Statutes

B.1.  General

1.1 Membership shall not be granted to individuals and shall only be granted to organizations governed by management structures elected according to their own Statutes/Constitution and which fall within one of the classifications mentioned in B.2 through B.5 of this chapter.

1.2 The IFCS has the following membership categories:

               1.2.1      Founding Members

               1.2.2      Full Member

               1.2.3      Founding or Full Member on Probation

               1.2.4      Associate Member

               1.2.5      Associate Member on Probation

               1.2.6      Provisional Member

               1.2.7      International Federation – Single Cynological Sport

1.3 Through-out this Constitution, reference to Voting Members shall include both Founding Members (Section 1.2.1) and Full Members (Section 1.2.2).

1.4 Only Voting Members whose subscriptions are fully paid up and are otherwise in good standing at the times of the particular vote or assembly and who are not on probation have the right to vote. 

1.5 It takes a 2/3 majority vote from the ranks of both the Voting Members and the individual vote of each Council Member for a new membership application to be approved as a Voting Member.  All other membership classifications are approved by the IFCS Council with no requirement to seek approval from the Voting Members.  Refer to Rules B.3.4 and B.3.5.

1.6 Any Voting Member whose subscription is not fully paid up or is not otherwise in good standing at the time of the particular vote or assembly shall not have any vote on that vote or at that assembly or any right to speak except by invitation upon concurrence of any two of the President, Secretary-General or Chairperson.

1.8 Only individual representatives/persons nominated by a Voting Member, may be a member of the IFCS Council. A Voting Member may only nominate one individual person from their National Organization to go in the ballot at the General Assembly for election of one or more Council Members.

1.9 Each individual person on the IFCS Council has an independent vote at a General Assembly.  Further, each Voting Member also has one (1) vote at a General Assembly.

               1.9.1      For example: if there are 6 Council Members and 10 Voting Members then any motion put forward at a General Assembly would have potentially 16 Votes.

               1.9.2      At all times there must be at least one (1) more vote from a Voting Member then there is from the Council Members.

B.2.  Member Categories

2.1 Founding Members.

These members are organizations and national federations that have been deemed to by the founding members of the IFCS, who have been long time active financial members with the IFCS and which are independent (self-governing) in all respects concerning cynological sports, which have aims and objectives declared to be and agreed by the Council as being beneficial to the aims and objectives of the IFCS, and which seek to promote international interest in cynological sports and related activities that will foster the safety of the competitors and animals involved and have a primary emphasis on the sporting and athletic ability of the human.  Through-out this Constitution, reference to Voting Members will include Founding members.  The following organizations and national federations have automatic status as a Founding Member at the time this Constitution becomes effective:

• The association incorporated under the laws of the United States of America "United Stated Dog Agility Association (USDAA)", with registered seat at 720 F Avenue, Suite 103, Plano, TX 75074, USA;
• The association incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands "Federatie Hondensport Nederland (FHN)" with registered seat at Teunisbloem 27, 5071RB Udenhout, the Netherlands and registered in the Chamber of Commerce under the number 41121021;
• The non profit organisation "Kynologische maatschappij Vrienden Onder Een", with registered seat at 8770 Ingelmunster, Bollewerpstraat 119, with company number 0410.965.244;

2.2 Voting Members.

These members are organizations and national Federations which are independent (self-governing) in all respects concerning cynological sports, which have aims and objectives declared to be and agreed by the Council as being beneficial to the aims and objectives of the IFCS, and which seek to promote international interest in more than one cynological sport and their related activities, and that will foster the safety of the competitors and animals involved and have a primary emphasis on the sporting and athletic ability of the human.  Throughout this document the term "Voting Member" is automatically to imply to both Founding Members and Full Members.  Voting Members each get one (1) vote at a general Assembly (unless placed on probation).

