Bylaws
Bylaws to Article 3: Full, Associate and Provisional Members
1. Application for full membership
1.1 An application from a NDSF for full membership shall be submitted in writing using the form as set out in Appendix 1 and be lodged with the Chief Executive Officer. Such application shall be presented by the Chief Executive Officer after consultation with Legal Commission to the Executive Board for provisional approval, after which provisional membership may be granted.
1.2 An application for full membership shall be presented for definitive admission at the Congress.
1.3 Full membership is granted by a simple majority vote of Members present and entitled to vote at the Congress. Alternatively, provisional membership may be extended by the Congress for up to two (2) additional periods of two (2) years until the next Congress.
1.4 If full membership is not granted and provisional membership is not extended, provisional membership shall automatically expire.
2. Application for associate membership
2.1 Only one (1) IDSF per sport shall be admitted as an Associate Member.
2.2 An application from an IDSF for associate membership shall be submitted in writing using the form as set out in Appendix 2 and be lodged with the Chief Executive Officer. Such application shall be presented by the Chief Executive Officer after consultation with Legal Commission to the Executive Board for provisional approval, after which the IDSF may be granted provisional membership.
2.3 IDSF with provisional membership shall have a period of up to three (3) years to agree on a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Executive Board and to obtain definitive membership and recognition from the ISF for their respective sport.
2.4 Once the conditions set out in Bylaws 2.3 are met, an application for associate membership shall be presented for definitive admission at the next Congress.
2.5 Associate membership is granted by a simple majority vote of Members present and entitled to vote at the Congress. Alternatively, provisional membership may be extended by the Congress for up to two (2) additional periods of two (2) years until the next Congress.
2.6 If the associate membership is not granted and provisional membership is not extended, the provisional membership shall automatically expire.
Bylaws to Article 5: Regional Deaf Sports Confederation
3. Suspension of a Regional Confederation
3.1 The suspension of a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation may occur, solely on the request of the Executive Board, namely:
3.1.1 when a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation repeatedly fails to pay all outstanding fees, levies, and debts due to ICSD.
3.1.2 when a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation does not comply with all the obligations of membership as defined in the ICSD Constitution or other ICSD regulations.
3.2 Prior to any decision to suspend a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation, the Regional Deaf Sports Confederation shall have the right to be heard, either in person or in writing. A Regional Deaf Sports Confederation under suspension loses all other rights and privileges granted under ICSD Constitution and/or other ICSD Regulations.
3.3 A suspension of a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation requires a majority vote of the Congress of a three-quarter (3/4) of the Members present and eligible to vote.
3.4 Should the suspension of a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation initially exceed two (2) consecutive years, the Executive Board shall present a proposal to the next Congress in order to continue or discontinue the suspension. Continued suspension of a Regional Deaf Sports Confederation is confirmed by a simple majority vote of Members present and entitled to vote at the Congress.
3.5 A suspension shall be lifted as soon as the Executive Board determines that the Regional Deaf Sports Confederation complies with all its conditions and obligations under the ICSD Constitution and other ICSD regulations.
3.6 The Secretariat shall inform the Members of all suspensions and lifting of suspensions of Regional Deaf Sports Confederations.
Bylaws to Article 7: Congress of ICSD
4. Chairperson of the Congress
4.1 The Chairperson of the Congress shall be the ICSD President or her/his designate.
4.2 The Chairperson of the Congress shall declare the opening and closing of each meeting of the Congress and control the business of the Congress including granting the right to speak, ruling on points of order, putting proposals to the vote, and announcing decisions.
5. Agenda of the Ordinary and the Extraordinary Congress
5.1 The agenda shall be agreed with the adoption of its contents at the beginning of the meeting.
5.2 There shall not be any discussion of any proposal that is not on the agreed agenda unless there is a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Members present and entitled to vote in agreement of its addition to the agenda prior its adoption at the beginning of the meeting.
5.3 Proposals will be debated in the order in which they appear on the agenda.
6. Right to Speak at the Congress
6.1 The mover of the original proposal shall speak first at the start of the debate on the proposal.
6.2 All other Members shall have the right to speak once on each proposal except when they wish to raise a point of order or move an amendment to a proposal.
6.3 Only the mover of the original proposal shall have a right of reply at the conclusion of any debate and immediately before any vote.
7. Point of Order at the Congress
7.1 A point of order may arise when a delegate wishes to raise a possible breach of an article or some other aspect of the ICSD Constitution occurring during the business of the Congress.
7.2 A delegate may move a point of order, and the point of order shall be determined by the Congress Chairperson in accordance with the ICSD Constitution, Bylaws, codes, rules or regulations.
