<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the Procedural Rules Governing the FIFA Football Tribunal, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; in Article 3 it provides that the Tribunal is to apply the FIFA regulations primarily and Swiss law additionally.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>35 articles</b> + one annexe, in four parts</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>In force from the start of 2027; until then the January 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal?</h2>
<p>The Football Tribunal is FIFA's quasi-judicial body, composed of three chambers: the <strong>Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC)</strong> for contractual disputes and training compensation cases, the <strong>Players' Status Chamber (PSC)</strong> for regulatory cases such as the international transfer of players under 18 and changes of association, and the <strong>Agents Chamber (AC)</strong> for disputes concerning football agents. The present Procedural Rules determine the rules of procedure before all three chambers: from how a claim is lodged and the applicable time limits to evidence, the language of proceedings and the notification of decisions.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from January 2026</span></h2>
<p>This document is the <strong>seventh edition</strong> of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal since the Tribunal was established (previous editions: October 2021, June 2022, October 2022, March 2023, January 2025 and January 2026).</p>
<p>The present edition was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and, pursuant to its Article 35, comes into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>, replacing the January 2026 edition (approved by the FIFA Council on 17 December 2025). The overall structure of the document — 35 articles and one annexe — has been retained.</p>
<p><strong>Transitional rule:</strong> contrary to the common assumption that new procedural rules govern only new claims, Article 32(1) of this edition specifies that proceedings initiated <strong>before</strong> its entry into force are also subject to these Rules, and decisions on the details of their application to pending cases rest with the FIFA general secretariat (Article 32(2)).</p>
<h3>The most significant substantive change from the January 2026 edition — Article 3</h3>
<p>The title of this article has changed from "Applicable law" to "Applicable rules and regulations" and its text has been rewritten in full:</p>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">2026 text</b>The chambers of the Tribunal apply the FIFA Statutes and regulations "whilst taking into account all relevant arrangements, laws and/or collective bargaining agreements that exist at national level".</li>
<li><b class="t">2027 text</b>"The Football Tribunal will primarily apply the FIFA regulations and, additionally, Swiss law."</li>
</ol>
<p>The express reference to national laws and collective bargaining agreements has thus been removed from Article 3 and replaced by Swiss law as the subsidiary law — a point of direct significance, when drafting submissions, for parties who build their case on domestic rules (including national association regulations or contracts governed by national law).</p>
<p>Among the formal changes: the title of Article 35 has changed from "Entry into force" to "Adoption and entry into force", and the transitional paragraph on the entry into force of the Agents Chamber provisions as of 1 October 2023 — which had become obsolete — has been deleted.</p>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Operative status:</strong> until 31 December 2026, the January 2026 edition continues to govern proceedings before the Football Tribunal.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structure of the document</h2>
<p>The document comprises 35 articles and one annexe, arranged in four parts: <strong>general provisions</strong> (scope, jurisdiction, composition of the chambers, independence and conflicts of interest, confidentiality); <strong>general procedural rules</strong> (parties, notifications, time limits, submissions and evidence, language of proceedings and publication of decisions); <strong>specific proceedings</strong>, covering claims before each of the three chambers, including claims for training compensation (Article 28), the international transfer or first registration of a minor player (Article 30) and petitions for a change of association (Article 31); and <strong>final provisions</strong>, including transitional rules, matters not provided for and force majeure.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Players and coaches in a contractual dispute with a foreign club, clubs involved in international transfer cases or claims for training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, FIFA-licensed agents, and sports lawyers must comply with the formal rules of this document before bringing any claim before the Football Tribunal; failure to observe its time limits and formalities can lead to a claim being dismissed on formal grounds.</p>
<p>The full English text of this edition is available via the download button on this page, and the other editions can be viewed in the "Editions of these regulations" box.</p>
</div>