               2.2.1 The IFCS Council by majority vote may decide to place a new Voting Member on "probation" for the first two (2) years of membership or at such other time for a stipulated period of time at which the Voting Member shall be found to be in violation of this Constitution, for which their membership has lapsed by more than 180 days due to failure to make payment of dues, or for extended review of their representations and credentials on their membership application.  While on probation a Voting Member shall not have voting rights.

               2.2.2 National Federations Organizations (generally known as National Federations or National Organizations) which are open to participation without prejudice and represent the majority of individuals within a country who practice cynological sports, respecting the IFCS eligibility rule (A.5 above) and which hold regular competitions at a national level may be granted Voting Membership.

               2.2.3 Only one National Organization or National Federation per country shall be accepted as a Voting Member of the IFCS. 

               2.2.4 Once a National Federation or National Organization has been granted Voting Membership for that country, no other National Organization or National Federation from within the country may apply and/or be granted Voting Membership, unless such National Federation or National Organization is removed as a Voting Member or placed under probation as permitted herein.

2.3  Associate Members.

National Groups, Organizations or Associations sympathizing with cynological sports and that have a nation-wide presence in a single activity or sport in their country may be granted Associate Membership by the Council, provided said Groups or Associations have aims and objects declared to be and agreed by the Council as being beneficial to the aims and objectives of the IFCS.  Associate Membership is generally given to National organizations within a country that manage and govern a single cynological sport.  Associate Membership may not be granted to individuals. The IFCS Council may decide to place a new Associate Member on "probation" for the first two (2) years of membership or at such other time for a stipulated period of time at which the Associate Member shall be found to be in violation of this Constitution, or for which their membership has lapsed by more than 180 days due to failure to make payment of dues. 

               2.3.1 Associate Membership has no voting rights and may not have a representative on Council.  However, the IFCS Council may convene Committees and Sub-Committees from time to time and may accept representatives from Associate Members.

               2.3.2 The presence of an Associate Member in any one country does not preclude another Organization or Group from that country applying for Associate Membership for a cynological (dog) sport that is different to that controlled by an Associate member already present in that Country.

               2.3.3 The presence of two or more Associate Members in one country would normally be cause to encourage them to work together and form a single National Federation for that country that could then apply for Voting Membership. 

               2.3.4 Further, the presence of one or more Associate Members in any one country does not preclude an existing National Federation (already governing several dog sports) from apply for Voting Membership. 

2.3.5 Notwithstanding, the IFCS will give weight to the size and current activities, history and length of IFCS membership of the standing member of a country when considering more than one application from the same country. 

               2.3.6 For any IFCS approved World Championship for an individual approved cynological sport, any one country may only ever have one team from one organization to represent the country in question.

2.4 Provisional Members.

Cynological sports organizations which apply for membership but do not meet the requirements of a Voting Member or Associate Member may be approved for Provisional Membership by the Council.  Further, a Voting Member or an Associate Member may be placed on probation in accordance with this Constitution.

               2.4.1 All Provisional Memberships shall be reviewed at least once in every two years by the Council with a view to recommending that a Provisional Member be moved to another membership category, being Voting Member or Associate Member, or granting continuing Provisional Memberships, or canceling the Members application, thereby removing the member from the Membership list.

               2.4.2 All Associate Members or Voting Members "On-Probation" shall be reviewed at least once in every two years by the Council with a view to lifting the probation.

               2.4.3 Each deliberation by the Council with regards to removal of probation or the removal of Provisional Membership must be on a case by case basis.  Any improvement and growth by the Member that can been seen and measured will influence the decision of the IFCS Council.

               2.4.4 Provisional Members, including Voting Members and Associate Members that are on probation have no voting rights and may not have a representative hold a position on Council.

               2.4.5 IFCS Council may convene Committees and Sub-Committees from time to time, and may accept representatives from Provisional Members and/or from Voting Members and Associate Members that are on probation.

2.5 International Federation – Single Cynological Sport.

The IFCS Council may with a 2/3 vote accept membership of an International Federation that manages and controls a single cynological dog sport and has National Membership from two (2) or more Nations.

