Participant Policies

Child and Youth Safety and Wellbeing

Orienteering ACT cares about the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
Child safety is everyone’s business.

Adults:

  • Listen to young people with respect
  • Report concerns

Children and young people:

  • Speak up
  • Help your friends
  • Tell an adult

Our Responsibilities

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations were developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission and agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments in February 2019. They provide a nationally consistent approach to embedding child safe cultures within organisations that provide services for children and young people. In the ACT, the Human Rights Commission Act 2005 reflects the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations as the ACT Child Safe Standards.

OACT is obligated to implement these standards. That means that everyone in our organisation is responsible for upholding children and young people’s rights, safety, and wellbeing, and creating environments that effectively minimise harm.

Please see the following resources for more information:

  1. The Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO) for Orienteering ACT is available to support all members:
    act.orienteering.asn.au/about/officers
  2. Sport Integrity Australia provides a number of important Resource Sheets. These include:
    1. for Children and Young People:
    2. for Parents and Carers, including:
  3. For more information, refer to these documents:
    1. Orienteering Australia
      This includes a specific Safeguarding Children and Youth Policy
      (related to the National Integrity Framework)
    2. Australian Humans Rights Commission

Our Policies

Gender identity

OACT welcomes all participants, regardless of gender. Our current approach is:

  • for OACT events other than ACT League or Championship events – you can enter whichever class you feel most comfortable with
  • for ACT League or Championship events – entries are to be in line with IOF policy, the Men’s category is effectively an “Open” category without restriction;

Currently our event entry system, Eventor, does not have the facility for a non-binary gender option. This system is administered outside Australia for the international orienteering community. Orienteering Australia is working with the system administrators to make a change to allow non-binary gender entry selection. Until that change can be effected entrants can only choose between the two alternatives female or male in the entry system. We apologise for this, but want to emphasize that OACT welcomes all participants, regardless of gender.

Integrity

All our members and participants have an obligation to protect and maintain the integrity of our sport, as well as the health and well-being of all people who participate.

We work closely with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) to protect our sport against integrity threats.

Orienteering Australia (OA) is a signatory to the National Integrity Framework (NIF), which therefore also binds Orienteering ACT. This is a suite of integrity policies developed by SIA, and an independent complaint handling process.

Concerns or complaints about alleged integrity breaches can be reported directly to Sport Integrity Australia. You do this by filling out the webform accessible from the Sport Integrity Australia website.

OA handles all non-National Integrity Framework related matters, such as Selection Policy Disputes. You can find more information about who manages what sort of sport complaints here.

OA Integrity Policies cover issues such as:

  • National Integrity Framework
  • Member Protection Policy
  • Improper Use of Drugs and Medicine Policy
  • Competition Manipulation and Sports Wagering Policy
  • Complaints Disputes and Discipline Policy
  • Safeguarding Children and Youth Policy
  • Anti-Doping

If you have a matter that you consider to be a lower order concern or complaint that you consider should be addressed directly by OACT instead of OA or SIA, you can use this form. Send the completed form by email to president@act.orienteering.asn.au or eo@act.orienteering.asn.au

If you wish to submit the form anonymously you can post it to Orienteering ACT marked ‘Confidential – for the attention of the President’.

If you wish to discuss other options for addressing your concern or complaint you can first contact our Member Protection Information Officer.

Refunds

If a participant wishes to cancel their entry to an OACT event, a refund of any prepaid entry fee is available as follows:

  • for any events where entries close 7 days or more before the day of the event:
    • if cancelled 21 or more days prior to the cut-off date for entry – 90% of the entry fee
    • if cancelled less than 21 days prior to the cut-off date for entry – 50% of the entry fee
    • if cancelled after the cut-off date for entry – no refund
  • for all events where entries close less than 7 days before the day of the event:
    • if cancelled more than 7 days prior to the day of the event – 50% of the entry fee
    • if cancelled less than one week before the event – no refund
  • for season passes:
    • if cancelled prior to the commencement of the season – 90% of the entry fee
    • if cancelled after the start of the season without having started any event/s – 50% of the entry fee
    • if cancelled after the start of the season having started one or more events, or after the season has finished – no refund.
Refunds must be requested via email to the event organiser or to the Orienteering ACT office.
 
Where an event is cancelled and entry fees have already been paid, a FULL refund will be made available.
Where an event is part of a series where a “Season Pass” has been purchased, NO refund will be available.
Some events may specify their own refund policy, where that is the case the event specific policy will apply.

Risk Statement

See: Risk Statement for All Competitors
By starting any event competitors accept the General Risk Warning and Risk Waiver linked above. Competitors also accept that their image and name may be used in photography or video for publicity and website purposes.

Event Rules, Complaints, and Protests

All Orienteering ACT events are governed by the Orienteering Australia Rules.

These rules include sporting rules, organiser duties, fair play principles, and a process for complaints.

Complaints

Under rule 27, Complaints can be made to the organiser about infringements of the rules or the organiser’s directions. Complaints are adjudicated by the organiser, who informs the complainant and other affect competitors of their decision.

When a complaint issue arises:

  1. Participants should download at the finish as normal. Participants should not raise complaints with the computer operator or other volunteers.
  2. If after considering the issue the participant wishes to take the matter further they should ask to speak to the event Organiser. 
  3. The participant raises the issue with the Organiser, specifically stating that they are making a complaint and explaining the issue and their desired remedy.
  4. The Organiser will consider the issue, normally in consultation with other event officials.
  5. The Organiser will make a decision, inform the complainant and any other affected participants and, if required, implement the decision.
  6. If a complainant or other affected participant is dissatisfied with the Organiser’s decision they may then make a protest.

Protests

Under rule 28, Protests can be made in writing against the organiser’s response to a complaint within 15 minutes of the organiser’s decision. Protests are adjudicated by a jury, whose decision is final.

Complaint and Protest Outcomes

Possible outcomes include: reinstatement or disqualification of a participant, voiding of class results, time adjustment for late starters.