- African Judo Union
- Panamerican Judo Confederation
- Judo Union of Asia
- European Judo Union
- Oceania Judo Union
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| OJU Statutes |
STATUTES AND RULES OF THE OCEANIA JUDO UNION INCORPORATED
– Definition– Structure – Affiliation And Membership – Aims – Eligibility Code – Headquarters, Official Language And Common Seal – Governing Bodies – The Congress – Extraordinary Congress – Executive – Appointed Officers – The President – Vice – Presidents – Secretary General – Treasurer – Technical Director – OJU Technical Commission – Union Y ear – Income And Expenditure – Regulations And By-Laws – Modification To The Statutes – Conflict Of Rules – Disciplinary Actions – Sporting Relations – International Competition – Judo Grades – Honorary Members – Technical Regulations – Applicable Law – Dissolution ARTICLE 1 – DEFINITION 1.1 The name of the society is The Oceania Judo Union Incorporated, hereinafter referred to as the OJU, whose members are affiliated official National Judo Federations. The OJU is non-profit, non-political and does not recognise the difference of race, religion or gender. The OJU recognises as Judo that which was created by Jigoro Kano and now exists as an Olympic sport. 1.2 All provisions of the OJU Statutes, By-Laws, Rules and other Rules, hereby, shall not be in conflict with the Olympic Charter or the Rules of the International Judo Federation and in the event of substantial conflict, then the rules of the IJF shall prevail. ARTICLE 2 – STRUCTURE 2.1 The OJU shall be composed of a minimum of four (4) affiliated National Federations, in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes of the International Judo Federation. ARTICLE 3 - AFFILIATION AND MEMBERSHIP 3.1 Each country in the Oceania region may be affiliated by only one National Judo Federation. If two or more Federations within a country claim representation, membership in the OJU will be given to that Federation which is recognised by its National Olympic Committee or by the highest sporting organisation of that country. Failing this, preference will be given to the Federation which is determined by the OJU as the most valid National Judo Federation. 3.2 Any National Judo Federation applying for membership in the OJU shall make written application to the OJU Secretary General, supplying all necessary documentation including rules, names of officers and other relevant qualifications including names of at least 20 members. The OJU Secretary General, on the approval of the President, will generally grant provisional membership, which shall be recognized until ratification of the provisional membership at the next OJU Congress. Such new members shall have all rights of membership but may not exercise a vote until the next Congress. 3.3 A "Country" shall mean an independent State recognized by the international community and which has a flag and a national anthem. 3.4 Affiliation to the OJU may be granted in the following case:- (a) Associate Membership. Associate Membership in the OJU may be granted in the case of a Territory which is a department of a country whose National Judo Federation is already a member of the International Judo Federation, through the offices of another Regional Union. Such Associate Membership, subject to the continuous payment of the annual fees prescribed by the OJU, shall entitle the Associate Member Federation to engage in all OJU activities but shall not include the right to vote as a member Federation. (b) Full Membership. Full Membership may be granted following satisfactory Provisional Membership. Full Membership carries with it the full right of participating in all activities of the OJU and the IJF, including participation in the World Championships and the Olympic Games, subject as always to the rules of those organisations. 3.5 Continued membership in the OJU is dependent upon the payment of duly prescribed fees and the observance of the Articles contained in the Statutes of the OJU and the Official Bylaws. 3.6 In the event the OJU is wound up, all National Federations which are members at that time and for one (1) year afterwards, agree to pay the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before they cease to be members, as well as the costs, charges and expenses of winding up. For the adjustment of the rights of the contributors among themselves, such amount as may be required must not exceed ten United States dollars (USD10.00). ARTICLE 4 – AIMS 4.1 Among others the OJU has the following aims:- (a) To promote cordial and friendly relations between its members and to supervise Judo activities in the Oceania region. (b) To protect the interests of Judo in the Oceania region. (c) To organise the Oceania Judo Championships at regular intervals and where possible every year, as well as such other international events deemed necessary. (d) To organise Judo throughout the Oceania region and to develop and spread the techniques and spirit of Judo. (e) To ensure the observance of the International regulations of Judo within the Oceania region. (f) To affiliate to, and support the International Judo Federation. ARTICLE 5 - ELIGIBILITY CODE 5.1 The OJU shall recognise and comply with the Eligibility Code of the International Judo Federation, as explained and set forth in the International Olympic regulations. ARTICLE 6 – HEADQUARTERS, OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AND COMMON SEAL 6.1 The official Headquarters of the OJU is situated in the country wherein the current President resides. 