               2.5.1 This membership category will usually be given one (1) vote and treated the same as a Voting Member.

               2.5.2 Notwithstanding 2.5.1 above, with a 2/3 vote by the Council, a Member deemed to be an International Federation – Single Cynological Sport, that has been granted Membership, may be placed on "probation" by the Council, giving them no right to vote, but still allowing a voice at a General Assembly Meeting.

               2.5.3 If a Member is deemed to be an International Federation – Single Cynological Sport and is not on "Probation", then an individual person from that Federation may nominate and be elected as a Council Member.

2.6 Other International Federations Other International Federations are those international organizations identified by the Council that may offer unique and special advantage to the IFCS and our aims and goals. The IFCS does not have a membership category or permit membership of International Federations.  However, the IFCS may enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or similar with other International Federations from time to time for mutual benefit.

               2.6.1      International Federations for the purpose of this Constitution are deemed to be international organizations with two or more National organizations under their umbrella and which have a similar structure and goals to the IFCS.

B.3. New Members

3.1 Signed applications for membership which include the Application Form, along with a Declaration of acceptance of IFCS Constitution shall be submitted to the IFCS Secretary-General, together with the following documentation, in English:

               3.1.1 A copy of the documents (Statutes, Constitution, By-Laws) which state the purposes and/or objectives and shall serve as evidence of the legal existence of their organization.

               3.1.2 The number of cynological (dog) sports managed under the applicant's umbrella. c) A copy of the applicant's competition rules and procedures for each sport it manages.

               3.1.3 The names, titles, e-mail addresses, addresses and telephone numbers of at least three key executives of the organization, which must include the Secretary and President. e) A list of sanctioned, license and/or produced events by the organization for the prior three years, including the host city, nature of the event (i.e., single sport, multi-sport, etc.), geographic scope (i.e., local, regional national, or international) and number of sportsmen and women competing. 

               3.1.4 The number of individual members of the organization (if any).

               3.1.5 The number of sub-organization (if any) and their names.

3.2  Investigations as to the bona fides of any applicant organization shall be conducted by the IFCS Council.

3.3 Applicants for membership shall, if so requested, prove to the satisfaction of the IFCS Council that the activity which they control does not conflict with or is not in rivalry with an already existing Member of the IFCS.

3.4 The Council is responsible to manage applications for new membership.

3.5 Only current Voting Members of the IFCS and the individual vote of each Council Member may, with a 2/3 majority, approve membership into the Voting Members classification.  The Council will manage the processing of the application and the vote.  Voting may be carried out by email.

3.6 For Associate and Provisional Membership applications, membership approval is granted by a 2/3 majority vote of the Council, with no need to take the vote to the Voting Members.

B.4. Global Regions

4.1 The IFCS recognize the following six (6) Regions around the globe:

               4.1.1 Europe, including Russia;

               4.1.2 North America, including Bermuda, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean;

               4.1.3 South America

               4.1.4 Africa;

               4.1.5 Asia, including Japan;

               4.1.6 Oceania; including Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia and Micronesia.

C.1. The General Assembly

1.1  The supreme governing body of the IFCS is the General Assembly, which all Members have a right to attend.

1.2  The General Assembly shall convene from time to time when decided by the Council, but at least once in every one (1) year period.

1.3 The General Assembly may convene in a face to face manner in a single location or by any other electronic manner as deemed suitable by the Council and approved within this Constitution.

1.4  The General Assembly shall have the right, subject to this Constitution and any By-laws appertaining thereto, to do all things relevant to the objectives of and approved by and on behalf of the IFCS.

1.5  The President shall normally preside over every meeting of the General Assembly.

               1.5.1 If the President is absent or unwilling to preside, then the Vice President or Secretary-General shall preside over the meeting.

C.2.  Extraordinary General Assembly

2.1 At the request from a majority vote of the Council or upon receipt by the Secretary-General of a written request from at least 1/3 of the votes of the Voting Members, an Extraordinary General Assembly may be convened. The Extraordinary General Assembly shall take place within 90 days after receipt of the request from the Council or from the Voting Members by the Secretary-General. A minimum of 60 days for notification shall be given to the Members by mail and/or by e-mail.

