Competition Arbitration forms part of the TREC GB Complaints Policy (Stage 3) where a concern or complaint arises as a consequence of a Club event, whether before, during or afterwards.

Where a person feels that a situation regarding a Summer Competition has not been resolved, they may request Competition Arbitration.

Please Note:

a) Championship events have their own Ground Jury (per TREC GB Rule 2.3) to deal with arbitration matters that occur during these. An issue concerning a Championship will be deemed ‘decided’ and will not be accepted for further Arbitration.

b) The questioning of style scores on individual PTV obstacles will not be accepted for Arbitration as “style” is always a subjective judgement.

c) All query procedures and timescales used by the competition must have been followed correctly by the competitor before an Arbitration request is made; if not done, any request will not be accepted.

d) The current TREC GB Rulebook (including any published updates to it), https://trecgb.com/rules/, will be used as the main point of reference for any Arbitration request

Arbitration Procedure

1. Complete the Arbitration Log (click here to download the form) and email to arbitration@trecgb.com. stating the issue, the actions that have already been taken, what you would like to happen, and why you feel that the decision should be changed. At the same time, the fee of £25 must be forwarded by BACS to TREC GB. No request will be actioned until both of these have been received.
2. A confirmation email will be sent to the person requesting Arbitration within 1 working day of receipt.
3. To be considered, the Arbitration request must be received within the following timescale:
4. By midnight on the Wednesday immediately following the competition or
5. Where, the matter concerns an organisational error (e.g. a change of PTV time limit after the competition has started), by midnight on the 8^th day after the competition ends.
6. The matter will initially be considered by a Trustee to determine whether it is:

• a. A genuine matter for Arbitration, in which case, is it simple or complex
• b. A simple matter that can be resolved by discussion with parties involved and corrected.
• c. A complex matter, which requires an Arbitration Panel to be formed.

7. Where an Arbitration Panel is formed, it will normally consist of 2 Trustees and 1 other experienced TD from the pool of TDs, qualified at a level relevant to the Arbitration request. The panel members chosen must not have been involved with the arbitration matter in any way.
8. Where the Arbitration matter includes a potential Safeguarding issue, the panel may be increased to four members, to include the addition of the TREC GB Designated Safeguarding Lead (or Deputy)
9. The Arbitration Panel will meet within 14 working days of receipt of the Arbitration request to discuss the matter and will agree a Panel Chair
10. The Arbitration Panel will seek information from relevant parties, including the person requesting Arbitration and other people involved, such as the competition’s organiser, the TD and Traceur, etc. and may hold conference call(s), as appropriate, with them to determine their view(s) of events.
11. The Arbitration Panel will aim to complete their investigation within 28 working days of receipt of the request, but where this timescale is not possible, will keep participants informed.
12. The Arbitration Panel will reconvene within 1 working day of completing their investigation and will make a decision based upon the facts given and all relevant TREC GB documents including the current TREC GB Rulebook (including any published updates to it), https://trecgb.com/rules/.
13. The Arbitration Panel will produce its report, circulating it to the relevant parties, followed by publishing it on the TREC GB website. When published on the TREC GB website, the name of the parties involved will not be included.
14. In all cases, if the Arbitration request is fully upheld, the fee will be refunded and the competition results, rosettes, prizes, league points and qualification etc. will be amended accordingly.
15. The Arbitration Panel’s report is final and the matter considered closed

It is hoped that competitors realise that sometimes mistakes do happen but, by correctly rectifying them, we will ensure a fair sport for all.

This procedure was reviewed on 17th May 2023