Rules

A 1 - Association of the Sports Communities of the European Research Institutes

The Association of the Sports Communities of the European Research Institutes (ASCERI) is a registered, non-profit association.

ASCERI was created to encourage sporting and amicable relationships between staff of European research institutes. The international sports meetings of the Sports Communities of European Research Institutes which started in 1966 later led to the establishment of ASCERI.

The aim of ASCERI is to contribute to a united Europe through sport.

A 2 - Issue and Use of the Vademecum

The rules contained in this Vademecum are binding for all Member Institutes of ASCERI.

These rules were first agreed up at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates on 2nd June 1984 and have been adapted following on from subsequent Annual Conferences of ASCERI Delegates. All changes have been recorded in the minutes of the Annual Conference at which they were agreed upon.

Changes to the Vademecum can only be adopted at an Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates by a 2/3 majority vote.

ASCERI retains the intellectual property rights of the Vademecum.

The rules and guidelines contained herein are mandatory for all sports meetings.

These sports meetings are:

• Summer ATOMIADE or Summer Games
• Winter ATOMIADE or Winter Games
• Mini ATOMIADE or Mini Games

A 3 - Roles, Duties and Responsibilities of the ASCERI Management Board

The role of the ASCERI Management Board is to work on behalf of the member institutes to further the aim of ASCERI as set out in the Preamble.

The ASCERI Management Board is charged with:

1. the promotion, organisation and co-operation between the sporting communities of the European research institutes,
2. making proposals to, and executing the requests of the ASCERI Delegates agreed upon at the Annual Conference,
3. the efficient and effective running of the Association on behalf of its member associations.
4. proposing and producing documents for the promotion of ASCERI.

The ASCERI Management Board is currently composed of 8 members: President, Vice President, Treasurer and 5 Executive Board Members.

The ASCERI Management Board meets once per year immediately before an Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates. Additional meetings may be held if the need arises.

Decisions on issues raised during these meetings are agreed upon by a simple majority. Decisions can also be made by written procedure.

The ASCERI Management Board may invite experts to its meetings to discuss or advise on specific topics. Invited participants do not have voting rights.

A 3.1 President

The President is responsible for:

• Promoting ASCERI to research institutes not already affiliated to the Association.
• Promoting sports meetings between the European research Institutes and any other interested communities or associations.
• Guaranteeing the continuation of ASCERI sports meetings.
• The elaboration of tournament rules for the various kinds of sports at the sports meetings in consultation with the relevant Expert Committees.
• Organising ASCERI Management Board meetings for which he/she is also the Chair.
• Communication with the media

The President or in his/her absence the Vice President, attends sports meetings as representative of ASCERI.

A 3.2 Vice President

The Vice President guarantees permanent support to the President in the carrying out of his/her duties. The allocation of duties of the President and the Vice-President should be made by mutual agreement.

A 3.3 Treasurer

The Treasurer is in charge of the ASCERI financial administration.

The Treasurer provides a report to the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates of all income and expenditure for the preceding year. The accounts are verified by the Finance Expert Committee prior to presentation to the Delegates at the Annual Conference.

The Treasurer proposes a budget forecast showing the expected income and expenditure for the following year and presents this to the Delegates at the Annual Conference.

A 3.4 Secretary

The Secretary:

• Is responsible for the provision of secretarial, clerical and administrative support in the first instance to the President and thereafter to the ASCERI Management Board and Delegates if required.
• Takes the minutes at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates. The draft minutes are sent to the Executive Board Members and Delegates and are approved at the next following Annual Conference. Once approved at the Annual Conference and signed by the President, the Secretary distributes the minutes to the Delegates and places them on the ASCERI website.
• Maintains the ASCERI archives.
• Updates the Vademecum according to decisions taken at the Annual Conference.
• Maintains and updates the mailing list of members.
• Is responsible for internal and external correspondence.
• Is responsible for sending out the notices for the annual membership fees to the Delegates.

A 4 - Financial Matters

A 4.1 Financing Sports Meetings

Each organiser of a sports meeting must aim to keep the expenses for each participant as low as possible by choosing adequate accommodation and arranging the programme to enable as many athletes as possible to participate.