2.2 Extraordinary General Assemblies shall be conducted according to the same provisions that apply for General Assemblies, including by electronic means, unless otherwise expressly provided for or evident from the context of the particular Extraordinary General Assembly.

2.3 The notification shall include the details of the reasons for convening the Extraordinary General Assembly. No business other than that specified in the notification shall be conducted at such Extraordinary General Assembly.

C.3. Delegates

A Delegate is a single representative from a Voting Member who may attend any meeting of the General Assembly with the right to speak and make motions at any General Assembly including an Extraordinary General Assembly.  For meetings held electronically, the right to speak may include the written word.

3.1 Each General Assembly requires a nominated Delegate from each Voting Member.

               3.1.1 Each Delegate from a Voting Member is allowed one (1) vote for a motion or  motions put forward at a General Assembly.

3.2 All Delegates other than the president, chairperson, secretary/secretary-general or a director of the Voting Member shall send to the IFCS Secretary-General (if time permits) but in any case must bring with them a letter of authority from their national organization which is signed by the president, chairperson, secretary/secretary-general or a director of their national organization.

3.3 A IFCS Council Member shall not act as a Delegate for their Voting Member.

3.4  At a General Assembly the Delegate from each Voting Member is allowed one (1) Vote and each member of the IFCS Council is also allowed one (1) vote.

3.4.1 It is possible that for any one motion put forward for a vote at a General Assembly, that the Council Member representing a Voting Member and the Delegate for a Voting Member may have opposing votes.

C.4. Observers

4.1  Any organization which has applied for or is considering applying for Membership in IFCS may be given the status of "Observer" at a General Assembly meeting by the Council. This status shall not carry any right to speak except upon the invitation of the President or Chairperson of the Assembly.

4.2 Observer status may, for just cause, be granted to other organizations or individuals.

4.3 Observer status may be granted to any individual who is not present in any other official category.

4.4  Observer status will normally be granted for not more than one General Assembly unless the Council finds there are extenuating circumstances and authorizes as extension of such status.

4.5 The IFCS will make no charge or fee to any organization for its participation in the General Assembly as an Observer, unless specific costs necessitated by the presence of the Observer are to be a charge for reimbursement.

4.6 A Voting Member may also have Observers present at an IFCS General Assembly, and there is no limit on their numbers, unless space limitations are specified, in which case the Council shall establish limits that shall be equitably applied to all nations.  However, only the nominated Delegate as per C.3 can vote and put forward a motion or have the right to speak.

C.5. Calling Notice

5.1 At least 60 days before the starting date of the General Assembly, the IFCS Council shall send a formal calling notice of the meeting to all Members. The notice must state if the General Assembly is a face to face assembly at a physical location, or if it will be an assembly carried out using an electronic medium, including but not limited to email, skype and/or video conference. The notice shall contain a request for any items which any Member may wish to have included on the agenda, to be sent to the IFCS President or Secretary-General at least 45 days before the meeting. The postage dates are valid as is email timestamps.

5.2 At least 30 days before the General Assembly meets, the IFCS President or Secretary-General shall circulate the agenda as prepared by the Council and including any items referred to in Article C.6.5 of this Constitution.

5.3 Any proposals for subsequent amendment of the agenda must be sent in writing to the IFCS President or Secretary-General at least 20 days before the meeting, and should eventually be approved of by the General Assembly.

5.4 Together with the Agenda, the IFCS Secretary-General or Secretariat of the Council shall circulate details of any membership application for Voting Members and Associate Members and a brief description of and results of any investigations made by or on behalf of the Council. Objections to or reservations held regarding such membership application must be communicated immediately to the IFCS President or Secretary-General together with the reasons for such objection or reservation.

