§220524 General Duties of National Governing Bodies

Summary

National governing bodies must run and grow the sport they oversee across the United States and be responsible to the people and groups they represent. They must work with others to avoid practice and competition clashes, keep amateur athletes informed and include their views, and quickly share rule changes from the governing body, the corporation, the right international sports federation, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the Pan‑American Sports Organization. They must let an athlete enter an international amateur event unless they can show the event organizer fails to meet the requirements in section 220525. When there are separate programs for men and women, they must support women fairly and give male and female athletes who represent the United States equivalent and nondiscriminatory pay, benefits, medical care, travel, and expense coverage from funds the body directly provides (not counting performance prizes), while allowing consideration of merit, performance, seniority, or amount of play and allowing better terms to fix outside‑income gaps, help underdeveloped programs, or address documented, justifiable personal need. They must also work, with affected athletes, to urge international federations to equalize prizes and support; promote and include programs for athletes with disabilities; share technical training and coaching information; back sports‑medicine and safety research; create policies that forbid employees, contractors, or agents from helping a member get a new job if they know that person violated the Center’s sexual‑misconduct policies or was convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor (except routine file transfers); promote abuse‑free sports; use care when relying on temporary measures or sanctions from the Center; immediately report any child‑abuse allegation about a minor athlete to law enforcement; and have immediate child‑abuse reporting rules consistent with subparagraph (C) of section 220541(a)(1) and paragraph (2)(A) of section 220542(a). Nothing here removes a governing body’s duty of care under State law or common law.