall comprise thefollowing three (3) people:a.

the chairperson of the Integrity Unit Board, unless the chairperson is seeking
reappointment to the Integrity Unit Board, in which case another Independent
Member of the Integrity Unit Board who is not seeking reappointment asdecided by the Integrity Unit Board, or if all the Independent Members areseeking reappointment, then the Council Member on the Integrity Unit Board;b.

one (1) person, appointed by Council under Article 47.2(u) on therecommendation of the Executive Board, who is Independent and isexperienced in governance and the functions and appointment processes of
directors; and,c.

one (1) Council Member, elected by Council under Article 47.2(u).

74.3

Eligibility: Members of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel must be Eligiblein accordance with Article 65 (Eligibility).

74.4

Term of Office:

74.5

a.

Council shall appoint the two (2) members of the Integrity Unit Board
Appointments Panel specified in Articles 74.2(b) and 74.2(c) at the first Council
meeting held following each Election Congress meeting.

b.

Once appointed, the members of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panelshall remain in office until the first Council meeting held following the next
Election Congress meeting.

c.

Members of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel may be reappointed
for further terms without limitation.

Responsibilities: The Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel shall be independentof the Integrity Unit Board and shall be responsible for:a.

48

identifying the skills, expertise, and experience which may be necessary for the
Integrity Unit Board;

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74.6

b.

identifying and inviting suitable candidates to apply to be an Independent
Member of the Integrity Unit Board;c.

publicly advertising the vacancies including position descriptions for
Independent Members of the Integrity Unit Board;d.

receiving and assessing applications from candidates for appointment of
Independent Members of the Integrity Unit Board including undertaking suchenquiries and holding interviews and meetings as it sees fit;e.

recommending to Congress for its approval the applicants(s) whom the Integrity
Unit Board Appointments Panel considers best suit the position(s), forconsideration and approval by the Delegates at the Election Congress meeting.
Such recommendations to be included with the agenda for that Election
Congress meeting; and,f.

such other related matters as set out in the Rules and Regulations.

Procedures: The procedures of the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel shall be
set out in the Rules and Regulations.

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PART XI – DISCIPLINE
75.

Integrity Code of Conduct

75.1

Council shall issue, and may amend, an Integrity Code of Conduct, incorporating any
Rules and Regulations, which sets out the standards of conduct required for:a.

Officials or persons seeking to become Officials;b.

Area Officials or Member Federation Officials (limited, to their relations ordealings with World Athletics), unless otherwise specifically provided in Rules
incorporated into the Integrity Code of Conduct in accordance with Article
75.1(i);c.

International-Level Athletes;d.

Athlete Support Personnel;e.

Persons and entities bidding to host or hosting International Competitions;f.

Persons who are engaged by or are acting on behalf of World Athletics;g.

Persons and entities who are participating in or accredited at an International
Competition, including but not limited to Athletes and Athlete Support
Personnel;h.

Persons participating in or accredited at a meeting of Congress;i.

Notwithstanding any other part of this Article, such persons who agree in writing
to be bound by the Integrity Code of Conduct or who are bound to the Integrity
Code of Conduct by virtue of World Athletics Rules applying to them, whichrules are incorporated into the Code.

76.

Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal

76.1

A Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal shall be established and maintained by World
Athletics to hear and decide all breaches of the Integrity Code of Conduct inaccordance with the Rules and Regulations and such other matters as set out in thisConstitution or the Rules and Regulations.

76.2

The members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal must be Independent. The
Disciplinary Appeals Tribunal shall operate independently of World Athletics inaccordance with the Constitution, Rules and Regulations, except to the extent that:50a.

Council shall make and amend all the Rules and Regulations applicable to theDisciplinary and Appeals Tribunal;b.

the Executive Board shall allocate funding to the Athletics Integrity Unit toenable the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal to undertake its functions and fulfil
its responsibilities;c.

the secretariat of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal shall be approved by
the Executive Board on the recommendation of the Integrity Unit Board;d.

the members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal shall be approved by
Congress, on the recommendation of the Council;

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76.3

e.