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; a sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers (NDRCs) within 60 days has been added to the regulations.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>76 articles</b> + Annexe 1</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then the May 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is the FIFA Disciplinary Code?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) defines disciplinary offences in football, determines the corresponding sanctions, and regulates the organisation and jurisdiction of FIFA's judicial bodies and the procedure before them. Its scope covers FIFA matches and competitions, as well as offences that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the confederations or the member associations; member associations are also required to bring their own disciplinary regulations into line with the principles of this document.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from May 2026</span></h2>
<p>Under Article 76, this document was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. The change in this edition compared with the May 2026 edition is focused and confined to a single subject.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers</b>For the first time, it is provided that where a decision has been issued by a <strong>national dispute resolution chamber (NDRC) recognised in accordance with the FIFA regulations</strong> and the association concerned fails to enforce it <strong>within 60 days</strong>, the disciplinary consequences set out in this article may be applied. This provision did not exist in the May 2026 edition or in earlier editions.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Scope of the change:</strong> Apart from the addition of the provision on national dispute resolution chambers and the updating of the adoption article, this edition contains no other substantive difference from the May 2026 edition.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs and federations involved in international disciplinary proceedings, players and coaches subject to suspensions, and sports lawyers appearing before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and the FIFA Appeal Committee rely on the text of these regulations. In any given case, the governing edition is the one in force at the time the offence was committed — unless later regulations provide for a more lenient sanction; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance.</p>
</div>

FIFA Disciplinary Code - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; Article 17 (consequences of terminating a contract without just cause) has been rewritten in its entirety.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>29 articles</b> + 7 annexes</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then, the July 2025 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) lay down the global, binding framework for the registration of players, their amateur or professional status, transfers between clubs affiliated to different associations, contractual stability, the protection of minors, and the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms. A number of the articles of these regulations must be incorporated without amendment into the internal regulations of every national association.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from July 2025</span></h2>
<p>This edition was approved by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. It is the most significant rewriting of Article 17 in the history of these regulations; the previous mechanism for calculating compensation ('mitigated compensation' and 'additional compensation' equal to three months' salary) has been removed from the text entirely and replaced with a new system.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Replacement of 'positive interest' with 'full compensation'</b>It is now provided that, in the absence of agreed compensation, the party injured by the breach of contract is entitled to <strong>full compensation for the damage caused by the breach</strong>, with compensation calculated in light of the damage suffered and the circumstances of each case, on the basis of the prescribed criteria. For the player, it is specified that the damage includes, in particular, <strong>the residual value of the breached contract</strong> and other items.</li>
<li><b class="t">A guaranteed minimum in termination agreements</b>It is now provided that any agreement on the financial compensation payable to the player must be <strong>at least equivalent to the residual value of the breached contract</strong>, unless exceptional circumstances justify a lower amount.</li>
<li><b class="t">A presumption of inducement within 45 days</b>For the first time, it is provided that if a player signs a new contract <strong>within 45 days</strong> of the breach of contract, <strong>the new club is presumed to have induced the player to commit the breach</strong>. The presumption is rebuttable, provided that the new club proves the contrary <strong>'to the comfortable satisfaction of the Football Tribunal'</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined standard of proof for joint and several liability</b>The joint and several liability of the new club is now conditional on inducement being established <strong>on the 'balance of probabilities'</strong> — a standard that was not expressly stated in the text of previous editions.</li>
<li><b class="t">Graduated sporting sanctions with a two-year recidivism period</b>In place of the previous single sanction, a graduated system has been introduced: a first breach within the <strong>two-year recidivism period</strong> → a warning and a fine; a second breach → a restriction to registering no more than five new players in one registration period, together with a fine; a third breach → <strong>a complete ban on registering any new player for one entire period</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined period of ineligibility for the player in breach</b>It is now provided that a player who commits a breach of contract during the protected period is banned from playing in official matches for <strong>four months</strong>, and that where aggravating circumstances exist this period increases to <strong>six months</strong>; the ban applies immediately upon notification of the decision.</li>
<li><b class="t">Extension of the Ukraine contract-suspension deadline to 30 June 2027</b>The deadline laid down in the annexe governing the war in Ukraine has been extended by a further year.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Note:</strong> A comparison of Articles 13 to 18 of this edition with the July 2025 edition shows that the rewriting of Article 17 was accompanied by a rearrangement of the internal headings (joint and several liability, the presumption of inducement, sporting sanctions against clubs and against players). The remaining articles retain their previous structure.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>For clubs engaged in international transfers, players and coaches under contract with a club abroad, and agents and sports lawyers, this document is the principal basis for the legal assessment of a case. In any dispute, the edition of the regulations that applies is the one in force at the time the event occurred; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance for past cases.</p>
</div>

Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players_January 2027

<p class="reg-lead">A summary of the changes to the FIBA Official Basketball Rules, in force from 1 October 2026.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>In force</td><td><b>1 October 2026</b> — published in July 2026, version 1.1</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>25 pages — prepared by FIBA Referee Operations</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Current version</strong></td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is this document?</h2>
<p>A document FIBA publishes alongside the full text of the rules to ease preparation for the changes. For each amended article it provides two things: the <strong>reason for the change</strong> and the <strong>new rulebook text</strong>. Articles covered: 1 Definitions, 2 Court, 4 Teams, 15 Player in the act of shooting, 24 Dribbling, 36 Technical foul, 37 Unsportsmanlike foul, 38 Disqualifying foul, and the appendices on officials' signals, the scoresheet, the classification of teams and the Instant Replay System.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Primacy of the official text</b>The document itself states that the summary <strong>does not cover all minor and editorial changes</strong> and that, in the event of conflict, <strong>the final text of the Official Basketball Rules prevails</strong>. Legal citation must refer to the text of the rules, not to this summary.</li>
<li><b class="t">Value of the "reason for the change"</b>For each article, the reason for the change is set out expressly — something that does not appear in the rulebook itself and is of value in interpreting the rule-maker's intent.</li>
<li><b class="t">Publication timeline</b>The full text of the rules is published in July 2026 and the official interpretations in September 2026; the summary of changes becomes available before both.</li>
<li><b class="t">Restriction on use</b>The document states that its content must not be altered and must not be presented under the federation's mark without the written permission of FIBA Referee Operations.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>For referees, coaches and instructors, the fastest way to see what changes from 1 October 2026. For a lawyer, the "reason for the change" sections can assist in interpreting the new articles — with the caveat that the document itself gives priority to the text of the rules.</p>
</div>

FIBA Official Basketball Rules Changes 2026

<p class="reg-lead">FIBA Basketball Equipment, in force from 1 October 2026.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>In force</td><td><b>1 October 2026</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>32 pages — the "Equipment" part of the two-part publication of the Official Basketball Rules</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Current edition</strong></td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What this document determines</h2>
<p>The Official Basketball Rules are published in two documents, and this is the second: the <strong>technical specifications for equipment</strong> — backboard, ring and net, backboard support structure, ball, game clock and shot clock, scoreboard, and table equipment.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Separate but integral</b>This document is part of the Official Basketball Rules, not a supplement to them; it enters into force on the same date and with the same authority.</li>
<li><b class="t">Relationship to FIBA approval</b>The technical specifications in this document form the basis of the FIBA equipment approval programme; the list of approved suppliers for designated events is published in an appendix to Book 1 of the Internal Regulations.</li>
<li><b class="t">Use in venue design</b>For organisers and venue owners, this document determines what equipment is acceptable for an official event.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>To equipment manufacturers and organisers. In claims concerning injury or challenges to the conditions under which an event was staged, the equipment's compliance or non-compliance with these specifications is the technical basis of assessment.</p>
</div>

