Register now! FREE sport dispute resolution workshops Feb. 10

One week to register! In partnership with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), viaSport is hosting two FREE sport dispute resolution workshops in Vancouver on February 10, 2016. 

Date/time: Wednesday, February 10, 2016

• 8:30 am – 9:30 am: Opening Plenary – Playing Fair in the Boardroom
• 9:30 am – 12:00 pm: Breakout sessions – Choose between one of the two sessions below. 

Location: Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, 1128 West Hastings St, Vancouver, BC
Cost: FREE!  
 

Opening Plenary: Playing Fair in the Boardroom (led by Patrice Brunet)

Many sports-related conflicts oppose a sport organization to one or several of its members (athletes, coaches, officials, etc.) They not only affect personal relationships, but they also unduly drain volunteers and drive them away from sport. Preventing conflicts and dealing with them properly when they arise is the key to a healthy sport organization. It is widely recognized that fair play on the field of play reduces conflicts between participants, coaches, officials and spectators. So the premise of the SDRCC’s Guide to Administrative Fair Play is that, in order to avoid or reduce the occurrence of conflicts at the organizational level, sport leaders must also apply fair play principles to their dealings in the office and in the boardroom.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:  

1. Main Causes of Disputes and Prevention Strategies (breakout workshop led by Marie-Claude Asselin) Using as backdrop the most popular SDRCC publication on the main causes of sports-related disputes and their prevention strategies, the participants will learn about some of the best management practices as they can be applied specifically to the context of sport. Rooted in good governance principles for not-for-profit and volunteer-driven organisations, these strategies can be applied in national/provincial sport federations as much as in local sport clubs. In this interactive session, through case-based scenarios and small group discussions inspired from real SDRCC appeals, the presenter will walk the participants through five common causes of sports-related disputes and present twelve simple and proven strategies to prevent them.
    
2. Reducing the Risks of Disputes Arising From the Selection Process (breakout workshop led by Jeffrey Palamar) The vast majority of sports-related disputes are about team selection. They often arise from competing interpretations of the existing selection criteria or the misapplication of a selection policy. Of course, selection processes that are not supported by a written policy are bound to cause even more confusion. The design of a sound, clear and thorough selection policy is at the heart of reducing the occurrence of sports-related disputes. But preparing and writing selection criteria is far from easy. In this interactive session, participants will learn a 4-step process in developing selection criteria as well as important considerations in carrying out a fair selection process. Special attention will be given to the necessary precautions around the use of subjective criteria in order to reduce the risk of disputes arising from the selection decisions.

Register here! Deadline to register is February 1, 2016

•  February 4 Update: We thank you for your interest but registration is now full.

Learn more about sport dispute resolution in BC by visiting BC’s Sport Dispute Prevention and Resolution Framework, created by viaSport in partnership with the SDRCC.