Council may appoint members to the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal to fillpositions on the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal which are vacant where suchvacancy has resulted in the total number of Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal
members being less than six (6);f.

the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal shall report to Congress annually under
Article 27.1(k).

Decisions of the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal may only be appealed exclusively
to CAS (Appeal Arbitration Division) unless otherwise provided in the Rules.

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PART XII – ADMINISTRATIVE
77.

Official Languages

77.1

The official languages of World Athletics shall be English and French.

77.2

The Constitution, Rules and Regulations, minutes, reports and other communications
from World Athletics shall be in English and French and in any other language as theChief Executive Officer decides.

77.3

In the event of any difference in interpretation of any text, the English version shallapply.

77.4

All documents or communications to World Athletics shall be in English or French.

78.

Financial Year

78.1

The financial year of World Athletics shall be decided by the Executive Board.

79.

Annual Council Report

79.1

Council shall prepare an annual report which contains:a.

the audited annual financial statements;b.

an annual report of the preceding financial year’s activities;(together known as the “Annual Council Report”).
79.2

The annual financial statements in Article 79.1(a) shall be audited annually by anauditor appointed by Congress under Article 27.1(m). The auditor shall be a practisingchartered accountant who is Independent.

79.3

The Executive Board shall commission an audit every other year to ensurecompliance by World Athletics with its anti-doping and integrity programme including
the Athletics Integrity Unit as set out in this Constitution and the Rules andRegulations. In addition, the Executive Board shall commission audits on a regularbasis (at least once every three years) in order to assess and improve the quality ofits governance arrangements, monitor ethical compliance, and obtain assurance asto World Athletics’ internal control framework.

79.4

The Annual Council Report for the preceding financial year shall include:

79.5
52

a.

a report from the President;b.

a report from the Executive Board;c.

a report from Council;d.

a report from the Auditor;e.

disclosure of any remuneration paid under Article 58.2; and,f.

such other reports and information as Council decides are in the interests ofensuring appropriate transparency and accountability of World Athletics toCongress.

The Annual Council Report shall be:
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Book A – A1a.

presented to each Ordinary Congress meeting including audited financial
statements and Auditor’s report for the preceding financial year;b.

circulated to Member Federations and Area Associations by no later than 31
July in the Calendar Year between Ordinary meetings of Congress; and,c.

publicly available on the World Athletics website.

80.

Transparency Standards

80.1

On the recommendation of the Executive Board, Council shall make Rules providing
for standards and the manner in which information about decision-making within
World Athletics is shared with Area Associations, Member Federations, the public
and with stakeholders. In doing so, it will seek to achieve the greatest degree oftransparency while protecting the interests of World Athletics and the rights ofindividuals who contribute to it.

81.

Application of Income

81.1

The income and property of World Athletics shall be applied solely towards thepromotion of the Purposes.

82.

Amendments to the Constitution

82.1

Subject to Article 82.2, this Constitution may be amended, added to or repealed only
by Special Majority of Congress.

82.2

Notice of an intention to amend this Constitution shall be given by a Member
Federation or the Council to the Chief Executive Officer no later than:a.

Six (6) months prior to an Ordinary Congress Meeting, in accordance with
Article 30 (Notice of Ordinary Congress Meeting); orb.

the same date on which the request is made to call a Special Congress, inaccordance with Article 32.3 (Notice of Special Congress Meeting).

82.3

Amendments to this Constitution may be made by the Chief Executive Officer for
typographical or clerical errors or for reasons of grammar or clarification, where thoseamendments arise from resolutions of Congress to amend the Constitution, provided
there is no material change to the intent of the decisions of Congress.

83.

Dissolution

83.1

World Athletics may be voluntarily dissolved only at a Special Congress meeting
convened for that purpose and approved by Special Majority.