7.3 The Chairperson of the Congress may consult with the Legal Commission before ruling on a point of order. Rulings from the Congress Chairperson on a point of order shall be final.
8. Amendment to a Proposal at the Congress
8.1 Any Member in attendance at the Congress may suggest an amendment to the proposal under debate. The amended proposal shall be seconded by another Full or Associate Member in attendance at the Congress.
8.2 An amended proposal that is seconded will immediately be put to a vote by the Chairperson of the Congress.
8.3 An amended proposal approved by a simple majority vote shall immediately replace the original version of the proposal.
9. Voting on a Proposal at the Congress
9.1 The Congress Chairperson shall put each proposal to the vote immediately after the conclusion of the debate except when there is a lack of a quorum.
9.2 Voting shall be conducted by a show of cards given to the Members eligible to vote unless a simple majority of the Full Members present request a secret ballot or otherwise provided for in the ICSD Constitution or other ICSD regulations.
9.3 The following colors shall be used for a show of cards from the floor:Red Card: to show 'vote against' Green Card: to show 'vote for' Yellow Card: to show 'no vote' (abstention)
9.4 In the event of a tie, the ICSD President shall have the casting vote.
10. Scrutineers at the Congress
10.1 The Congress shall appoint (by a simple majority vote of Members present and entitled to vote at the Congress) scrutineers from among the assembly of the Congress for all business requiring voting.
10.2 Scrutineers must be non-voting observers at the Congress and citizens of a different country than the Congress Chairperson and the election candidates.
10.3 The scrutineers shall ensure that only eligible Members vote and that the number of votes cast does not exceed the number entitled to be cast.
10.4 The scrutineers shall count the votes and hand the result to the Chairperson of the Congress who shall announce the decision to the Congress.
11. Minutes of the Congress
11.1 The Secretariat shall prepare the minutes of the Congress.
11.2 The minutes shall be approved by the Congress Chairperson before it is released to Members.
11.3 The approved minutes shall be distributed to Members no later than four (4) months after the conclusion of the Congress.
11.4 The approved minutes shall be ratified by a simple majority vote of Members present and entitled to vote at the next Congress.
11.5 After its ratification by the next Congress, the minutes shall be uploaded on the ICSD website.
Bylaws to Article 8: Executive Board of ICSD
12. Nominations to the Executive Board
12.1 The Secretariat shall administer nominations to the Executive Board.
12.2 Six (6) months prior to the Congress to be held during the Summer Deaflympics, the Members shall be invited to nominate individuals to the Executive Board.
12.3 Nominations shall be made in writing with a letter of support from at least one (1) Full Member and shall include a summary of the nominated individual's education, professional history, job qualifications, a photocopy of their passport, a criminal background check, any supporting material such as resumes, certificates and references and a statement of up to two hundred (200) words describing their vision and goals for ICSD.
12.4 A nominated individual must be able to meet the requirements of the ICSD Code of Ethics.
12.5 Nominations shall state the position of the Executive Board the individual is nominated for and an individual can only be nominated for one (1) position.
12.6 Nominations shall be closed four (4) months prior to the Congress. The Legal Commission shall review each nomination to ensure it is compliant and that the nominated individual is eligible to stand for election.
12.7 Two months prior to the Congress, the eligible nominations and supporting materials shall be published and circulated to the Members.
13. Conduct of the Elections to the Executive Board
13.1 Elections to the Executive Board shall take place by secret ballot at the Congress in the following order:
1. ICSD President
2. Vice President - Sports
3. Vice President - Youth
4. Four (4) members-at-large
13.2 Prior to the commencement of the elections, a member of the Legal Commission shall be appointed as the Chairperson of the elections (the "Elections Chairperson") and shall be advised by another member of the Legal Commission.
13.3 For each position to be filled by election the Elections Chairperson shall introduce the candidates to the Congress and distribute ballot papers listing all candidates in alphabetical order by family name.
13.4 Each candidate shall be allowed to campaign for their election to the Executive Board up until the start of the Congress and to present their candidature for the Executive Board up to five (5) minutes during the election at the Congress.
13.5 Each Member shall vote by placing a suitable mark on the ballot paper alongside the name of the candidate they wish to elect.
13.6 Every ballot paper that in the opinion of the scrutineers sufficiently discloses the voter's intended choice shall be counted.
13.7 The scrutineers shall count the votes before handing the result to the Elections Chairperson, who shall announce the result to the Congress.
14. Election of the ICSD President
14.1 Members can only vote for one (1) candidate each in the election of the ICSD President.
14.2 If more than one (1) round of voting are necessary, the candidate(s) with the lowest number of votes will not stand for the next round of voting.
