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The first-ever IWBF Players’ Commission Election will be held between 1 - 14 February 2022.
In April 2020 IWBF appointed an Athlete Steering Committee to actively lead and build the foundations to establish and institutionalise a common voice for wheelchair basketball players within IWBF’s governance structure. The Committee is currently made up of four players: Ella Sabljak (AUS), Erica Gavel (CAN), Terry Bywater (GBR), and Alhassan Sedky (EGY).
Over the past 18 months, following consultation with the wider international player community, the Committee has developed and drafted the “IWBF Players’ Commission Policy” which has been approved by the IWBF Executive Council. The policy will govern the first election, which is scheduled to take place remotely between 1 - 14 February 2022.
The first IWBF Players’ Commission will be composed of a total of eight players. The initial composition will be constructed of:
- the four Athlete Steering Committee members; and
- four additional players, who will be determined through the first-ever IWBF Players’ Commission election.
The Commission shall have equal gender representation amongst its membership, and a fair distribution of Zonal representatives. Meaning, a female and a male player representative from each Zone who must be from different countries (therefore candidates from countries already represented may not stand).
IWBF President, Ulf Mehrens, said:
“The creation of the Players’ Commission will be another milestone for IWBF and the sport of wheelchair basketball. I would like to thank the Athlete Steering Committee members: Erica Gavel, Ella Sabljak, Terry Bywater, and Alhassan Sedky for their tremendous work and time contribution to develop the concept and policy for the Players’ Commission. Only through these efforts are we now able to strengthen our federation structure and improve our governance with the important inclusion of the athletes’ voice.”
The IWBF Athlete Steering Committee added:
“It is with great excitement that we can announce the date for the first election and take the next steps into formalising the Players’ Commission. We look forward to adding another four members to our group and being able to gain a wider representation of the player community. We encourage all our fellow international players to register to vote as this is your chance to decide which players are representing you and your voice."
STANDING AS A CANDIDATE
Players who wish to stand as Candidates for election must be nominated via their National Federation by 10 JANUARY 2022 (DEADLINE EXTENDED). Candidates must:
- appear in the IWBF International Classification database
- have competed in an official IWBF Competition within the eight years prior to the election date
- be at least eighteen years old on the day of the election.
Who can vote & How to Register
Registration to vote is now open (in English) for any international players who have competed in an official IWBF Competition within the past four years (as an exception, due to the extended sporting cycle, for this first election, competition’s dating back to and including the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are included) and appear on the IWBF International Classification database.
Register to vote via the online platform by 28 January 2022. The registration form will also be available in Spanish, French and Arabic.
For further information on the eligibility criteria to stand as a candidate and to vote as well as the procedures associated with the election, please download the IWBF Players’ Commission Policy.