83.2

In the event of a dissolution, Congress shall appoint one (1) or more liquidators who
shall discharge all debts and liabilities incurred on behalf of World Athletics. The
remaining assets, if any, shall be donated to a body for the ongoing promotion anddevelopment of Athletics. No Member Federation can be allocated or receive any partof the property of World Athletics, other than repayment or restitution of any property
or funds paid to or provided by the Member Federation to World Athletics (excluding
Membership Fees or other payments owed to World Athletics such as fines, penalties
or other sanctions).

83.3

At the completion of the liquidation, the liquidators shall submit a final report toCongress which shall declare the liquidation closed.

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84.

Disputes and Appeals

84.1

In the event there is a dispute or difference between:a.

Member Federations; orb.

Member Federation(s) and an Area Association; orc.

Area Associations; ord.

A Member Federation(s) and World Athletics; ore.

An Area Association and World Athletics;

and it is not otherwise provided for in this Constitution or the Rules or the Regulations,Council may take reasonable steps to assist in the resolution of such dispute ordifference (which may include appointing a mediator).
84.2

In the event there is a dispute or difference between:a.

a Member Federation or Member Federations and World Athletics; orb.

an Area Association or Area Associations and World Athletics;

that cannot be resolved as set out in Article 84.1, the matter will be submitted toarbitration before the CAS (Ordinary Arbitration Division), to the exclusion of any
other court or forum, in accordance with Article 84.3, below. The CAS will resolve thedispute definitively in accordance with the CAS Code of Sports–related Arbitration.
84.3

Any dispute submitted to the CAS under Article 84.2 must be filed either within five(5) days of the date of the dispute first arising or within five (5) days of any failure to
resolve the dispute in accordance with Article 84.1(whichever the case may be).

84.4

Pending resolution of the appeal by the CAS, the decision being appealed shallremain in full force and effect unless the CAS orders otherwise.

84.5

An appeal before the CAS shall be governed by this Constitution and the Rules andRegulations, and on a subsidiary basis by Monegasque law. The appeal proceedings
shall be conducted in English unless the parties agree otherwise.

84.6

A decision of the CAS on appeal may not be challenged in any other court or forum
or on any ground except as set out in Chapter 12 of Switzerland’s Federal Code on
Private International Law.

85.

Notifications

85.1

In accordance with Article 10 of the Law 1355 of 23 December 2008, the President(or his nominee from the Executive Board) shall within one month, declare to the
Minister of State, who will acknowledge:

54a.

any change of name, object or address of the registered office of World
Athletics;b.

any change in the composition of the Council or the functions of its members;c.

any acquisition or disposal of premises and property including a description of
the acquisition and amount of purchase or disposal price attached to suchdeclaration;

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85.2

85.3

d.

any amendment to the Constitution, other than those referred to in Article
85.1(a);e.

any decision of Congress to voluntarily dissolve World Athletics.

In accordance with Article 11 of the Law 1355 of 23 December 2008, the President(or his nominee from the Executive Board) shall, within one month of the declarationin Article 85.1, publish in the Journal de Monaco a notice stating:a.

any change of name, object or address of the registered office of World
Athletics;b.

any decision to voluntarily dissolve World Athletics.

In accordance with Article 12 of the Law 1355 of 23 December 2008, any
amendments to the Constitution or changes in the administration of World Athletics
must be recorded in a register held at the registered office of World Athletics,
including the dates on which such changes were made. The register shall contain all
the necessary information relating to the civil status and the addresses of themembers of Council. The register must be presented, on request, to theadministrative or judicial authorities of the Principality of Monaco.

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PART XIII – DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
86.