FIBA Basketball Equipment 2026

<p class="reg-lead">The International Basketball Federation's Official Basketball Rules, in force from 1 October 2026.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>In force</td><td><b>1 October 2026</b> — approved by the FIBA Central Board</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>108 pages — the "Basketball Rules" part of the two-part publication of the Official Rules</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Current edition</strong></td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the Official Basketball Rules?</h2>
<p>The Official Basketball Rules (OBR) are approved by the FIBA Central Board and published in two separate documents: <strong>Basketball Rules</strong> and <strong>Basketball Equipment</strong>. A new edition normally comes into force on <strong>1 October</strong> each year. Before approval, the Rules Advisory Group (RAG) — composed of basketball and officiating experts — reviews all proposals and presents them to the Technical Commission.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key changes in this edition</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Restructuring of the foul system</b>The most significant structural change: <strong>the unsportsmanlike foul has given way to two new categories</strong> — Article 37, the <strong>Disruptive Foul</strong>, and Article 38, the <strong>Flagrant Foul</strong>. Article 39 remains the disqualifying foul. Between the personal foul and disqualification there are now two steps rather than one.</li>
<li><b class="t">Definition of the disruptive foul</b>A disruptive foul is illegal contact that does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul but <strong>disrupts the flow of the game</strong> and places the opponent at a disadvantage: unnecessary contact by a defender who is making no legitimate attempt to play the ball and seeks to stop the attacking team's progress on a fast break, or to stop the game clock and shot clock at the end of a quarter or overtime, or contact from behind or from the side against a player advancing towards the opponents' basket with no defender between that player and the basket.</li>
<li><b class="t">Two classes of technical foul</b>Article 36 divides technical fouls into <strong>Class 1 and Class 2</strong>. <strong>Only a Class 1 technical foul leads to ejection from the game</strong>; Class 2 does not count towards ejection. Class 1 covers conduct such as disrespectful contact with referees and officials, using provocative language or gestures towards spectators, and baiting or taunting an opponent.</li>
<li><b class="t">Redefinition of the "act of shooting"</b>Article 15 defines more precisely where the <strong>act of shooting</strong> begins and ends, and sets out separate definitions for the jump shot, the drive to the basket and other moving shots. The stated reason is explicit: players are increasingly manipulating the situation to draw a shooting foul. In addition, <strong>a shot from a team's own half of the court is disregarded</strong>, except at the end of a quarter or overtime or at the end of the shot clock.</li>
<li><b class="t">Second dribble</b>Article 24 clarifies that after a player's first dribble has ended, the player may dribble again only if they have lost control of the live ball — through a shot, through an opponent touching the ball, or when the ball touches another player on a pass or a fumble.</li>
<li><b class="t">Colour of the court lines</b>Article 2.5: the colour of the boundary lines and court markings may vary to make <strong>event branding</strong> possible — provided that all boundary lines are the same colour and each pair of markings on the two halves of the court match. The centre line and centre circle may be a different colour.</li>
<li><b class="t">Apparel</b>Article 4.3: the requirement that <strong>socks be visible</strong> has been removed. Long-sleeved shirts are not permitted, sleeves must end above the elbow, the shirt must be tucked into the shorts and the shorts must end above the knee; the socks of all team members must be of the same dominant colour.</li>
<li><b class="t">Commissioner and technical delegate</b>Article 1.1: wherever the rule book refers to the "commissioner", this also includes the <strong>technical delegate</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>In any challenge to a referee's decision, the text of the rules is the starting point. The restructuring of the foul system has a direct practical effect: conduct previously classed as "unsportsmanlike" must now fall into one of the two categories of disruptive or flagrant foul, and the distinction between Class 1 and Class 2 technical fouls determines whether a player is ejected from the game. The <strong>Official Interpretations (OBRI)</strong>, which show how these rules are applied, are published separately.</p>
</div>

FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026

<p class="reg-lead">IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, version 14 August 2026 — the reference text for staging IJF events and for who may take part in them.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Version</td><td><b>14 August 2026</b> — replaces the version of 24 July 2026</td></tr>
<tr><td>Extent</td><td>298 pages, thirteen chapters and seven appendices</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>In force</strong></td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What the SOR governs</h2>
<p>The SOR is the largest and most frequently used IJF instrument, turning what the Statutes set at the level of principle into operating rules: eligibility, nationality, entries and accreditation, weigh-in, competition systems, world ranking lists, judogi rules, refereeing rules, and the medical and anti-doping handbook. Unlike the Statutes, it is revised often — this version replaces one published less than a month earlier.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Athlete nationality and changing it<span class="reg-tag">section 1.7</span></h2>
<p>An athlete must hold the nationality of the federation entering them, evidenced by a valid passport; an athlete with several citizenships may compete for only one country.</p>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">The three-year rule</b>An athlete who has represented a country at the Olympic Games, world, continental or regional championships, or events on the IJF calendar may represent a new country only after <strong>three years</strong> have passed since last representing the former one.</li>
<li><b class="t">Shortening it</b>The IJF may shorten or waive the three years — but only on the <strong>written agreement of both national federations</strong> and with a passport for the new country. The authority is Rule 41 of the Olympic Charter and its Bye-law.</li>
<li><b class="t">The filing deadline</b>A request tied to a specific event must reach the IJF <strong>21 days before that event's registration deadline</strong>; later than that, the IJF gives no assurance it will be processed in time.</li>
<li><b class="t">Exclusions</b>Veterans, military and kata competitors who appear on no world ranking list fall outside the rule and may change sporting nationality at any time on producing a passport.</li>
<li><b class="t">Refugee status</b>Separate routes exist for athletes holding official refugee status and for the IJF Refugee Team, where a refugee travel document or photographic identity plus an IJF authorisation letter stands in for the passport.</li>
</ol>
<p>Referee nationality runs a parallel regime of its own at section 1.8.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Power of amendment</h2>
<p>The IJF states expressly that it may amend its rules "in a reasonable manner at any time" and notify members "by any method as the IJF deems appropriate" — email, website publication, or a declaration at a meeting. For anyone citing the SOR, that makes the version date part of the citation: a reference to "the SOR" without one points at a moving text.</p>
</div>

IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (SOR) — version 14 August 2026

<p class="reg-lead">IHF Ethics Code, in force from 27 July 2026.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Adopted</td><td><b>27 July 2026</b> — IHF Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>Placement</td><td>Chapter XV of the IHF Regulations</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>In force</strong> — replaces the edition of 21 December 2025</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What the Ethics Code governs</h2>
<p>Chapter XV of the IHF Regulations sets the conduct expected of officials, federations and everyone else subject to it: dignity, integrity, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, good governance and the prevention of competition manipulation. Alleged breaches are heard by the Ethics Commission, an independent adjudicating body established by Congress.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>What changed in this edition<span class="reg-tag">against the edition of 21 December 2025</span></h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">In force from 27 July 2026</b>Article 13 brings the Code into effect on 27 July 2026 and applies it to violations committed on or after that date. The previous edition continues to govern earlier conduct.</li>
<li><b class="t">The Safeguarding Policy now outranks the Code</b>Article 3 still gives the Code precedence over other IHF regulations in the event of inconsistency — but that precedence is now lifted for the <strong>IHF Safeguarding Policy</strong> as well as the Statutes. Previously only the Statutes were carved out.</li>
<li><b class="t">Wider remit for the Ethics Commission</b>Article 4 extends the Commission beyond breaches of the Code itself to <strong>any other alleged violations falling within its jurisdiction</strong>. The phrase is added to both provisions describing its powers.</li>
<li><b class="t">The Safeguarding Officer as referring party</b>The list of who may refer a case to the Commission — national federation, continental confederation, Executive Committee, Council, and the IOC integrity hotline — gains one route: an alleged breach of the Safeguarding Policy may be referred <strong>only by the IHF Safeguarding Officer</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">Broader source of residual sanctions</b>Under Article 8 the Commission may impose any further measure set out in an Appendix to the Code or in <strong>IHF Regulations</strong>; the earlier text pointed only to the Regulations concerning Penalties and Fines.</li>
</ol>
</div>