14.3 In the event of a tie in the final round of voting, there shall be up to two (2) additional rounds of voting to try and break the tie.
14.4 Should the tie remain after the additional rounds of voting, the election will be decided by the Elections Chairperson drawing one (1) of the tied candidates' names out of a hat.
15. Election of the Vice President - Sports
15.1 Members can only vote for one (1) candidate each in the election of the Vice President - Sports.
15.2 The candidate with the highest number of votes from one (1) round of voting will be declared the Vice President - Sports.
15.3 In the event of a tie, the election will be decided by the Elections Chairperson drawing one (1) of the tied candidates' names out of a hat.
16. Election of the Vice-President - Youth
16.1 Members can only vote for one (1) candidate each in the election of the Vice-President - Youth.
16.2 The candidate with the highest number of votes from one (1) round of voting will be declared the Vice President - Youth.
16.3 In the event of a tie, the election will be decided by the Elections Chairperson drawing one (1) of the tied candidates' names out of a hat.
17. Election of the members-at-large
17.1 Members can only vote for four (4) candidates each in the election of the members-at-large.
17.2 The four (4) candidates with the highest, second highest, third highest, and the fourth highest number of votes from one (1) round of voting will be declared the members-at-large.
17.3 In the event of any ties, the election will be decided by the Elections Chairperson drawing the appropriate number of tied candidates' names out of a hat.
18. Expenses of the Executive Board
18.1 Travel expenses to the annual Executive Board physical meeting for each Executive Board member, except for ICSD President, shall be the responsibility of his/her national deaf sports federation.
18.2 Each Executive Board member's travel, accommodation, and meal expenses to attend Deaflympics, or World Championships shall be the responsibility of the organizing committee for the duration of the event.
19. Minutes of the Executive Board Meetings
19.1 The Secretariat shall prepare the minutes of each Executive Board meeting within two (2) weeks of the meeting taking place.
19.2 The Executive Board shall have a period of up to two (2) weeks to amend and approve the meeting minutes.
19.3 A summary of the approved meeting minutes shall be distributed by e-mail or through the website of ICSD to Members within four (4) weeks of the meeting taking place.
Bylaws to Article 9: ICSD Sport Directors
20. Roles and responsibilities of the Sport Directors
20.1 The Sport Directors shall lead their respective sport in accordance with the ICSD vision, mission, objects, and goals and shall act in a professional and ethical manner at all times.
20.2 The Sport Directors shall report to the Vice President - Sports and shall provide support and advice to the Sports Commission and the Secretariat.
20.3 The Sport Directors shall oversee all aspects of competition organization, management and delivery for their sport and shall liaise with the local organizing committees with copy to the ICSD Secretariat.
20.4 The Sport Directors shall manage the relationship between ICSD and the ISF for their sport and keep abreast of all changes to the rules and regulations in the ISFs with copy to the ICSD Secretariat.
20.5 The Sport Directors shall maintain the ICSD sports regulations for their respective sport and approve world records where applicable with the ICSD Secretariat.
20.6 Sport Directors shall remain one (1) extra day after the conclusion of the Deaflympics or World Championships to prepare a technical report to the Executive Board.
20.7 The Sport Directors shall provide for their respective sport an electronic copy of a full list of participants, results, and world records where applicable no later than one (1) month after the conclusion of the Deaflympics or World Deaf Championships to the Secretariat.
21. Appointment of the Sport Director
21.1 The Secretariat shall administer applications to the Sport Director roles.
21.2 Vacant positions for the Sport Director roles shall be advertised and circulated to the Members after the conclusion of the Summer and Winter Deaflympics.
21.3 Applications shall be made in writing with a letter of support from at least one (1) Full or Associate Member and shall include a summary of the applicant's competition history, sports management experience, sports qualifications, a photocopy of their passport, a criminal background check, and any supporting material such as resumes, certificates and references.
21.4 A nominated individual must be able to meet the requirements of the ICSD Code of Ethics.
21.5 The Vice President - Sports shall review all applications, interview the applicants, and make recommendations to the Executive Board for their consideration and approval.
21.6 The new Sport Directors appointed for a term of four (4) years shall be announced three (3) months after the conclusion of the Summer or Winter Deaflympics.
22. Expenses of the Sport Directors
22. Each Sport Director's travel, accommodation, and meal expenses for site inspections for the Deaflympics or the World Championships shall be the responsibility of the organizing committee.
22. Each Sport Director's travel, accommodation, and meal expenses to the Deaflympics or the World Championships for the duration of the event shall be the responsibility of the organizing committee.