5.5 The calling notice and all subsequent correspondence between the IFCS Council and the members can be sent by electronic mail to the Members e-mail addresses.

5.6 The voting and approval of acceptance by Voting Members of new applications for Voting Membership may be conducted by electronic means, including email.  In such case the Voting Members must be given at least 30 days to respond and vote. 5.7  For a General Assembly that is held using electronic medium, such as skype, email, video conference and any other accepted modern electronic medium, the vote may also be cast and collected in an acceptable and appropriate electronic medium.

C.6.  Program and Agenda

6.1 Annual meetings of the IFCS that are held in a face to face format in one location shall be so arranged that they would normally take one day and as a maximum, shall not exceed two full working days.

6.2  All items requiring a decision to be made by the IFCS shall be in writing.

6.3 No resolution shall be discussed in the absence of a Delegate able to speak on the resolution on behalf of the proposing Member if so required.

6.4  No resolution (proposition, proposal, etc.) shall be accepted from the floor, other than formal ones relating to adjournment or that the vote now been taken.

6.5 Papers/documents for information, discussion, or decision shall not be read to the General Assembly, unless they have first been circulated or distributed among the Members at least 15 days prior to the meeting. The author may then elaborate on any points he/she believes necessary by permission of the IFCS President or the Chairperson. The paper/document may then be discussed and the author questioned by the Delegates during such period of time as the President shall, subject to the overriding authority of the General Assembly, so decide.

C.7. Votes

7.1  The Delegate for a Voting Member shall each be granted one (1) vote at the General Assembly. Further, each member of the IFCS Council shall each be granted one (1) vote at the General Assembly.

7.2 Participants are all those citizens/members of the Voting Members and other categories of membership that may be present at the General Assembly.  Participants in attendance have no vote.

7.3 Only the nominated Delegate from a Voting Member can vote for the Voting Member.

C.8. Voting at Assembly Meetings

8.1. All Voting Members and Council Members shall have one (1) vote as described in Section C.7.

8.2 At all times there must be at least one more Voting Member than there is Council Members voting.

8.3 The Chairperson that is presiding over the meeting shall have a casting vote in event of a tie.

8.4 Associate and Provisional Members and Members on probation shall have no votes, but shall have the right to be recognized.

8.5 Voting shall be by a show of hands, unless two or more Voting Members and/or Council Members should request a secret ballot or the President/Chairperson requires a secret ballot, or as otherwise provided in this Constitution. For meetings held using an electronic medium, voting will be accepted by email, skype, video conference and other formats as approved from time to time, from the President, Vice President, Secretary or nominated and previously approved delegate of the Voting Member.

8.6 Votes may be cast by Proxy under the following conditions:

               8.6.1 The Voting Member and Council Members voting by Proxy shall provide signed and dated authorization to the Chairperson of the meeting in session stating that the named person may vote on behalf of that Voting Member or Council Member at that specific meeting on either one or more of the agenda items, or on all proposals which are to be voted on.

               8.6.2 Voting Member Proxies shall be in writing and signed by two officers of the Voting Members Board or Governing Committee. Proxies for an absent IFCS Council Member must be in writing and signed by the IFCS Council Member in question.

               8.6.3 The item or items to be voted on are proposed in essentially the same content as contained in the Agenda.

8.7 The voting majorities required are:

               8.7.1  For resolutions of recommendation to the Members, suspensions and expulsions, changes in the Constitution, dissolution, declarations of principle: 2/3 or more of the votes present and voting in favor (from both the Voting Members and Council Members).

               8.7.2 For a point of order, for an election, for regulations, policies or amendments, and for competition rules, event regulations and procedures: more than 50% of the votes present and voting in favor (from both the Voting Members and Council Members).

C.9. Voting Between Assembly Meetings

9.1 Voting may be conducted between Assembly meetings by Voting Members on proposals sent to them by the Council only in accordance with procedures set forth in this Constitution.