The costs resulting from the organisation and execution of sports meetings will be paid by the participants in form of a registration fee.

A pre-payment of €50 per person of the registration fee should be paid in advance to the organisers of a sports meeting.

The organiser is under no obligation to refund the pre-payment if a research institute cancels its participation after having paid the registration fee pre-payment.

A detailed financial report is to be made and presented at the following Annual Conference of the Delegates.

Organisers are not allowed to make a profit from sports meetings. If a surplus from participants' contributions remains at the end of a sports meeting, this money may be paid to ASCERI. It is not permitted to pay the surplus, or part of it, to the organisers.

If a surplus from sponsorship by the host centre or its sports association remains at the end of a sports meeting, this money will not be returned to ASCERI but to the host centre or its sports association.

Where there is a disagreement a decision will be taken at the following Annual Conference.

A 4.2 Financing ASCERI Running Costs

Membership Fee

Each member of the ASCERI is required to pay an annual membership fee.

This membership fee must be paid within the first half of the year after receipt of the invoice. Any bank charges for remittance are to be paid by the members.

If the membership fee is not paid despite being reminded twice, the member can be excluded from the Association (see section A 7.2 b).

Sports Meetings

The organiser of a sports meeting is required to pay a fee to ASCERI for each participant by way of contribution towards ASCERI running costs. The fee is currently €3 per participant.

A 4.3 Fees

The membership fees are fixed at an Annual Conference and are subject to indexing every 3 years on the rotation of the President and Management Board.

Nb of members	Fee in €
< 50	50
< 100	75
< 250	100
< 500	125
< 1000	175
< 1500	200
<2000	225
> 2000	250

A 4.4 Expenses

The work of the ASCERI Management Board is honorary. Any expenses incurred, which cannot be repaid by the member's own institute, may be repaid by ASCERI on the production of appropriate evidence.

The President's expenses in connection with attendance at a sports meeting may be refunded by ASCERI on request and after agreement by the Management Board.

A 4.5 Financial Experts' Committee

The financial experts' committee is composed of at least one delegate (except Board members). It rotates every three years, in line with the President election. Its role is to control the accounts presented by the Treasurer and to provide feedback at the Annual Conference. His/ Her presence is requested at the Annual Conference.

A 5 - Expert Committees

The Expert Committees draw up the rules and regulations of ASCERI sports meetings and, if necessary, adapt them to new requirements or international changes.

The members of the Expert Committees act in an advisory capacity to sports meeting organisers and mediate in the case of disputes in the absence of a mediation panel.

The Expert Committees are confirmed at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates.

The Research Institutes printed in bold in the table below are the lead co-ordinators and the reference points for the President.

Sport	Institutes
ATHLETICS	HZ Berlin ILL Grenoble KIT Karlsruhe ESRF Grenoble
ARCHERY	HZ GSI Darmstadt FS Rossendorf
BADMINTON	NUCLEA Mol MePhi Moscow* KTE Karlsruhe
BASKETBALL	JRC Seville CERN ASCEA Saclay
CHESS	JRC Petten IHEP Protvino* NRC KI* JRC Karlsruhe
CYCLING	FS Rossendorf FZ Jülich JRC Geel
FOOTBALL	JRC Ispra MePhi Moscow* KTE Karlsruhe NCBJ Otwock
GOLF	JRC Geel PSI Villigen CERN ASCEA Cadarache
IN-LINE SKATING	JRC Ispra ESRF Grenoble JRC Karlsruhe
SHOOTING	ASCEA Saclay JRC Ispra JRC Geel
SWIMMING	ASCEA Saclay ASCEA Fontenay-aux-Roses AIT Vienna JRC Ispra
TABLE TENNIS	HZ GSI Darmstadt FZ Jülich KIT Karlsruhe
TENNIS	NUCLEA Mol PSI Villigen NRC Moscow*
TRIATHLON	ASCEA Cadarache CERN ASCEA IRSN FAR Max IV
VOLLEYBALL	NUCLEA Mol ASCEA Saclay JRC Geel PSI Villigen
WATER SPORT	ASCEA Saclay NUCLEA Mol JRC Ispra ASCEA Grenoble
WINTER SPORT	ESRF Grenoble ILL Grenoble AIT Vienna KIT Karlsruhe JRC Ispra CERN Geneva ASCEA Cadarache

(*) temporarily suspended

A 6 - Meetings of the Delegates

The meetings of the Delegates include:

• Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates
• General meeting of the team captains (at sports meetings)

All meetings will be conducted in English. The organisers of a sports meeting will ensure that, whenever necessary, adequate translation is provided.