6.2 The OJU shall be incorporated in the country decided by the Executive and approved by the Congress. 6.3 The official language of the OJU is English. 6.4 Where possible and when necessary, official communications of the OJU shall be disseminated in English and French. 6.5 The Common Seal of the OJU shall be kept in the custody of the Secretary General, and shall be affixed to such official documents as are approved by the Executive. ARTICLE 7 - GOVERNING BODIES 7.1 The Governing Bodies of the Oceania Judo Union are:- (a) The Congress (b) The Executive ARTICLE 8 - THE CONGRESS 8.1 The Congress is the sovereign authority of the OJU. 8.2 The Congress will be held where possible every year, but at a minimum every second year. It shall be held in the place designated by the preceding Congress. In the event that the Congress does not designate the place of the next Congress, or that venue becomes impracticable, the new venue shall be designated by the Executive. Whenever possible, the Congress shall be convened in conjunction with the OJU Championships or other major OJU tournament. It shall always be taken into account that wherever possible there shall be an equitable rotation amongst the different member countries. 8.3 Congress elects the OJU Executive and approves or not their actions since the preceding Congress, and approves and modifies the Statutes and Regulations as necessary. 8.4 Congress decides upon membership application, proposals from member National Federations and deliberates on all other relevant matters appertaining to the activities of the OJU. 8.5 The Congress may consider only items which are included on the agenda unless a majority of members present vote to the contrary. At least eighteen (18) weeks before the date fixed for the Congress, the Secretary General shall invite the member National Federations to submit items for the agenda, including nominations for OJU office. Submissions and nominations must be received by the Secretary General at least eight (8) weeks before the date fixed for the Congress. 8.6 At least six (6) weeks before the date fixed for the Congress, the Secretary General shall send to the member Federations a full list of nominations received for OJU office and consolidated items for the agenda as received by him. In addition, he will send a copy of each OJU officer's report to Congress. 8.7 Each member Federation may send two (2) delegates to Congress, one of whom may vote in accordance with the voting rights determined by Congress. Both delegates shall have the right to move and second motions and to speak during the Congress. 8.8 Member Federations shall provide the delegates with proof of delegacy signed by the President of that Federation. Where the President himself is the delegate, proof of delegacy is unnecessary. The OJU Secretary General will be responsible prior to the opening of Congress for the examination of credentials and the verification of delegates. In the event of a difference of opinion, the matter shall be decided by the Congress before voting entitlements are announced. 8.9 Members of the Executive shall not, as such, have the right to vote, except however in their capacity as a voting delegate of a member Federation. 8.10 Congress shall be presided over by the President of the OJU, or in the absence of the President by one of the Vice Presidents to be nominated by the President or the Executive. During the election of the President or a no-confidence vote against the President, the President will surrender the chair to a member of the Executive appointed by the Executive as a Chairperson Pro-Tem to conduct the said election or no-confidence vote. In the case of elections for President, the newly elected President will immediately take over the chair after the election. If a no-confidence vote against the President is ratified, the Chairperson Pro-Tem will chair the Congress until it is closed, and thereafter an interim President will be appointed by the Executive in accordance with the provisions of Article 12.2. However, if the no- confidence vote is defeated, the President will resume the chair and will chair the Congress until it is closed. 8.11 The election of Executive officers shall be held in the following order: In the second year after the Olympic Games a) The President, b) Second Vice President c) Technical Director In the Congress of two years later d) First Vice President, e) Secretary General and f) Treasurer 8.12 Congress shall be declared officially open when a quorum of at least one half of the member Federations are present or represented. 