9.2  The Council vote shall be at least 50% in favor of submitting the proposal to Voting Members.

9.3 The vote by each Voting Member, shall be by mail, fax or e-mail and other approved electronic media in use from time to time and must be submitted by the President, Chairperson or Secretary/Secretary-General of that Member's home organization.

9.4 Voting majority requirements for approval are the same as for Assembly meetings as set forth in Section 8.7 of this Constitution and will require a vote from both the Voting Members and the Council Members.

C.10. Elections

10.1 Voting for elections shall always be by secret ballot whenever there is more than one candidate for the post being elected. A secret vote shall also take place if requested by at least two Voting Members, or two Council Members, even if there is only one nomination for the office to be filled.

10.2 An election is effective with an absolute majority. If there are more than two nominees for an office, and no one obtains a majority, there shall be subsequent rounds of voting. The nominee with the least number of votes from the previous round shall be excluded from the next round, until a nominee has achieved an absolute majority.

10.3 For the first elections following adoption of this Constitution, the Council will among themselves select three (3) Council Members who presently serve, and these three (3) individual persons will automatically be deemed to be elected onto the Council for a period of three (3) full calendar years following adoption of this new Constitution. 

C.11. Quorums

11.1  The quorum for general business of the General Assembly shall be 50% of the votes of Voting Members in good financial standing in payment of dues and at least three (3) members of the IFCS Council.

11.2 The quorum for business entailing changes to this Constitution, and any By-laws appertaining thereto, or the dissolution of the Federation shall be 2/3 of the votes of the Council Members and paid-up Voting Members present at the meeting.

11.3 The quorum for email votes shall be the total of email submissions of ballots, but in any case shall not be less than 50% of the number of Voting Members.

11.4 If a quorum is not obtained at a General Assembly ("Non Quorum General Assembly"), the Council shall choose between calling for a new General Assembly meeting or proceeding by mail vote as per C.9 above.

               11.4.1 Where the Council calls for a new General Assembly meeting, said meeting will take place within 90 days of the Non Quorum General Assembly. The Council will liaise with the Voting Members as to the place and date for the new General Assembly before making its decision. The place and date for the new General Assembly shall be determined within 30 days of the Non Quorum General Assembly and new calling notice must be forwarded to all Voting Members within 15 days after determination of the new General Assembly. No quorum will be required for the new General Assembly to determine the issues stated on the agenda of the Non Quorum General Assembly. In order for any issues to be determined that were not on the original agenda, a quorum as set out in Articles C.11.1 and C.11.2 is required.

               11.4.2 During the period between the Non Quorum General Assembly meeting and the new General Assembly meeting, the status quo shall apply, unless such status quo shall be determined by the Council to be detrimental to the survival of IFCS or otherwise cause severe harm. A decision of the Council shall prevail until the new General Assembly meeting can be held.

11.5 In cases where opportunities for the benefit of IFCS arise and are of a time sensitive nature that may require a vote, a Quorum of Council members may take action upon 2/3 majority vote to pursue such opportunities until such actions may be ratified or overturned at a meeting with a Quorum of the General Assembly.

D.1. General

The Council shall consist of between three (3) and nine (9) individual/natural persons whom are all delegates of Voting Members in good standing with the IFCS.   The number of Council Members from time to time will be determined by the number of Voting Members in good financial standing registered with the IFCS as per the following:

• Up to five (5) Voting Members: three (3) Council Members;
• Six (6) to fifteen (15) Voting Members: five (5) to seven (7) Council Members; and
• More than Fifteen (15) Voting Members: five (5) to nine (9) Council Members.

The Council must ensure their numbers are less than the number of Voting Members at the time of Council elections.

Within the constraints of the above number of Council Members, it is the Council who will from time to time decide on the number of positions they will open for election at a General Assembly.

The General Assembly shall vote for Council Members only.  Once the Council Members have been elected, then the members of the Council will elect among themselves a President, Vice President, Secretary-General and if required a Treasurer.