Minutes are to be taken at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates by the Secretary. The minutes will be written in English. The minutes together with an attendance list are to be distributed by the Secretary to the Delegates of the ASCERI member institutes.

A 6.1 Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates

The Delegates are invited by the appointed conference co-ordinator.

A maximum of two Delegates per research institute are entitled to attend, however, there is only one vote. Delegates unable to be present may send a sports representative from their institute to replace them.

The meeting place is confirmed by the co-ordinator at the preceding annual conference.

Invitations to the Annual Conference must be sent out at least 6 weeks prior to the appointed date, and should include the registration deadline.

Items for the agenda are to be addressed to the President four weeks prior to the date of the conference. The preliminary agenda is distributed to the Delegates at least two weeks prior to this date by the Secretary.

The Annual Conference is chaired by the President or, in case of his/her absence by the Vice-President.

The President and Vice President are only entitled to vote if they are the sole delegate of their respective research institute.

Decisions are made by a simple majority of votes cast, unless otherwise stated in the individual passages of the Vademecum.

In case of an equal vote, the President has the casting vote. If the President abstains from voting, the vote is considered as “against” the motion.

New members are admitted by a simple majority of the votes cast.

Members can only be excluded by ¾ majority of the votes cast (see item A 7.2 b).

The Management Board may request dedicated committees to work on special tasks, the results of which are discussed and, if necessary, decided upon at the Annual Conference.

General problems arising at sports meetings as well as financial reports of the sports meetings are discussed and voted upon.

Deletions or modifications of the Vademecum and the rules and regulations for tournaments and competitions are discussed and decided upon. These amendments, deletions or modifications are to be sent to the participants in draft form together with the agenda two weeks prior to the date of the conference. The relevant Expert Committees should have the opportunity to discuss amendments before they are presented to the conference for consideration. This may be done by written procedure for practical reasons.

Income and expenses, together with a detailed financial report, is drawn up by the Treasurer and presented to the Financial Committee prior to the Annual Conference. The Treasurer also prepares a detailed forecast of income and expenditure for the following year in agreement with the Management Board. The financial status and forecast are presented, discussed and agreed upon by the Delegates.

The decisions agreed upon by the Delegates present at the Annual Conference are binding for all members of ASCERI.

At the Annual Conference preceding a summer ATOMIADE the election of the President, Vice President and Board members is included in the agenda (see A 6.3).

A 6.2 General Meetings of the Delegates

General meetings of the Delegates are held during the respective sports meetings. They are convened and chaired by the organiser of the sports meeting.

The purpose of these general meetings is to clarify any issues regarding the sports meeting.

However, on request of the Delegates, this meeting may define proposals and issues to be discussed further at an Annual Conference.

A general meeting of the Delegates can only pass decisions that concern the current sports meeting.

Decisions are made by a simple majority vote. In case of an equal vote this will be considered as “against” the motion.

Each research institute has one vote independent of the number of events they have registered for.

The President and other members of the Management Board are not eligible to vote unless he/she also represents a research institute as a Delegate.

A 6.3 Election of the ASCERI Management Board

The election of the ASCERI Management Board takes place during the Annual Conference of the ASCERI Delegates which precedes a summer ATOMIADE. This is placed as a special item on the agenda at the end of the meeting.

Candidatures for the Management Board positions will be requested by the President prior to the Annual Conference. The Delegates will be informed in advance of the names of the candidates for President, Vice President and Treasurer when known.

If only one candidature is received for the positions of President, Vice President and Treasurer, no election process will be required.

The organiser of the Annual Conference concerned will chair the elections.

Only those persons, or their substitutes, who are listed under Associated Institutes of the ASCERI Website are entitled to vote.

Each Research Institute represented at the Annual Conference has one vote. A Research Institute not represented at the Annual Conference may request a Delegate from another Research Institute to vote on their behalf. Written evidence must be provided.

