Policies and General Governing Rules

1.    The Saskatchewan Games will be open to Saskatchewan residents who are Canadian citizens or who have landed immigrant status for a minimum period of one year prior to the Games.

2.    Each District team will be comprised of eligible athletes whose Saskatchewan domicile or actual residence, for at least six months prior to the Games, was located within the recognized boundaries of the District they are representing.  In the event an athlete moves from one District to another less than six months prior to the start of the Games, a special request may be made to the Saskatchewan Games Council to determine eligibility.

3.    Students enrolled and attending secondary or post-secondary school on a full-time basis outside their District residence may elect to compete in a District play down in either their home District or academic resident District, but not both.

Students attending a secondary school outside of their home District must be enrolled in a minimum of 60% of the eligible credits to be considered a full-time student.

Students attending a post-secondary school outside of their home District must be enrolled in a minimum of the equivalent 3 full time classes per year to be considered a full-time student.

4.    First Nation athletes who reside and attend school in one District but are members of a First Nation in another District may elect to participate in either District, but not both.  If the athlete tries out for one District and is not selected to that team, the athlete is not permitted to try out for that sport in another District. 

5.    Athletes who have shared custody in a split marriage must participate in the District in which they currently attend school.  If an athlete is transferring schools to live with the other parent or guardian in another District in the year of the Games, then the school that the athlete previously attended will be the District they participate in. 

6.    Athletes residing outside Saskatchewan:

  Individual Sports:

Athletes residing at an address outside Saskatchewan are eligible to participate in the Saskatchewan Games if they meet the following conditions:

a)  They reside near the Saskatchewan boundary and attend school on a full-time basis in a recognized Saskatchewan education system;

b)  In the year of the Saskatchewan Games they must be a registered member of the appropriate Saskatchewan PSO and shall not be a member in another province;

c)  They are eligible for membership with a PSO in Saskatchewan.

  Team Sports:

If a team has members from outside the Province of Saskatchewan, the team will be eligible if these criteria are met:

a)  The majority of the team resides in Saskatchewan or attends school on a full-time basis in a Saskatchewan based education system, and the others live within reasonable commuting distance;

b)   n the year of the Saskatchewan Games they must be a registered member of the appropriate Saskatchewan PSO and are not a member in another province;

c)   They are eligible for membership with a PSO in Saskatchewan.

7.    District Team Eligibility

Sports using Club Team selection

When a team roster is comprised of athletes residing in different Districts, the following criteria will determine which District the team will represent:

a)  In the year of the Saskatchewan Games, the athlete must be a registered member of the appropriate Saskatchewan PSO;

b)  Where a team has members from two or more Districts and is registered in a sanctioned league, it will compete in the District where the majority of the players reside.  Teams in this position may have members living in adjacent Districts within reasonable commuting distance.

8.    The Games will only be open to amateur athletes recognized as such by the governing PSO.

9.    For each Games, an athlete may participate in one sport only in each half; however, an athlete may elect to try out for different sports in the District team selection process.  Upon acceptance of selection to a District team in that half of the Games, the athlete must remain with that team until the completion of the Games and is not eligible to try out for another sport.

10.  Coaches, managers and athletes may participate in more than one sport; however, they may only participate in one sport in each half of the Games.

11.  The age classification for participation in the Saskatchewan Games is based on the LTAD guidelines for each sport.  Recognizing the multi-sport environment that athletes are exposed to at the Games, each sport will consider the maturity level of the athlete when establishing its age classification.

12.  Eligibility of athletes for the Saskatchewan Games program must be clearly identified by the PSO in the sport technical package.

13.  Prior to the Games, the eligibility of any athlete not clearly established by these rules will be determined by the Saskatchewan Games Council.  During the Games, eligibility will be determined by the Games Jury.

14.  Coaches, managers and athletes of the District team must stay in the Athletes’ Village during the Games.

The Sport Fill Policy allows PSOs the opportunity to add additional competitors to a District team if at the conclusion of the District team selection process the District team is not able to field a full team.

The number of athletes competing will not exceed the maximum number of projected athletes from all Districts. 

Example: Cross Country Ski has a District team size of 12 athletes per District x 9 = 108 athletes - this would be the maximum number of athletes allowed at the Games for Cross Country Ski. 

The number of Districts eligible to participate will be based on Team North’s ability to field a team in each sport.  All financial costs are based on the maximum participation at the Games; therefore, additional costs for the fill athletes is not an issue. 

Criteria

1.      The sports inclusion to the sport calendar is based on maximum participation from each District.  Every effort must be made by the sport to ensure a full complement of LTAD appropriate athletes from each District.  A clear message will be communicated to the PSO that this policy does not abdicate their responsibility for developing sport in all Districts within the province.

2.      The replacement athlete must be fully eligible and have participated in a District play down or selection camp.  The selected fill athlete will become part of the District team (as determined by the athlete eligibility criteria) and will be included in all components of the team’s logistical support including transportation, uniforms, online registration etc.

3.      Fill athletes must adhere to the athlete eligibility policy in the Saskatchewan Games Handbook.

4.      The Fill selection procedures will differ from sport to sport and will need to be approved by the Saskatchewan Games Council.  Individual sports will be requested to submit their intent to participate in the Fill policy within the timelines noted in the sport technical package.

5.      The Saskatchewan Games Council will encourage the use of the Fill policy for all individual sports in the Saskatchewan Games program.  The council will work with each sport to determine their policies and procedures.