The President and the members of the Board of Directors may be dismissed by the General Assembly at any time. The General Assembly shall decide on this matter by a simple majority of the Members present or represented. Any member of the Board of Directors may resign after written notification to the Board of Directors. A Director must continue to exercise his mandate after his resignation has been submitted until his replacement can reasonably be provided for, except when the minimum number of Directors is maintained.

The Council has the ability among its members to choose who among them will hold the position of President, Vice President, Secretary-General and if required, the optional position of Treasurer.  These positions will be determined by a majority vote of Council Members and may change from time to time, as decided by the Council Members.

The position of Treasurer is optional as decided by the Council, depending on if the accounts and duties of a Treasure are being carried out by the Secretary-General, and/or a paid Secretariat.  If the decision is to have no Treasurer, then that position will become a "Council Member", to maintain the required persons on Council.

The Council may at their discretion and approval of funding from the General Assembly employ a paid Secretariat of one or more individuals who would be responsible for day to day office duties as directed by the President and may include assisting the Secretary-General and ensuring the responsibilities of the Treasurer are carried out.

As a minimum the three (3) Council positions required will be:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary-General

Note: In such case the duties of Treasurer will be carried out by the Vice President or Secretary-General, or by a Secretariat.

1.2 The maximum make-up of the Council would be nine (9) as set below:

• President
• At least one Vice President
• Secretary-General
• Treasurer or Council Member (depending on if Treasurer duties are carried out by the Secretary-General or by a Secretariat).
• Up to six Council Members "At-Large" to accomplish the number of Council members contemplated in this Constitution.

1.3 The Council Members shall be elected as Council Members (no specific position) by the Voting Members and Council Members present or represented at the General Assembly.

               1.3.1 To provide continuity, experience and corporate knowledge, for the first election under this constitution, the Council will put forward three (3) members from the IFCS Council (prior to elections).

                         1.3.1.2  The three (3) Council Members put forward will be automatically deemed to be members of the IFCS Council after the election for a period of three (3) years.

                          1.3.1.3  It will be the internal responsibility of the IFCS Council prior to the first elections under this Constitution, to among themselves decide on the three (3) names to be put forward for automatic placement on the IFCS Council after the first elections under this Constitution.

                          1.3.1.4  The ability for the IFCS Council to act as per 1.3.1 above is only a once-off event for the first elections under this Constitution and cannot be repeated.

                           1.3.1.5  When the ballot of nominees for election of IFCS Council Members is produced, the names of the three (3) Council Members is to be included with a notation that they are automatically elected for a period of 3 years.

                            1.3.1.6  The three (3) persons that automatically transfer from the Council prior to elections to the new Council after elections, does not carry over their previous position from the previous Council.  After the election of the new Council for the first time under this Constitution, all positions will be open and the Council will among themselves vote for a President, Vice President and Secretary-General.

               1.3.2 At all times the IFCS Council must consist of individuals that represent at least three (3) different Regions, as defined at B.4.1.

               1.3.3 All Council Members shall have a term of office of six (6) years and there is no restriction to prevent re-election every six (6) years.

                           1.3.3.1 The exception being the very first election under this Constitution, 50% of the positions, including the 3 Council Members from the previous Council (prior to first elections), are only voted in for a period of three (3) years.

               1.3.4 The IFCS Council should try to plan and operate in a fashion that allows the staggered retirement of Council Member to maintain experience and corporate knowledge without considerable loss at one time.

                1.3.5 The three (3) IFCS Council Members at time of change over from the previous Statutes to this current Constitution now in force will be automatically elected to the Council for a period of three (3) years. After 3 years they will need to be re-elected as per the election process detailed within this Constitution.

                 1.3.6 The election of IFCS Council Member positions shall take place during a General Assembly.

                              1.3.6.1  After the election of one or more Council Members, the Council shall decide among themselves within 15 days, who is holding the various positions of President, Vice President, Secretary-General and the optional position of Treasurer and shall minute such decisions and advise the Members of which individual members of Council hold the various positions.