8.13 All decisions by the Congress shall be made by majority vote, except as otherwise provided for in these Statutes. Voting shall be done generally by a show of hands or by a roll call. For elections and questions of a particular importance or delicacy or whenever one third of the voting delegates shall so demand, voting shall be by secret ballot. Voting in elections for the officers of the Executive shall be carried out by successive elimination of candidates receiving the least number of votes until only one(1) candidate remains or until one (1) candidate obtains more than fifty percent (50%) of the valid votes cast excluding abstentions. 8.14 All communications under this article shall be in writing and may be transmitted by electronic medium, which shall require confirmation by the recipient. In the event such confirmation is not received within one (1) week, the communication shall be sent again by regular mail and thereafter deemed received. ARTICLE 9 - EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS 9.1 If at least one third of the member Federations so request, or if the President or Executive consider it necessary, an Extra-ordinary Congress shall be convened by the President and/or the General Secretary at a place and time decided by the Executive. 9.2 The request must be conveyed in writing to the Secretary General and must contain the reason for the meeting. It may be delivered by hand, by mail or courier, or transmitted by electronic medium, and shall require confirmation of receipt by the Secretary General. 9.3 The extra-ordinary Congress must be held within three months of the date the request is received. The agenda for the meeting must indicate the reasons for the Congress and only those items on the agenda shall be discussed. 9.4 The discussions and decisions made at an Extra-ordinary Congress shall have equal dignity and validity with those made at an Ordinary Congress. In addition, the discussions and decisions made at an Extra-ordinary Congress must comply with the same conditions as those required for an Ordinary Congress. ARTICLE 10 – EXECUTIVE 10.1 10.1.1 10.1.2 10.1.3 10.1.4 10.2 The OJU Executive is composed of; (a) The President (b) The First Vice President (c) The Second Vice President (d) The Secretary General (e) The Treasurer (f) The Technical Director TheOlympicCommissioner(wherethenextOlympicGamesaretobeheldinthe Oceania Region) shall be an ex officio member with no voting rights. The OJU members of the IJF Commissions, the OJU Referee Director, the OJU Legal Advisor and the OJU Development Officer are ex officio non-voting members of the Executive and have the right to attend Executive meetings where no expense is incurred by the OJU. NationalPresidentsmayattendExecutivemeetingsattheirownexpenseonanexofficio basis and may enter the discussions but not have a voting right. NomembercountryoftheOJUistohavemorethantwoofficerswithvotingrightson the Executive. The members of the Executive shall hold office for at least four (4) years in the position to which they were elected by the Congress. At the expiry of their term of office, Executive members may offer themselves for re-election but must do so in writing to the Secretary General in compliance with the conditions set forth in Articles 8.5 and 8.14. 10.3 No person shall hold more than one elected post on the Executive 10.4 The election for the above four (4) year terms of office shall be separated by a two (2) year period as follows: 10.4.1 ThePresident,SecondVicePresidentandTechnicalDirectorhavingbeenelectedfora four year term of office at a Congress, the elections for the posts of the First Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer shall be held at the next ordinary session of the Congress of the OJU, which is held approximately two (2) years after the Congress at which the President, Second Vice President and Technical Director were elected. 10.4.2 Notwithstandingtheprovisionsofparagraph10.4.1,thetermofmembersofthe Executive of the OJU shall be automatically extended up to the time of the next Congress if the term expires before the meeting of such Congress. If because of a resignation, or for any other reason a post other than that of the President becomes vacant on the Executive, the Executive is authorized to co-opt a replacement member who shall serve until the next Congress, which will approve or not the co-option made by the Executive, and if so approved, the co-opted member shall complete the term of office for which the original member had been elected. 10.5 Nominations for any of the elected posts on the Executive must be sent to the OJU Secretary General in accordance with the requirements of Article 8 (paragraph 5). 10.6 As a general rule, the Executive shall meet at least once per year and particularly during the days preceding a Congress. A meeting of the Executive may however be convened by the President each time he judges it necessary, or on the request of a majority of the members of the Executive. 