6.      Joe Griffith and Flag points will only be awarded to individual who have initially made the District team.  Fill athletes will be eligible to compete for medals, but their results will not be included in Flag points or Joe Griffith award calculations.

7.      Fill athletes who compete in individual sports which have a team component within the competition schedule, will be eligible to receive medals; however, the points accumulated for that individual will not be counted.

8.      If a District team for a sport exceeds the designated team size by more than 50% due to the addition of Fill athletes, a request for additional coaches and/or managers will be considered.  The Saskatchewan Games Council must approve the addition of coaches/managers.

9.      Team sports will not be included in the Fill policy.  Future discussions and the development of a Team Sport Fill policy may occur should the need arise.

10.   To maintain the integrity of the competition, PSOs must ensure a logical and transparent process is used to select Fill athletes and that these athletes are within the appropriate stage of athlete development (Train to Train or higher).

11.   Fill athletes must pay the appropriate athlete registration fee.

District Walkout Uniforms

1.  The Saskatchewan Games Council, in consultation with the Districts, will select an appropriate District walkout uniform for the District teams.  District walkout uniforms must follow the District colours as outlined below.

Changes to the colours must be approved by the Saskatchewan Games Council no later than 12 months prior to the beginning of the Games.

District Team Base Colour             

Team Lakeland Kelly Green

Team North Teal Blue 

Team Parkland Valley   Royal Blue

Team Prairie Central Charcoal Grey

Team Regina Purple

Team Rivers West Navy Blue 

Team Saskatoon Red 

Team South East Forest Green

Team South West Gold

2.  Markings on the District walkout uniforms will include the District name (e.g., Team North), the host community logo, and the Saskatchewan Lotteries logo as well as sponsor markings as approved by the Saskatchewan Games Council.

3.  The total surface area of Saskatchewan Lotteries and sponsor markings combined will not exceed 100cm².  The maximum surface area for a single marking will not exceed 50cm².

Competition Uniforms

1.  The PSO is responsible for coordinating and providing the District competition uniforms.

2.  The sport competition uniforms must adhere to the District colours and be of a consistent style and quality for all Districts.

3.  Markings on the competition uniforms may include: the manufacturer’s mark or trademark logo, the PSO and District marks and the Saskatchewan Games logo but cannot include any sponsor markings.

4.  The maximum surface area for a single marking will not exceed 50cm². 

Restrictions

1.  The names or logos of individual sport clubs are not permitted on the competitive or walkout uniforms.

2.  Individual (athlete/coach) names are not permitted on the competitive or walkout uniforms.

Purpose

To advise and support the Saskatchewan Games Council on issues impacting District team development and participation in the Saskatchewan Games.

Function

This will be a forum to discuss and deal with issues relating to the roles and responsibilities of the Games partners, District sport development in conjunction with the PSOs and District teams participating in the Saskatchewan Games.

The group will discuss and make decisions as they relate to the District teams, such as team walkout uniforms and transportation, participation fees, souvenirs and Saskatchewan Games promotions. 

Members

·     Staff of the Saskatchewan Games Council including the Executive Director, Provincial Games Consultant, and Games Services and Communications Lead

·     One representative from each District - preferably the person responsible for the Saskatchewan Games program and someone that can make decisions for the District as it relates to the Saskatchewan Games

·     Sask Sport Consultant (if available)

·     The Host General Manager and other guests as deemed appropriate by the Advisory Team

Time Commitment

Face to face or video conference meetings will be held 1 or 2 times annually depending on the Games cycle. 

Video conference meetings will be held monthly starting 6 months prior to a Sask Games.  In the final month prior to a Games, these meetings will be held bi-weekly or weekly dependent on the information that needs to be shared and/or discussed.

All District team members must comply with the registration procedures as identified by the PSO in the sport technical package.

At least ninety (90) days prior to the opening of the Games, each PSO must complete an entry by numbers worksheet that indicates the number of competitors and team officials for each District.    The SGC will forward this information to the Host to assist with their planning.

At least fifteen (15) days prior to the opening of the Games, each District must submit a final list of the participants by sport to the Host.  This list cannot be changed except for illness, discipline or injury supported by a medical certificate.  All substitution requests must adhere to the deadlines identified on the Participant Substitution Form.

All coaches, assistant coaches, managers and District mission staff, including the Chef de Mission are required to complete a Criminal Record Check (CRC) and a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC).  The term “vulnerable persons” are persons who, because of their age, disability or other circumstances, whether temporary or permanent:

a)  are in a position of dependence on others; or

b)  are otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by persons in a position of authority or trust relative to them.

It will be the responsibility of the coach, or manager to submit the findings of their CRC and VSC to the appropriate PSO.  If either the CRC or the VSC are not passed, the coach, manager, or mission staff will be notified in writing and they will be ineligible for participation at the Saskatchewan Games. 

District Mission Staff must submit the findings of their CRC or VSC to the District office or Chef de Mission.

The PSO or District will provide the individual with a letter outlining their volunteer service.  This letter is required by the local police service or the RCMP to complete the check.

Fifteen days prior to the Saskatchewan Games, the PSO and Districts must provide proof to the Saskatchewan Games Council that a satisfactory CRC with VSC has been obtained by the persons listed above. 

Those individuals residing in provincial cities must request their CRC and VSC from their local police service or RCMP detachment.  Those living in rural Saskatchewan communities should contact their local RCMP detachment.

The CRC and VSC must be valid/dated within one (1) year of the start date of the Saskatchewan Games.