Specific Definitions

86.1

The words and phrases used in this Constitution shall have the following meaning:“Absolute Majority” means a resolution passed by over 50% of the valid votes castby those present and entitled to vote.
“Annual Council Report” means the annual report from Council to the Member
Federations and Area Associations as described in Article 79.
“Anti-Doping Rules” means the Anti-Doping Rules approved by the Council fromtime to time.
“Appointed EB Members” means the appointed members of the Executive Board
appointed under Article 60.
“Area Association” means the association of Member Federations and othermembers in an Area established and operating in accordance with this Constitution
and the Rules.
“Area Championships” means the championships competition between athletes in
an Area from Member Federations and other members of an Area Association.
“Area Council” means the executive body of the Area Association.
“Area Competition” means an Athletics competition organised by or on behalf of an
Area Association and includes Area Championships.
“Area Meeting” means a meeting held by the Area Associations annually or
biennially at which representatives of each Member Federation in the Area attend
and vote, as specified in the Area Association’s constitution.
“Area Officials” means any person who is elected or appointed to a position in which
they represent an Area Association, including, but not limited to Area Presidents andmembers of Area Councils.
“Area President” means the person elected at an Area Meeting as its President.
“Areas” means the geographical areas described in the Annexure to thisConstitution.
“Article” means an Article of this Constitution.
“Athlete Support Personnel” means, for the purposes of Article 75, any coach,trainer, manager, agent, selector, team staff, official, medical or para-medical
personnel, physiotherapist, parent or other Person who is working with, treating or
assisting an International-Level Athlete, is employed by or represents a Member
Federation or is affiliated to a national team or squad.
“Athletes’ Commission” means the Commission established under the Rules toprovide advice to Council on matters affecting World Athletics and Athletics from anathlete’s perspective

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“Athletics” means the sport of Athletics as defined in the Rules and Regulations
including track and field, road running, race walking, cross country running, mountainrunning, and trail running.
“Athletics Integrity Unit” means the unit described in Part X of this Constitution.
“Attendees” means the persons who shall attend meetings of Congress as specified
in Article 29.1.
“Auditor” means the person or firm or company appointed by Congress to undertakean independent audit, as described in Article 79.2.
“Calendar Year” means the period from 1 January to 31 December each year.
“the Court of Arbitration for Sport or ‘CAS’” means the independent arbitrationbody seated in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“Chief Executive Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer of World Athletics as
described in Part VIII of the Constitution.
“Citizen” means the person has legal citizenship of a Country, or in the case of a
Territory, legal citizenship of the Territory’s parent Country and appropriate legal
status in the Territory under the applicable laws.
“Commission” means a group of people appointed by Council, whether on an ad
hoc or standing basis, to provide expertise and advice to Council, and which areestablished and function in accordance with the Rules and includes the Athletes’
Commission.
“Congress” means the body comprising the Delegates of Member Federations.
“Constitution” means, unless stated otherwise, this constitution including any
amendments made to it from time to time.
“Convention” means the biennial gathering of persons invited to participate inmeetings and forums as described in Article 39.
“Council” means the body described in Part V of this Constitution.
“Council Member” means any member of Council including the President, VicePresidents, Area Presidents, Individual Council Members and the chairperson andother member of the Athletes’ Commission, (whether an ex officio member orotherwise).
“Country” means a self-governing geographical area of the world recognised as anindependent state by international law and international governmental bodies.
“Delegate” means a person appointed under Article 28 to represent a Member
Federation at Congress.
“Development Programme” means a programme of World Athletics in which
financial and other support is provided to Member Federations to support thedevelopment of Athletics worldwide in accordance with the Purposes.
“Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal” means the judicial body established to hearand decide all breaches of the Integrity Code of Conduct in accordance with the Rules

