|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
QUESTION TIME
Your chance to quiz British Cycling's Cycle Speedway Commission DISCIPLINARY RULES EXPLAINED posted 23 November 2012
2012 saw the introduction of a new set of disciplinary rules across the whole of British Cycling. At the recent Commission meeting, cycle speedway's representatives were asked for their feedback on how the process was working within our sport. Spokesman has spoken with Dr George Gilbert, chair of the Commission and coincidently also British Cycling's Disciplinary Officer, to see what the outcomes were. Here's what George had to say:
How did Wednesdays meeting go?
The meeting was really useful and its fantastic to be able to get direct feedback from the membership on what works and what doesn't. It was clear however that there was a lot of misinformation, rumour and speculation about how the disciplinary system worked that bore little relation to what actually happens in practice. The key outcome was to improve education on what the disciplinary processes are.
Can you give Spokesman a brief summary?
When the Disciplinary Officer receives a report of misconduct, they ask the British Cycling staff to investigate further to build up an initial picture of what happened from multiple sources. That is then passed back to the Disciplinary Officer to decide if the report is credible or not. It's important to stress that no judgement is made over guilt at this point, merely whether or not the allegation is credible. If it isn't, the case is either dropped, or more usually resolved through informal discussion with the parties as there's often some underlying grievance where getting people together and talking can help.
If there is a credible allegation of misconduct, then that is written up as a formal Disciplinary Complaint and, after discussion with British Cycling's legal and compliance teams, a Specified Sanction is suggested and sent to the accused individual or club. The Specified Sanction is merely an opportunity for the individual or club to admit liability early and take a fixed penalty rather than having to go through a formal hearing.
A bit like a parking ticket or speeding fine?
Yes, exactly. Again, it's important to stress that receiving notice of a Specified Sanction doesn't mean the individual or club is definitely guilty, it's just an early opportunity for them to admit guilt if they are. If they feel they are not guilty, or the Specified Sanction is not appropriate due to mitigating circumstances etc, then they should reject it and the case will proceed to a full formal investigation and a hearing.
What happens at the hearing?
To avoid one person being both the prosecutor and the judge/jury, hearings are handled by a completely different person - the Head of the Disciplinary Panel. They select a panel of three independent people and all the evidence is put before them. Tthat panel then makes a decision over guilt and, if found guilty, imposes a Sanction. If the accused is unhappy with that, then they also have the right to appeal that decision, and the Head of the Disciplinary Panel will convene another panel of three different independent people and they will look at the case again. In practice, if someone doesn't accept the allegations made against them, a minimum of nine, and often 15 to 20, different people will have reviewed the case before a sanction is imposed.
What were the Commissions views on how this process has worked in cycle speedway?
Concerns were raised over what constitutes a credible allegation and the investigation process prior to the initial Specified Sanction being issued. In particular, several members felt that reports from referees couldn't be relied on and members gave anecdotal evidence that perhaps some referees were writing reports in a way to cause riders from rival clubs to have disciplinary action taken against them, and some were failing to report misconduct to prevent disciplinary action being taken against other riders. This is obviously very concerning and needs to be addressed straight away.
Any other issues?
Concerns were also raised about the size of some sanctions and Commission members felt that some level of misconduct was to be expected in such an adrenaline fuelled contact sport as cycle speedway. I think we have to agree to disagree on this one as the whole point of the new Disciplinary Regulations is to ensure fair and consistent sanctions across all types of cycling. In the past there may have been different sanctions for particular acts of misconduct, but from 2012 onwards our disciplinary processes have been benchmarked against acknowledged best practice - comparing now with a time known to be inconsistent isn't a valid comparison. It's also worth pointing out that the sanctions for cycle speedway are quite light compared to other high intensity contact sports where, for example, assaulting a referee can result in an immediate life ban.
Talking of referees, I also think we need to do more to support them and this is an area we need to look at in more detail as a matter of urgency. Over the last year several referees have indicated that they are on the verge of quitting due to the increasing amount of abuse they are receiving from riders, team managers and supporters at matches. As volunteers they give up their time freely to help everyone else participate and enjoy their sport - as the National Governing Body, it is incumbent on us to provide a supporting environment in which they can operate and ensure the sport can grow and flourish.
Anything else you would like to add?
Obviously as a new process, British Cycling will continue to review and evaluate the Disciplinary Rules and processes to ensure that they are delivering objective results and that they are fit for purpose. No doubt they will evolve with the changing needs of our sport and feedback and suggestions are welcome at any time.
All comments should be sent to [email protected]
Final word
Thank you George for taking the time and trouble to explain the procedure. I am sure competitors and readers will find this invaluable and hopefully encourage clubs and individuals to behave more responsibly. Re-opening our Question Time page, we asked the Cycle Speedway Commission for its views on the Junior and Women's Academy. Here's what the Commission had to say: The Commission strongly support the principle of providing a platform for development of our best riders, but the poor attendance at previous academy sessions clearly signalled that they were not achieving their aims. The Commission therefore are now looking to hold Great Britain training camps throughout the year, both to help select and train teams for major events, and to improve the skills of our developing riders for future years. The first of these Great Britain training camps will be held on the 16th June in place of the planned Academy and will focus on the Europeans and starting to build a team for the 2013 World Championships in Australia. Anyone interested in being considered for selection for racing for Great Britain this summer or beyond should register their interest in attending by emailing British Cycling at . Further details on travel, transfers and accommodation costs for the Worlds will be available shortly after Easter. Editor's Note - Our thanks to Commission chairman George Gilbert for his co-operation and that of British Cycling staff and Commission members for making Question Time possible. Earlier in the year we published a special Question Time page which gave readers the opportunity to pose questions direct to the Cycle Speedway Commission. The feature attracted quite a bit of interest, in fact, too much interest!!! With the site rapidly reaching maximum capacity, we had to do some swift pruning to make room for more articles. Sadly Question Time was one of the casualties. Since we axed the page, several readers have asked for it to be resurrected, including Commission chairman George Gilbert who is particularly keen to bring transparency to the decision-making process. "The Commission is more than happy to answer any questions people have. As the sport undergoes a turbulent few months, it's more important than ever to have open communication so people can contribute to, and understand how and why, any decisions are taken" said George. So in response to readers' comments, we are pleased to announce the re-opening of Question Time. Would you like to know the Commission's views on grass roots development, its plans to improve cycle speedway facilities, its take on a two tier national league? If so why not drop us a line at |
 |
|
|
 |
|