The vote is carried out by secret ballot.

The Chairman will request a Delegate, who is not a candidate, to verify the result of the ballot and announce the name of the person elected. The count will not be announced, however, Delegates and candidates may individually verify the count on request.

The person receiving the majority of votes is elected President. In the case of an equal vote, a second secret ballot will be held.

The election of the Management Board takes place immediately after the election of the President using the same method and in the following order:

• Vice-President
• Treasurer

The candidates for the remaining Management Board positions will be voted upon using the voting cards directly after the nomination of President, Vice President and Treasurer.

The remaining tasks and duties for the Management Board will be allocated by the President in a separate meeting with the newly elected Management Board. These positions will be communicated to the Delegates before the closure of the Annual Conference.

The assumption of office takes place immediately and the changes are presented at the opening ceremony of the following summer ATOMIADE.

The mandate for the ASCERI Management Board is for a period of 3 years.

A 7 - Membership

Membership of ASCERI is open to all sports associations of European research institutes and is granted under the following conditions:

Applications for admission to ASCERI are to be addressed in writing to the President. The application must include the following information:

• Name and address of the research institute
• Information on research content of the research institute
• Abbreviation of the research institute to be used at sports meetings
• Kinds of sports offered within the sports community of the research institute
• Number of members of the sports community
• Name and address of the contact person(s)

By submission of the application form, the sports community/committee of the applying research institute acknowledges the rules, regulations and financial commitments set out in this Vademecum.

A 7.1 Confirmation of the Admission

Applications for membership are presented at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates. Admission will be decided by a simple majority vote.

A least one delegate of the applying research institute should be present at the Annual Conference in order to present his/her institute and to answer any additional questions from the Delegates. If for any reason this is not possible, a Delegate from another affiliated ASCERI institute may speak on the applicant’s behalf and present the institute.

In the case of acceptance, the representative(s) of the applying research institute are immediately entitled to vote.

Financial commitments (see A 4.2 and A 4.4) also come into effect immediately.

In the case of refusal the applicant will be informed of the decision by the President in writing; reasons will be given.

A 7.2 Termination of Membership

a) Withdrawal

A member can, at any time, declare its withdrawal from ASCERI.

The declaration of withdrawal is to be addressed in writing to the President.

b) Exclusion

A member can be suspended or permanently excluded from ASCERI for the following reasons:

• The member infringes with gross negligence the rules and regulations of the Vademecum, thereby causing damage to material of others;
• The member does not pay the membership fee in spite of being reminded twice;
• The member it is not willing to contribute to the ASCERI despite several requests.
• The member fails to pay the appropriate registration fees to an event organiser

The President may propose to suspend a member for any of the reasons stated above until the decision to permanently exclude the member is taken at the Annual Conference of ASCERI delegates by ¾ majority vote.

Members of ASCERI whose membership has been terminated either by withdrawal or by exclusion are not permitted to participate in ASCERI sports meetings.

Any financial obligations due to ASCERI remain in force and are to be settled without delay.

A 8 - Honorary Positions

A 8.1 Honorary President

The title "Honorary President" may be conferred on a President who retires from his/her post.

The Honorary President(s) is/are to be invited to all ASCERI sports events and to all Annual Conferences. He/she/they does/do not have specific tasks and may participate in the Annual Conferences in a consulting function.

ASCERI will contribute towards the expenses of the Honorary President(s). The President will propose the amount to the ASCERI Management Board for agreement. The decision will thereafter be conveyed to the Honorary President(s) by the President.

A 8.2    Honorary Member

A delegate who has worked in the service of ASCERI may be appointed "Honorary Member".

A 9 - Sports Meetings

A 9.1 Participants

The ASCERI website lists the sports organisations and research institutes currently part of the Association. Only the members of these sports organisations and the staff of these research institutes are permitted to participate in sports meetings. Family members of the staff members of research institutes may also participate.

Sports organisations of research institutes or their employees, who are not part of ASCERI, may participate as guests in sports events at the discretion of the organiser. Their participation however takes place "out of competition" and they will not be considered in the evaluation."

A 9.2 Frequency of the Sports Meetings

Tournaments shall take place within a 3 year cycle.

