UWW Disciplinary Procedure and Dispute Resolution Regulations 2019
- In force from
- 2019/06/29
Current edition, in force from 29 June 2019; introduced "harassment and abuse" as a standalone offence, expressly extended assault to cover verbal conduct, and increased the membership of the Disciplinary Chamber from seven to nine.
| Adoption | 29 June 2019 — Executive Committee of the federation |
| In force from | 29 June 2019 |
| Structure | 26 articles in 7 titles |
| Status | Current edition — the disciplinary procedure governing wrestling |
What is the wrestling disciplinary procedure?
The United World Wrestling (UWW) Disciplinary Procedure and Dispute Resolution Regulations do two things at once: they enumerate the disciplinary offences and the corresponding sanction for each, and they organise the adjudicating body and its procedure. The adjudicating organ is the Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Chamber, whose members are appointed by the Bureau. Its scope is broad, covering national federations, clubs, wrestlers, coaches, referees and officials; from offences relating to the staging of competitions and breach of a period of suspension to assault, harassment and damage to property. Alongside the disciplinary route, the text also provides for mediation and internal arbitration as avenues for resolving disputes.
About the June 2019 editionChanges from August 2018
Key changes from the previous edition
- Harassment and abuse as a standalone offenceA new provision was added treating any incident of harassment and abuse by persons subject to these regulations as a disciplinary offence. This is the most significant substantive addition in this edition; no such heading previously existed in the text.
- Assault, including verbal conductIn the definition of assault against an opponent, members of other teams, and referees, judges and competition officials, the words "verbal and/or physical" were added. Insults and verbal aggression are thereby expressly brought within the same article and its sanctions.
- Disciplinary Chamber: from seven to nine membersThe membership of the Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Chamber was increased from seven to nine, with the chair and vice-chair still chosen from among those members.
- Finality of bout officials' decisionsIt was made express that no appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or any other body is admissible against a decision of the officiating body of a bout. This rule was absent from the previous edition and clarifies the boundary between a disciplinary appeal and a challenge to on-the-mat officiating.
- Alignment with the constitutive instrumentThe reference for undefined terms was changed from the "Articles of Association" to the "Constitution", to align with the new name of the federation's constitutive document.
Who this document matters to
Any disciplinary case involving a wrestler, coach or federation at international level is heard before this Chamber and on the basis of this text. Three points are of practical importance to the defence: the procedural time limits, the expiry of which extinguishes the right of appeal; the restriction of standing to the parties to the original case; and the fact that a decision of the officials within a bout is not open to challenge at all. Beyond this stage, the route of appeal lies to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).