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and Regulations and such other matters as set out in the Constitution, Rules orRegulations.
“Due Date” means the date on which Membership Fees or other fees or payments
are due by a Member Federation to World Athletics as decided by Council.
“EB Appointments Panel” means the panel described in Article 60.
“Election Congress” means the Ordinary Congress meeting held every four (4)Calendar Years, at which elections under Article 36 of this Constitution are
undertaken.
“Electronic Voting” means voting on a resolution by electronic communication.
“Eligible” has the meaning given to it in Article 65.2.
“Ex Officio EB Members” means the President and the Vice-Presidents.
“Executive Board” means the body described in Part VII of this Constitution.
“Executive Board Members” means the members of the Executive Board elected
and appointed under Article 57.
“Financially Solvent” means the entity is able to pay its debts when due.
“Head of the Integrity Unit” means the person appointed by the Integrity Unit Board
who is responsible for managing the operations of the Integrity Unit.
“Honorary Life Personal Member” means a person elected as an Honorary Life
Personal Member who has provided significant service to World Athletics, and who
is elected by Congress, in accordance with this Constitution and the Rules, andincludes any person elected to such position under any Previous Constitutions. For
the avoidance of doubt, an Honorary Life Personal Member is not a Member of World
Athletics.
“Honorary Life President” means a person elected as an Honorary Life President,
who was a former President of World Athletics and is elected by Congress, inaccordance with this Constitution and the Rules, and includes any person elected tosuch position under any Previous Constitutions.
“Honorary Life Vice-President” means a person elected as an Honorary Life VicePresident, who was a former Vice-President or Council Member of World Athletics
and is elected by Congress, in accordance with this Constitution and the Rules, andincludes any person elected to such position under any Previous Constitutions.
“Independent” when referring to a person seeking to become, or who is a memberof, an independent body, means the person does not, or has not for a period of two(2) years prior to appointment, held any position or role nor had any contract,
agreement or engagement (whether directly or through a third party), with World
Athletics, except where the person is seeking to, or has, renewed their term of office
or appointment on the same independent body (or a predecessor of that body).
“Independent Members of the Integrity Unit Board” means those members of theIntegrity Unit Board described in Article 73.2(a).
“Individual Council Members” means the Council Members who are elected inaccordance with Article 36.6.

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“Integrity Check” means the assessments undertaken by the Vetting Panel inaccordance with Part IX of the Constitution and the Rules and Regulations, to decide
whether a person is Eligible.
“Integrity Code of Conduct” means the code of conduct described in Article 75 andas amended from time to time.
“Integrity Unit” means the body described in Part X.
“Integrity Unit Board” means the body described in Article 73.
“Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel” means the panel described in
Article 74.
“Intellectual Property” means all rights and goodwill in copyright works, names,
trademarks, service marks, devices, logos, designs, patents, processes andconfidential information relating to World Athletics or to any event, competition activity
or programme conducted, promoted or administered by or on behalf of World
Athletics.
“International Competition” means competitions in the World Athletics Series (asdescribed in the Rules), the Athletics programme of the Olympic Games and othercompetitions organised by or on behalf of World Athletics or as specified in the Rules
and Regulations.
“International-Level Athlete” means the athletes defined as an International-Level
Athlete in the Anti-Doping Rules.
“IOC” means the International Olympic Committee, which is the international nongovernmental and non-profit organisation responsible for the Olympic movement,
including the Olympic Games, under the Olympic Charter.
“Major Transactions” means transactions involving a significant amount of theassets of World Athletics, or incurring significant liabilities on World Athletics, as
defined in the Rules and Regulations.
“Member Federation Country” means the Country or Territory in which a Member
Federation has authority, as stated in its constitution (as approved by World
Athletics), to be the national governing body for the sport of Athletics.
“Member Federation Official” means any person who is elected or appointed to a
position in which they represent a Member Federation, including, but not limited tothe president, vice-president, members of the executive body, general secretary andDelegates.
“Members” means the members of World Athletics as described in Article 6, also
known as Member Federations, and as listed in the Annexure, as updated from time
to time and “Membership” means being a Member of World Athletics.
“Membership Fee” means the annual membership fee payable by each Member
Federation to World Athletics as described in Article 10.
“Observers” means the persons who are entitled to attend meetings of Congress asobservers as specified in Article 29.
“Official” means any person who is elected or appointed to a position in which they
represent World Athletics (whether as an Independent or otherwise), including, but