10.7 When for any reason whatsoever a meeting of the Executive cannot take place, necessary decisions may be taken following an exchange of letters, e-mail or other written means of communication which results in all parties retaining a written copy. 10.8 The Executive makes all decisions regarding the activities of the OJU between each Congress, and approves or not any urgent decisions taken by the President. 10.9 In order to be considered valid, any meeting of the Executive must include at least four voting members and be chaired by the President, or in the event of the President’s absence by one of the Vice Presidents to be nominated by the President or the Executive. 10.10 The Executive makes all its decisions by a simple majority. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote in addition to his normal vote. 10.11 All elected members of the Executive shall hold IJF recognised Black Belt Judo rank. ARTICLE 11 - APPOINTED OFFICERS 11.1 The Executive may appoint such officers as is required for posts in the OJU or the IJF. Such appointed officers shall not have voting rights by virtue of that appointment within the OJU, and their function is restricted to their specific appointed post. 11.2 The function, the accountability and the term of office of the appointed officers shall be defined by the Executive at the time the appointment is made. ARTICLE 12 - THE PRESIDENT 12.1 The President is elected by Congress. The President directs the OJU and represents it before third parties. The President is elected by a majority vote at the Congress of the OJU for a term of four (4) years and shall be eligible for re-election. 12.2 In the case of absence of the President by reason of resignation or for any other reason, the function of the Presidency shall be assumed by one of the Vice Presidents to be nominated by the Executive. The interim President shall serve until the next Congress where the Congress shall elect a new President in accordance with Article 10.4.1 and 10.4.2. The new President shall complete the term of office for which the original member had been elected. ARTICLE 13 - VICE PRESIDENTS 13.1 The two Vice Presidents shall be elected by the OJU Congress. 13.2 The Vice Presidents assist the President and represent the President whenever directed by the President or the Executive. ARTICLE 14 - SECRETARY GENERAL 14.1 The Secretary General is elected by Congress every four (4) years. The Secretary General concerns himself with the work of the secretariat and with relations with the member National Federations of the OJU, and with third parties as directed by the President, and is responsible for the official minutes of all meetings of the OJU. The Secretary General shall aid the President in the discharge of his duties and carry out his orders and the directions of the Executive and Congress. ARTICLE 15 – TREASURER 15.1 The Treasurer is elected by Congress by a majority vote every four (4) years. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the Treasury of the OJU and for keeping regular accounts. All expenses before being incurred should previously be authorised by the President or in the event of the President’s absence by two elected members of the Executive. The Treasurer shall render for the benefit of the Congress, a report on the financial situation of the OJU. 15.2 All income and expenses must be included in the budget. Annual budgets shall be prepared by the Treasurer and approved by the Executive in compliance with a 4-year guideline which shall be established and approved by the Congress. Any expense in excess of US$2,500, which is not included in the budget shall require prior authorization by the President, the Treasurer and one other voting Executive member. 15.3 For each Executive meeting the Treasurer shall provide an up to date written report of the current financial position of the OJU. ARTICLE 16 - TECHNICAL DIRECTOR 16.1 The Technical Director is elected by Congress by majority vote every four (4) years. The Technical Director is responsible for the technical and sporting activities of the OJU, including the OJU Technical Commission administration. The Technical Director shall render for the benefit of Congress, a report of all technical and sporting activities. ARTICLE 17 - OJU TECHNICAL COMMISSION 17.1 The OJU Technical Director is the chairperson of the OJU Technical Commission which comprises the IJF Sports, Refereeing and Education Commissioners, the OJU Refereeing Director and the OJU Coaching & Development Officer. The Commission is responsible for assisting the technical development within the OJU member National Federations. ARTICLE 18 - UNION YEAR 18.1 The OJU year shall run from January 1st until December 31st of each year. ARTICLE 19 - INCOME AND EXPENDITURE 19.1 The operating and administrative expenses of the OJU are covered by the resources provided by the annual dues of the member Federations, by donations, and by all remittances from other sources. 