Bylaws to the Article 10.5: Ethics Commission
23. Nomination and conduct of the elections to the Ethics Commission
23.1 The Secretariat shall administer nominations to the Ethics Commission.
23.2 The Articles of the Bylaws on the nomination and the conduct of the election to the Executive Board are applicable by analogy to the Ethics Commission.
24. Election of the Ethics Commission members
24.1 Members shall vote for five (5) candidates each in the election of the Ethics Commission members.
24.2 The five (5) candidates with the highest, second highest, third highest, fourth highest, and fifth highest number of votes from one (1) round of voting will be declared the Ethics Commission members.
24.3 In the event of any ties, the election will be decided by the Elections Chairperson drawing the appropriate number of tied candidates' names out of a hat.
Bylaws to Article 10.4: Athletes Commission
25. Nomination to the Athletes Commission
25.1 The Secretariat shall administer nominations to the Athletes Commission.
25.2 Six (6) months prior to the Congress at the Summer Deaflympics, an invitation for Deaf Athletes to nominate for a position on the Athletes Commission shall be advertised and circulated to the Members.
26. Conduct of the Elections to the Athletes Commission
26.1 Elections to the Athletes Commission shall take place by secret ballot in voting booths provided at the Deaflympics Village and Headquarters for the duration of the Deaflympics.
26.2 Each Deaf Athlete shall vote by placing a suitable mark on the ballot paper alongside the name of the candidate they wish to elect.
26.3 Scrutineers shall ensure the only eligible Deaf Athletes vote and that the number of votes cast does not exceed the number entitled to be cast.
26.4 Each ballot paper that in the opinion of the scrutineers sufficiently discloses the voter's intended choice shall be counted.
26.5 The scrutineers shall count the votes in the presence of the Secretariat and hand the result to the ICSD President, who shall announce the result at the Deaflympics Closing Ceremony.
27. Election of the Athletes Commission Members
27.1 Deaf Athletes shall vote for four (4) candidates each, one (1) for each region, at the Summer Deaflympics and one (1) candidate each at the Winter Deaflympics in the election of the Athletes Commission members.
27.2 The candidates with the highest number of votes for each region at the Summer Deaflympics and overall at the Winter Deaflympics will be declared the Athletes Commission members.
27.3 In the event of any ties, the election will be decided by the ICSD President drawing the appropriate number of tied candidates' names out of a hat.
27.4 The elected Athlete Commission members shall elect the Chairperson from among the elected members for a term of four (4) years.
27.5 Vacancies on the Athletes Commission occurring for any reason may be filled by an ad interim member appointed by the Executive Board until the next election.
28. Election of the Chairperson of the Athletes Commission
28.1 At least six (6) weeks prior to the election session of the Chairperson of the Athletes Commission, the ICSD Secretariat shall circulate to the elected Athlete Commission members a nomination form.
28.2 Candidates for the position of the Chairperson shall return the completed form two (2) weeks prior to the election taking place.
28.3 The Executive Board shall formally confirm to the individual candidate receipt of the nomination.
28.4 The election session shall be chaired by the Chief Executive Officer or his/her designee.
28.5 Candidates shall have the right to present their motivation and intention.
28.6 Election shall take place by secret ballot.
28.7 The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected to the position of the Chairperson of the ICSD Athletes Commission.
28.8 In the event of a tie, the election will be decided by the Chief Executive Officer or his/her designee drawing one (1) of the tied candidates' names out of a hat.
Bylaws to Article 13: Finances
29. Membership Fees
29.1 Full and Associate Members shall pay an annual membership fee at an amount to be determined by the Congress.
29.2 If a federation is granted Full or Associate membership in the course of a business year, it shall pay a membership fee proportional to the remaining part of that year.
29.3 Annual membership fees shall be payable by 31 March of each calendar year. Where payments are made by bank transfer, then the Member shall pay any bank charges that are incurred by such a transaction.
29.4 Interest shall be payable for late payments after 31 March at a rate to be determined by the ICSD schedule of fees. The interest shall be calculated based on the original balance.
29.5 All other levies and fees shall be payable within sixty (60) days of their imposition.
Bylaws to Article 17: Amendments
30. Amendments to the Bylaws
30.1 Amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted to the Legal Commission by the Executive Board.
30.2 The Legal Commission shall consider the amendments to the Bylaws and make recommendations to the Executive Board.
30.3 The Executive Board shall consider and present the recommendations from the Legal Commission to the members at least six (6) months before the Congress.
Approved at the 48th Extraordinary ICSD Congress on 29 November 2021