A 9.3 Application for organising a Sports Event

A research institute wishing to organise one of the sports meetings listed in A 1 should present their candidature to the President or at the Annual Conference of ASCERI Delegates.

A 9.4 Organisation of Sports Meetings

The following list represents a guideline for the organisers of sports meetings and should be taken into account when commencing the organisation of the sports meeting:

• Name of the organising research institute
• Place and date, the first and the last day of the sports meeting
• Number of playing fields or places for the tournament
• Conditions of the sporting places
• Instructions of the composition of teams (number of participants per centre and per team, male, female or mixed) for sports with single competitions for the institute evaluation, if there are no regulations stipulated in the Vademecum
• Maximum number of participating teams or players
• Information on accommodation
• Registration fee
• Services included in the fee
• First and last day of registration
• Date of paying the pre-registration fee and the balance of the fee
• Cancellation policy (A 9.4.1)
• Arrangements for transporting the teams
• Information on the expected number of kilometres for the buses to the tournament places
• Fee for the bus driver
• Insurance of the participants
• Information about the tourist/leisure programme (if any) including dates, time, and costs
• Details of the programme for all participants
• Water to be provided for all sports

A 9.4.1 Cancellation policy

It is advised to establish a cancellation policy in order to safeguard the organising institute against financial losses which may be incurred due to cancellation by a participant when a financial commitment has been made on their part. This policy should be communicated in the official invitation.

The undernoted cancellation policy is intended as a guideline and may be adapted according to the requirements of the organising institute.

The charges apply to the registration fee and not to the hotel which will have its own cancellation policy.

• More than 60 days before the event: 30% of the total amount
• Between 59 and 30 days before the event: 50% of the total amount
• Between 29 and 14 days before the event: 75% of the total amount
• Less than 14 days or no presentation: 100% of the total amount

A 9.5 Oath of ASCERI

At all sports meetings the participants personally undertake to compete respectfully, fairly and in friendly competition with their opponents.

The oath is read by a participant, chosen by the organiser, immediately after the opening ceremony of the sports meeting.

Throughout our sports meetings we solemnly promise to show friendship and respect towards our opponents in accordance with our sporting and professional ethics. In honesty and sincerity we will serve our cause, understanding among nations.

A 9.6 Challenge Cups

A trophy (Challenge Cup) for exceptional performance may be awarded to an ASCERI research institute. A challenge cup becomes the property of the research institute if it is won either:

• 3 times in a row
• 5 times in total

Sports meeting	Challenge cup awared to:
Summer Atomiade/Summer Games	First ASCERI member in Atomiade evaluation
Winter Atomiade/Winter Games	First ASCERI member in Atomiade evaluation
Football tournament	First ASCERI member in tournament
Small field football tournament	First ASCERI member in tournament
Tennis tournament	First ASCERI member in tournament according to team evaluation rules

The current holders of the challenge cup are obliged to return the trophy to the sports meeting organisers on the occasion of the next similar tournament on time even if the holders of the trophy will not participate in the next tournament.

A 9.7 Mediation Panel

If during an ASCERI sports meeting violent conflicts occur between the participants within or outside the sports competitions, and the peaceful progress of the events can no longer be assured, a Mediation Panel will be appointed from the ranks of the Delegates. The organiser of the sports event is responsible for the selection. It includes:

• the President or his/her representative
• a representative of the organisation responsible for the sports meeting
• 3 assessors

Several countries should be represented in this committee.

The members of the Mediation Panel elect a Chairman. Decisions are passed by a simple majority.

In case of serious violation, especially disputes or violent acts between the different teams or delegations, the Mediation Panel has the mandate to identify the culprits and to take measures to ensure the uninterrupted progress of the sports meeting.

Such measures can include the disqualification of the respective team(s) or delegation(s) from the sports meeting.

In case of disqualification the participants concerned will not receive a refund of expense.

If a disqualification from further participation at the event is decided, the Mediation Panel states whether the disqualified team(s) or delegation(s) may participate in subsequent sports events.

The Chairman of the Mediation Panel must inform, in writing, the concerned team(s) or delegation(s), the ASCERI President and the organiser of the next sports event about the disqualification and any further measures.