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not limited to Council Members, Executive Board Members, members of theDisciplinary and Appeals Tribunal, members of the Integrity Unit Board, members of
the Integrity Unit Board Appointments Panel, members of the Executive Board
Appointments Panel, members of the Vetting Panel, members of Commissions andWorking Groups, members of any other bodies or panels established by World
Athletics, and consultants and advisors to World Athletics, unless specificallyprovided otherwise in this Constitution.
“Ordinary Congress” means the meeting of Congress which is held every second
Calendar Year and includes an Election Congress meeting.
“President” means the President of World Athletics as described in Part VI of theConstitution.
“Previous Constitution” means all previous constitutions of World Athletics asamended from time to time.
“Previous Council” means the body known as “Council” under the Previous
Constitution, and includes members of the Council and the Executive Board under
the Previous Constitution (Previous Council Members).
“Purposes” means the purposes of World Athletics described in Article 2.
“Regulations” means all regulations approved from time to time by Council within
its powers and responsibilities, which shall not be inconsistent with the Constitution
and the Rules“Relevant Authority” means a disciplinary body, tribunal, court or other judicial or
arbitral body properly constituted by law, or the Rules, and acting in accordance withthe law applicable to its jurisdiction, and may include, but is not limited to, theDisciplinary and Appeals Tribunal.
“Rules” means all rules approved from time to time by Council within its powers andresponsibilities, including the Integrity Code of Conduct, which shall not be
inconsistent with the Constitution. A reference to “a” Rule (singular) means the Rulein which the reference to the Rule is made, unless stated otherwise.
“Rules of Congress” means the Rules which set out the procedures for meetingsof Congress. To the extent of any inconsistency between the Rules of Congress andthis Constitution, this Constitution will prevail.
“Senior Vice-President” means the person described in Article 55.5.
“Special Congress” means a meeting of Congress held in accordance with
Article 32.
“Special Majority” means a resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3 rds) of thevalid votes cast by those present and entitled to vote and voting.
“Staff” means any person employed or engaged by World Athletics to undertake
work for it, or on its behalf (including those employed or engaged to work with theIntegrity Unit, unless specified otherwise).
“Strategic Plan” means the strategy and plan for the direction of World Athletics
over a specified period of time as decided by Council.

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“Territory” means a geographical area of the world, which is not a Country, but which
has aspects of self-government, at least to the extent of being autonomous in thecontrol of its sport, and which is recognised as such by World Athletics.
“Vetting Panel” means the panel described in Part IX of the Constitution.
“Vice-Presidents” means the Vice-Presidents of World Athletics as described in
Article 55 of the Constitution, and, unless specified otherwise, includes the Senior
Vice-President.
“the World Anti-Doping Agency or ‘WADA’” means the body founded by the IOC
and constituted as a foundation in Lausanne by an instrument of foundation signed
on 10 November 1999 and named in that instrument as the Agence Mondiale
Antidopage, World Anti-Doping Agency.
“Working Groups” means groups appointed by Council to undertake a specific taskor project which are not Commissions.
“World Anti-Doping Code” means the World Anti-Doping Code adopted by WADA
on 5 March 2003 as amended from time to time.
“World Plan for Athletics” means the direction and plan for the development of the
sport of Athletics throughout the world.
87.

Interpretation

87.1

In this Constitution:

87.2

a.

the singular includes the plural and vice-versa;b.

any reference to legislation includes a modification or re-enactment oflegislation enacted in substitution of, or a regulation, order-in-council or other
instrument from time to time issued or made under, that legislation;c.

any agreement includes that agreement as modified, supplemented, novatedor substituted from time to time;d.

a reference to a “day” means any day of the week and is not limited to working
days, unless specified otherwise;e.

a reference to a person means any natural person, bodies corporate,organisation or other entity and includes the legal personal representatives,
successors and permitted assigns of that person; and,f.

headings and the contents page are for reference only and are to be ignored inconstruing this Constitution.

Notificationsa.

Any notification to be given under this Constitution by a person (“Notifying
Party”) will be sufficiently given to the party to whom the notice is required to
be sent (“Receiving Party”) if it is given in writing and signed or authorised byan authorised person of the Notifying Party and delivered by one of the followingmeans to the Receiving Party:i.

by post to the last known address of the Receiving Party;

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b.