IHF Ethics Code 2026

<p class="reg-lead">The Safeguarding Policy of the International Handball Federation, in force from 27 July 2026.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>In force</td><td><b>27 July 2026</b> — adopted by the IHF Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Chapter XXX of the International Handball Federation's body of regulations</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Current version</strong> — the most recently added chapter of the compendium</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What this policy governs</h2>
<p>With this document the International Handball Federation has committed itself to providing a safe environment in which everyone can train and compete with respect, with equality and <strong>free from every form of harassment and abuse</strong>. The Safeguarding Policy rests on Article 1.4 of the IOC Code of Ethics and Article 5 of the IHF Ethics Code — the provision that makes safeguarding the dignity of the individual a fundamental requirement of the world federation.</p><p><em>This chapter has not yet been entered in the list of regulations annexed to the Statutes, which runs to Chapter XXIX; the document itself bears the number XXX.</em></p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">A non-exhaustive list of prohibited conduct</b>Article 5 enumerates the prohibited forms of conduct and makes clear that the list is not exhaustive: harassment and abuse (including bullying, neglect and psychological or physical violence), any crime or breach of law that raises a safeguarding concern, any form of coercion that results in abuse, and breaches of this Policy or of the Code of Conduct in Annex 1.</li>
<li><b class="t">Failure to report is itself a violation</b><strong>Failing to report a safeguarding concern, suspicion or allegation appears in the list of prohibited conduct.</strong> Knowingly making a false or misleading report, abusing the process and breaching confidentiality are likewise treated as violations.</li>
<li><b class="t">The duty to report where children are concerned</b>Where the concern relates to a <strong>player under 18</strong>, anyone who becomes aware of a possible violation, or reasonably suspects one, <strong>is obliged to report it</strong>. For an adult player, the player's own consent must in principle be obtained, unless there is reasonable cause to believe that danger is imminent or that the conduct may amount to a crime.</li>
<li><b class="t">Protection of the reporter</b>Anyone who reports in good faith <strong>must not be exposed to retaliation</strong>; the world federation has made a confidential reporting system available.</li>
<li><b class="t">Reporting channels</b>An online form on the IHF website and social media that <strong>allows anonymous reporting</strong>, a dedicated safeguarding e-mail address, and approaching in person the Safeguarding Officer or — in that officer's absence at an event — a trained "contact point".</li>
<li><b class="t">The Safeguarding Officer and the working group</b>All reports reach the IHF Safeguarding Officer, who assesses them together with the Safeguarding Working Group. Article 9 also makes training mandatory, and National Federations and Continental Confederations have their own obligations under Article 4.</li>
<li><b class="t">Precise definitions</b>Article 2 defines terms such as <strong>hazing</strong> (humiliating and dangerous initiation rituals for new members of a team), interpersonal violence and neglect — definitions that make the scope of the Policy clear.</li>
</ol>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>For National Federations and clubs, two points carry direct legal weight: the duty to report where players under 18 are concerned, the omission of which is itself a violation, and the requirement to have a safeguarding policy and code of conduct in place at national level. Proceedings for violations run through the Ethics Commission, and the IHF Ethics Code, in its edition of 21 December 2025, has entrusted the route of appeal to the International Handball Court of Arbitration.</p>
</div>

Notes related to the tag E

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal

FIFA Disciplinary Code

Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players_January 2027

FIBA Official Basketball Rules Changes 2026

FIBA Basketball Equipment 2026

FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026

IJF Sport and Organisation Rules — version 14 August 2026

IHF Ethics Code 2026

IHF Safeguarding Policy 2026