OSO General Rules
Policy A-001 Ohio Senior Olympics General Rules and Regulations
Policy A-003 Ohio Senior Olympics Protest & Grievance Policy
General Rules
Who Can Compete in the Ohio State Games
The Ohio Senior Olympic State Games are open to all athletes who are age 50 and over in the year of competition. Ohio welcomes both athletes who live in the state and those who live outside of the state at its State Games.
The State Games do not have qualifying criteria to compete. Athletes are encouraged, but not required, to participate in one of Ohio's regional competitions prior to competing in the State Games.
General Rules
See Policy A-001 below to view the General Rules that govern any Ohio regional or state event.
Sport Rules
The Ohio Senior Olympic State Games follows the sport rules as set forth by the National Senior Games Association. The State Games makes every effort to follow the format and facility requirements as described by the NSGA. Any alteration to a sport by the State Games is described in that year's registration material.
Athlete Code of Conduct
Ohio Senior Olympics expects that all athletes will conduct themselves in an appropriate and sportsman-like manner while competing in regional and state competitions.
To make certain that all athletes comply with the expectations, the Board of Ohio Senior Olympics approved an Athlete Code of Conduct that provides information about appropriate behavior and the consequences for behavior that does not meet standards established in the policy.
Athletes are expected to read the Athlete Code of Conduct BEFORE their competition to ensure each understands our expectations before, during and after competition. See Policy A-001 below to view the Athlete Code of Conduct.
Protest and Grievance Policy
The Board of Ohio Senior Olympics approved a Protest and Grievance Policy that went into effect October 2019. The policy outlines the procedure for an event protest where athletes may dispute the results of their competition during the state games. Additionally, the policy outlines a grievance procedure where athletes may file a grievance about OSO operations or interpretations of OSO rules or policies. The OSO Board takes grievances seriously but to ensure fairness, grievances that don’t comply with the policy may be rejected.
Policy A-001 Ohio Senior Olympics General Rules and Regulations
1. A person must be 50 years of age or older by December 31 of the year of competition in order to participate in the Ohio Senior Olympics State Games. Proof of age must be available at event to confirm in which age group an individual will compete, or if questions should arise. Contestants participating in the wrong age group will be disqualified. Age divisions are based on five (5) year increments (50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90-94, 95-99 and 100+) for individual, doubles and mixed doubles competitive events. For team sports, the age divisions are 50+, 55+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 75+, and 80+ in 3-on-3 basketball only. The OSO Board, in consultation with the Event Director or designee, may adjust age groups when determined necessary to benefit the games. For example, the Event Director or designee may choose to use the age groups for Master’s Swimming at the state games.
2. For individual events, a participant’s age as of December 31 of the year of competition determines the age category in which they will compete at the state games. Age division for participation in doubles and mixed doubles events is determined by the age of the younger athlete as of December 31 of the year of competition. Age division for competition in team events is determined by the age of the youngest team member as of December 31 of the year of competition.
3. Senior Olympics officials reserve the right to combine age divisions for competition purposes if fewer than three (3) participants are registered in an age group in an event. If there is only one individual entered in an age group during a competition in which athletes may qualify for national competition, that athlete MUST compete in their chosen event in order to qualify for the National Senior Games. In this case, the athlete may be asked to compete against an individual in another age group. Awards will be presented to participants based on their official age groups. A participant must complete an event to be eligible for an award or medal.
4. The top three places in each age group will be awarded medals or ribbons in the event in which they are participating, regardless of which state they represent. Additional recognition beyond medals for the top three places is at the discretion of the event organizers (i.e. trophies, ribbons, etc.).
5. Participating athletes that wish to protest or appeal something specific to an event or competition shall follow the procedure outlined in Policy A-003 Ohio Senior Olympics Protest & Grievance Policy
6. In every event, the safety of each participant, spectator, official, and all other persons involved in the presentation of these games is of paramount concern. Games coordinators have the right to postpone, delay or cancel an event if safety concerns are present.
7. Participants acting in a non-sportsman-like manner may be ejected from the event in which they are participating, and may be removed from the entire Senior Olympic Games. Any violation of the OSO Policy A-02 Ohio Senior Olympics Athlete Code of Conduct is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and is grounds for disqualification. Any participant striking an official, scorekeeper, or any other contestants will be disqualified from the Senior Olympic Games. Athletes are expected to read and adhere to the Ohio Senior Olympics Athlete Code of Conduct adopted by the Board of Trustees. The OSO Board will ensure the Athlete Code of Conduct is readily available on the OSO website at www.ohio.nsga.com.