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ii.

by personal delivery, including by courier, to the published physicaladdress of the Receiving Party;iii.

by electronic mail, to the published address of the Receiving Party;iv.

by facsimile to the published address of the Receiving Party.

The time limits stated in this Constitution shall begin on the day on which thenotification by the Notifying Party is sent. Official holidays and non-working
days are included in the calculation of time limits. A time limit will be compliedwith if the notification is received before midnight Central European Standard
Time on the last day of the specified time limit.

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APPENDIX
LIST OF MEMBER FEDERATIONS AND AREAS

AFRICA
Member Federations (54)
Algeria

Eswatini

Namibia

AngolaEthiopia

Niger

Benin

Gabon

Nigeria

Botswana

Gambia, The

RwandaBurkina Faso

Ghana

Sao Tomé e Principe

BurundiGuineaSenegalCabo Verde

Guinea-Bissau

Seychelles

Cameroon

Kenya

Sierra Leone

Central African Republic

LesothoSomalia

Chad

LiberiaSouth Africa

Comoros

Libya

South Sudan

Congo

Madagascar

Sudan

Congo (Democratic Republic of the) Malawi

Tanzania

Côte d’Ivoire

Togo

Mali

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Djibouti

Mauritania

Tunisia

Egypt

Mauritius

UgandaEquatorial Guinea

MoroccoZambiaEritrea

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

ASIA
Member Federations (45)Afghanistan

Korea

Philippines

Bahrain

Korea

Qatar

(Democratic People’s Republic of)Bangladesh

KuwaitSaudi Arabia

BhutanKyrgyzstan

Singapore

BruneiLaos

Sri Lanka

Cambodia

Lebanon

Syria

China (People’s Republic of)

Macao, China

Taipei, China

Hong Kong, China

Malaysia

Tajikistan

India

Maldives

ThailandIndonesia

Mongolia

Timor-Leste

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Iran

MyanmarTurkmenistan

Iraq

Nepal

United Arab Emirates

Japan

Oman

Uzbekistan

JordanPakistan

Vietnam

Kazakhstan

Palestine

Yemen

EUROPE
Member Federations (51)
Albania

GermanyMontenegro

AndorraGibraltar

Netherlands

Armenia

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

North Macedonia

Austria

GreeceNorwayAzerbaijan

Hungary

PolandBelarus

Iceland

Portugal

Belgium

IrelandRomania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

IsraelRussiaBulgaria

Italy

San Marino

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Croatia

KosovoSerbiaCyprus

LatviaSlovakia

Czech Republic

LiechtensteinSlovenia

Denmark

Lithuania

Spain

Estonia

Luxembourg

SwedenFinland

Malta

Switzerland

FranceMoldova

TürkiyeGeorgia

MonacoUkraineNORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Member Federations (31)
Anguilla

Cuba

Puerto Rico

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

El Salvador

Aruba

Dominican RepublicSaint Kitts and Nevis

Bahamas, The

GrenadaSaint Lucia

Barbados

GuatemalaSaint Vincent and the
Grenadines

BelizeHaiti

Trinidad and Tobago

BermudaHonduras

Turks andIslands

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British Virgin Islands

Jamaica

UnitedStatesAmerica

CanadaMexicoVirgin Islands (US)Cayman Islands

Montserrat

Costa Rica

Nicaraguaof

OCEANIA
Member Federations (20)American Samoa

Marshall Islands

Papua New Guinea

Australia

Micronesia (Federated States of)

Samoa

Cook Islands

Nauru (Republic of)Solomon Islands

Fiji

New Zealand

Tonga

French Polynesia

Norfolk Island

TuvaluGuam

Northern Mariana Islands

Vanuatu

Kiribati (Republic of)Palau (Republic of)

SOUTH AMERICA
Member Federations (13)Argentina

EcuadorSuriname

Bolivia

GuyanaUruguay

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BrazilPanamaChile

Paraguay

Colombia

Peru

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Venezuela

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