19.2 Each member Federation must pay each year to the OJU Treasurer by the 1st of March of that year the annual fees as fixed by the OJU Congress, and for those Federations to whom it is applicable, the current annual fees for the International Judo Federation. 19.3 The Executive may at its discretion, decide to pay member fees of the International Judo Federation and of the OJU. The decision will be made on a year-to-year basis and will be recorded as a transaction in the accounts for that year. 19.4 In any case where an OJU member Federation is not up to date with payments of their membership fee to the OJU, or where applicable the IJF, its participation in OJU or IJF activities will not be permitted, until paid in full. 19.5 Member National Federations shall pay to the OJU a percentage prescribed by the Congress, of the gross receipts of such events as the Oceania Judo Championships, Regional Games, International events and other such activities held under OJU auspices. 19.6 All income and expenditure of the OJU is processed through the OJU Treasurer, who shall be responsible for providing the Congress with a certified audited statement prepared by a duly qualified chartered and licensed accountant appointed by the Congress. Should Congress fail to appoint such an accountant, the OJU Executive shall make the appointment. 19.7 All fees and monies remitted by or to the OJU Treasurer shall be acknowledged by official receipts. 19.8 All the officers of the OJU, namely the Executive and any appointed officers will offer their services freely, however where possible their travel expenses, accommodation and living expenses will be assumed by the OJU in the case of all meetings or missions of an official nature, with the exception of meetings or missions for which expenses are assumed by another organisation. In the case of OJU Technical officials being required by the Executive to officiate at an OJU controlled event, their expenses shall be covered by the OJU in the same manner as that applicable to the OJU Executive. Expenses incurred by each National Federation's technical and administrative officials shall be assumed by their own respective National Federations. 19.9 All television, radio, film and photographic rights, as well as concession rights relating to the Oceania Judo Union Championships and of international matches are the exclusive property of the OJU. These rights may not be sold or negotiated without the written agreement of the OJU Executive, which may delegate its authority to negotiate the sale or utilisation of these rights, but which shall retain the sole responsibility for the final decision and for the utilisation of the income from the sale of the rights. 19.10 The four official cheque signatories for the OJU are the President, the Treasurer and the two Vice Presidents. All financial transactions must be authorised by at least two of the four signatories, of whom one must be either the President or the Treasurer. 19.11 The currency for financial statements is the US dollar. 19.12 In general, all financial activities of the OJU are governed by the OJU Finance and Accounting Procedures which are enacted by the OJU Executive and approved by the Congress. 19.13 For the purposes of audit and filing of the accounts with the Registrar of Incorporated Societies, the Executive are authorised to approve the final accounts for each year, in those years when there is no Congress. Such accounts must be approved by the next Congress. ARTICLE 20 - REGULATIONS AND BYLAWS 20.1 The OJU may enact through the decision of Congress such regulations or Bylaws deemed necessary for the application of these statutes and the general administration of the OJU. When the Congress is not in session, and in cases of urgency, the Executive may enact provisional regulations by a two-thirds majority which however must be approved at the next Congress by a simple majority. Such regulations enacted provisionally shall be binding on all members of the OJU until the next Congress ARTICLE 21 - MODIFICATION TO THE STATUTES 21.1 For situations which are not covered in these Statutes, the Executive may take action provided that such action does not conflict with the IJF Statutes and By-Laws. Such action must then be submitted for approval to the next Congress. 21.2 Proposals for modifications to the Statutes may be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Article 8 by the member federations or by the Executive. 21.3 Modifications to the Statutes must be approved by a minimum of a two-thirds majority of the Congress and become effective upon the completion of the Congress, unless otherwise decided by a two-thirds majority of the Congress. ARTICLE 22 - CONFLICT OF RULES 22.1 Should the rules of any member Federation of the OJU conflict with those of the OJU or the IJF, the OJU or IJF rule shall take precedence and be binding. 