8. The OSO Event Director, in consultation with the OSO Board, reserves the right to cancel, limit or expand any or all event(s) or competition for any reason including inclement weather or insufficient registration. All attempts will be made to re-schedule in the event of inclement weather. The OSO Event Director and OSO Board shall determine the which events will be included in any OSO competition. The decision of the Board and Event Director are final.
9. Team clothing must be of like design and color. Team shirts must be numbered.
10. The Ohio Senior Olympics State Games are open to both Ohio residents and non-residents of the state. As an open state, during a state games in which participants may qualify for competition at the National Senior Games, out-of-state residents do not take away a qualifying spot from an Ohio resident. Ohio will qualify the number of state residents specified for an event in addition to out-of-state qualifiers.
11. All doubles teams made up of one in-state and one out-of-state athlete will be designated as an Out-of-state team, to comply with National Senior Games Association rules.
12. Teams are subject to the number of players specified in the current rules for the National Senior Games. 1
3. For all sports that are a part of the National Senior Games menu of sports, Ohio Senior Olympics follows the rules for competition established by the National Senior Games Association.
Effective date 6/1/2012
Revised 5/21/2016
Revised 10/11/19
Policy A-003 Ohio Senior Olympics Protest & Grievance Policy
Event Protest
Any athlete who desires to make a protest with regard to any event of a sport competition run by Ohio Senior Olympics shall make such protest to the Event Director of the competition in question or their designee. All protests must be written and submitted to the Event Director or their designee within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the game, match, heat, or event under protest. Protest forms will be available at each venue. The Event Director or their designee will evaluate the protest and render a decision. All decisions by the Event Director are final and not subject to further appeal.
Grievance
Athletes wishing to file a grievance about OSO operations or interpretations of OSO rules or policies may file said grievance by submitting an email through the OSO website at ohiosrolympics@gmail.com. The grievance must include the following information:
• Email subject line shall state “grievance.”
• Name, address, phone, and email for the participating athlete submitting the grievance.
• A clear summary outlining the grievance and the policy or rule of which the participating athlete is alleging violation.
• A clear description of the impact the alleged violation has on the participating athlete.
• A statement outlining the participating athlete’s desired outcome of the grievance (e.g. change in policy). A grievance missing any of the required information may be rejected. All grievances must be submitted within 30 days of the alleged problem or violation or awareness by the participating athlete. The OSO Board President shall appoint an Investigating Board Member (IBM) to handle all grievances. The President will make every effort to identify a board member with experience in conflict resolution to fulfill the role. The IBM may serve in that role as long as they are willing or until the President chooses to appoint a new board member to serve as IBM.
The IBM shall perform due diligence in reviewing, investigating, and responding to all grievances including, but not limited to, the following:
• Review the grievance to ensure all required information was provided.
• Confirm, via email, that the grievance has been received and is under review. Include a timeframe for expected determination which shall be within 30 days unless more time is required such as when a policy change is suggested that requires review and vote of the full board.
• Investigate and attempt to verify the allegations outlined in the letter. In the absence of an allegation of policy, procedure or rule violation, the IBM shall determine the problem, the scope and root cause, and potential solutions as determined appropriate to the situation.
• Determine the feasibility of the desired outcome of the participating athlete’s grievance, the impact on athletes, and the impact on the OSO organization.
The IBM’s primary role is to support the OSO organization, it’s policies, and the athletes it serves. If the IBM’s determination is clearly supported by OSO policies or established rules, the IBM shall send a written response to the grievant clearly outlining the final determination and supporting regulations. The response shall include that the determination is final and there is no further appeal.
If the grievant is suggesting a change in rule or policy and the IBM determines it to be a necessary and value-added change, the IBM shall present a proposal at the subsequent board meeting and, as appropriate, the full board shall vote on the IBM’s recommendation. The IBM shall communicate the outcome to the grievant via email.
The IBM shall document their process and correspondence related to all grievances and shall update the board on grievances at board meetings, as appropriate.
Board members shall not discuss grievances with participating athletes. When approached by a participating athlete, the OSO Board shall support this policy and procedure by redirecting participating athletes to follow the established process (i.e. during an event submit a written protest on established form within established timeframe and for non-event issues, email their grievance via the OSO website for review and response by the IBM. Any board member retrieving emails that include a grievance shall forward the grievance to the IBM.
Should the grievance be against a specific board member, the IBM shall notify the Board President and include them in correspondence with the grievant. If the grievance is against the Board President, the IBM shall notify the Board Vice President and include them in correspondence with the grievant.
Effective October 11, 2019