Discipline and Dispute Resolution Policy

Where a contravention or breach of the Code of Conduct or any of its constituent parts is believed to have occurred, anyone may report such incident to the attention of the President of the OAA.  An ad-hoc Disciplinary Committee shall be convened to conduct a thorough review, and will be authorized to impose administrative or disciplinary actions in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct as applicable and/or warranted. The ad hoc committee will be instated only to resolve a particular incident and will be terminated upon completion of its mandate. 

Where the incident takes place during a competition either in Canada or overseas, whether involving an athlete, official or OAA employee or volunteer, the matter shall be referred to the most senior OAA representative present for resolution on-site. However, this does not preclude further action by the OAA. Depending on the circumstances and the site of the infraction, the senior OAA representative may be the Team Manager, Assistant Team Manager, High Performance Committee Representative, Head Coach or programme coach. 

Where the incident takes place during an archery event, the matter shall be dealt with in accordance with the rules and regulations of the appropriate archery jurisdiction. However, this does not preclude further action by the OAA. 

The ad hoc Disciplinary Committee should include at least the following: 

1. The Senior OAA representative, as listed above, to serve as Chair of the committee; 
2. An athlete’s representative who is not a competing athlete and who is of legal age; 
3. A coach representing the alleged violator; and 
4. Legal counsel, if possible and deemed necessary by the Committee Chair. 

All members of the ad hoc Disciplinary Committee will be required to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest prior to the Committee being convened. 

For an incident that takes place outside Canada, or if an insufficient number of appropriate members of the OAA are available to participate in an ad hoc Disciplinary Committee on site, links by telephone for the duration of a meeting will be arranged. 

Detailed records from a hearing of an ad hoc Disciplinary Committee will be submitted to the President of the OAA within two days of the Committee’s hearing. 

Disciplinary Actions imposed by ad hoc Disciplinary Committees 

Disciplinary actions for violating the Code of Conduct within the authority of the ad hoc Disciplinary Committee may include, but not be limited to: 

1. Suspension of a specified duration from OAA-sponsored events or activities; 
2. Cancellation or reduction of points in cases of rankings or selection, as applicable; 
3. For a member of the High Performance Programme, suspension from the Programme; 
4. For a carded athlete, withdrawal of funding; 
5. For an athlete, official or volunteer attending an international event outside Canada, immediate removal of accreditation, expulsion from the event, removal from team accommodations, and/or return to Canada at the expense of the individual involved; 
6. For an athlete, official or volunteer attending a national or international event inside Canada, immediate removal of accreditation, expulsion from the event, removal from team accommodations, and return to the home club at the expense of the individual involved; 
7. For an elected official, suspension or dismissal from the Board of Directors or other elected body; or 
8. Presentation and acknowledgement of a letter of reprimand from the OAA or any other sports organization, including but not limited to Sports Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Archery Canada or World Archery

Where the athlete involved is a minor, he or she will immediately be released to his or her legal guardian at the expense of the individual involved. 

Administrative actions within the authority of the ad hoc Disciplinary Committee may include, but not be limited to: 

1. For an employee, dismissal from the paid position or termination without notice of an employment contract; 
2. Removal from a post or position within the OAA organization; or 
3. Submission and publication of a written or verbal apology. 

Timeliness of Actions 

Where an incident warrants the creation of a Disciplinary Committee, the Terms of Reference of the Committee will include the timelines for resolution of the incident, and the affected party(-ies) will be informed of response times, deadlines for appeal, etc. An ad hoc Disciplinary Committee should be convened within 48 hours of an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct. 

If more time is required to investigate an incident, for the imposition of sanctions, or for an appeal or review of the imposition of sanctions, all parties will be so informed in accordance with timelines laid out in the Terms of Reference of the Disciplinary Committee. 

Unless otherwise stated in the Terms of Reference of the ad hoc  sanctions will be enforced immediately once a decision has been reached. 

Appeal of Disciplinary Action for a Violation of the Code of Conduct 

An athlete, employee, volunteer or official found to be in violation of the OAA Code of Conduct has the right to appeal an applied sanction, in accordance with the OAA Dispute Resolution Policy and Procedures. The appeal may be made to the President of the OAA, or an external dispute resolution organization, as is commensurate with the violation and the imposed sanction. 

Unless otherwise stated, appellant must file to be heard within 60 days of the rendering of a decision by the Committee is reached particularly where a sanction has been applied.  

Where the person who has allegedly violated the Code of Conduct is a minor, the appeal may be filed on his or her behalf by a competent adult in line with the same timelines listed above. 

Referral to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC)

Should the affected party(-ies) believe that the imposed sanctions or actions are unfair or overly severe, an Appeal can be made in accordance with the Appeals Policy, and the matter can be referred to the SDRCC for resolution. The OAA will not fund members for any such appeal.