22.2 Should the rules of the OJU conflict with those of the IJF, the IJF rule shall take precedence and be binding. ARTICLE 23 - DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS 23.1 The OJU Congress or the OJU Executive may take disciplinary action against any person, club or National Federation for any action which is considered to be, or likely to be, prejudicial to the interests, objects or rules of the OJU. Disciplinary action may take the form of fines, suspension or expulsion and requires a two-thirds majority vote of the Congress or Executive. Any disciplinary action taken by the OJU Executive will be effective immediately but must be confirmed by the following Congress. The person, club or National Federation subject to such action shall have the right to present their case at the Congress at which the disciplinary action is considered. 23.2 Member Federations failing to pay subscription fees before the 1st of March of each year shall be automatically suspended from all international activity until they pay what they owe in full. Member Federations in arrears for a period of more than two (2) years shall be automatically expelled from the OJU and shall not be re-admitted at any time until they pay what they owe in full. Member Federations in arrears at the time of Congress shall not be permitted to take part in the meeting. ARTICLE 24 - SPORTING RELATIONS 24.1 No OJU member is allowed to have sporting relations with non-IJF members or with members who have been suspended for arrears of payment or disciplinary reasons. Non compliance with this rule will entail immediate suspension and a report shall be prepared for Congress pending disciplinary action by the Congress. Member Federations of the OJU shall furthermore forbid their members to have contact with non-affiliated judo organisations, organisations lapsed in fees or suspended for any other reasons, or organisations not recognised by the parent National Judo Federation. In the case of a country which has no judo organisation affiliated to the OJU, assistance can be given by OJU members if the organisation has the ultimate intention to join the OJU and the IJF and such assistance is approved by the OJU Executive or Congress. ARTICLE 25 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 25.1 International competition between Member National Federations of the OJU shall be approved by the President of the OJU or the Secretary General in writing at least 30 days prior to such competition. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and is subject to appeal to the Executive, whose decision shall be final. ARTICLE 26 - JUDO GRADES 26.1 The award and recognition of Judo grade within the OJU shall be in full accord with the rules of the Oceania Judo Union and the International Judo Federation. 26.2 In accordance with the IJF rules, the OJU may appoint a Dan Commission to advise and regulate the award of IJF Dan grade diplomas and licences. This Dan Commission shall be responsible to the OJU Executive through the OJU Technical Director. 26.3 The OJU and the IJF recognise only those grades which are awarded officially by the member National Federation to their own licenced members, to the exclusion of all others. A Federation may not give a grade to a licenced member of another Federation without the written consent of that Federation. Any grade given contrary to this Article will not be recognised by the OJU or the IJF. ARTICLE 27 - HONORARY MEMBERS 27.1 The Congress may bestow the title of Honorary President or Honorary Member to personalities who have been, or will be of service to the OJU. Nominations for such posts shall be presented to the Congress by the Executive. Honorary Presidents or Honorary Members shall have the right, as such, to attend Congresses and other activities of the OJU. ARTICLE 28 - TECHNICAL REGULATIONS 28.1 The Technical Regulations, the Accounting and Finance Procedures and any other regulations as defined by the Congress of the OJU shall be shown as By-Laws to the OJU Statutes, and shall be read in conjunction with those Statutes. ARTICLE 29 – APPLICABLE LAW 29.1 These Articles shall be interpreted and governed by the laws of the country in which the OJU is incorporated, namely New Zealand. 29.2 The only country and jurisdiction for the hearing of any dispute and/or difference arising between the OJU and any person out of any decision made by the Congress or Executive of the OJU is in New Zealand pursuant to any rights and remedies available in New Zealand. For the benefit of doubt, the applicable law for any dispute and/or difference arising from any such decision is the law of New Zealand. ARTICLE 30 - DISSOLUTION 30.1 The OJU may be dissolved only by a two thirds majority vote of all of its members, at an Extraordinary Congress called for the purpose. Upon dissolution, the assets of the OJU shall be distributed equally to the member National Federations, or by a majority decision of Congress to another judo organisation with the same aims and objects as the OJU. |