                  1.3.7 In case of the election voting of two Council Member ending in a tie between the two highest polling candidates:

                          1.3.7.1 If there were more than two candidates who received votes, then the Voting Members shall all vote again but only in respect of the two tied candidates;

                         1.3.7.2 If there is still a tie after the procedure in clause 1.3.7 above or there were only two candidates who received votes, then the simple majority of a vote of the Council shall have the deciding vote.  In a case of a tie of the Council, the President shall have a casting vote.

1.4 IFCS Council Members shall each have one (1) vote and the Delegate for their Voting Member shall each have one (1) vote.

1.5 Votes may be cast by Proxy at IFCS Council meetings under the following conditions:

                1.5.1 The Council Member voting by Proxy shall provide signed and dated authorization to the Chairperson of the meeting in session stating that the named Council Member may vote on behalf of that Council Member at that specific meeting on either one or more of the Agenda Items or on all proposals which are to be voted on.

                 1.5.2 Proxy votes shall be recorded as votes by the Council Member with the annotation that it was a Proxy vote.

1.6 The IFCS Council may use volunteer staff and/or paid staff and any combination of the two to assistance them with secretarial, finance, marketing and Internet & web responsibilities of the IFCS. In such case these staff members (paid or volunteers) will individually or collectively be referred to as the "Secretariat".

                1.6.1 If the IFCS Council wishes to pay wages to staff and use full-time or part-time staff to fulfill the duties of the "Secretariat", then such funding and wages must   be approved by a majority vote of the Council.

D.2. The Roles of Council Officers

2.1 Role of the President — The President shall normally preside over all Council meetings and the General Assembly. In addition, the President:

               2.1.1 represents IFCS in the relations with juridical and physical persons, in the court and arbitration court, government bodies and local, regional, national and international authorities;

               2.1.2 in concert with the Secretary-General maybe responsible for the disposal of the property and assets of the IFCS within the limits approved by the Council; opens various kinds of the FEDERATION'S accounts in the banks;

                2.1.3 in concert with the Secretary-General and/or Treasurer, may be responsible for the set up and management of IFCS bank accounts;

               2.1.4 in concert with the Secretary-General, may be responsible for the hire and/or discharges of employees of the Council, including any Secretariat, and the determination of their duties and wages;

               2.1.5 gives letters of attorney, promulgates orders and instructions within the limits of his/her competence and authority, concludes agreements and contracts (including labor contracts);

               2.1.6 approves internal office regulations, relating to staff and procedures;

               2.1.7 commits other actions concerned with the current management of the IFCS, which are granted by the Assembly and the Council;

               2.1.8 delegates authority and responsibilities to the Secretary-General, Treasurer and/or Secretariat as necessary to effect timely execution of duties and affairs of the IFCS.

2.2 Role of the Vice President — The Vice President shall execute functions as determined by the Council and the President, including, but not limited to:

                2.2.1 represent the IFCS in the relations with government bodies and local authorities, various organizations and institutions;

                2.2.2 in the absence of the President, fulfill such duties as assigned by the President or as required by this Constitution.

2.3 Role of the Secretary-General — The Secretary-General works in concert with the President in carrying out the operations of the Council and the implementing the decisions of the Membership Assembly.

In conjunction therewith, the Secretary General:

               2.3.1 directs the Council staff to implement the decisions of the Congresses, Council and President; represents the IFCS in its relations with government bodies and local authorities, with various organizations and institutions on the base of the letter of attorney given by the President;

               2.3.2 exercises the right of the first signature on the financial documents on the decision of the President.

               2.3.3 oversee the responsibilities of a Treasurer, should the Council not consist of a Treasurer, and the duties of a Treasurer have been delegated to the Secretary-General and/or a Secretariat.

2.4 Role of the Treasurer — The Treasurer is an optional position that maybe held at the discretion of the Council from time to time.  The Council is to ensure the following roles and responsibilities of a Treasurer are carried out by a Treasurer, or the Secretary-General and/or the Secretariat:

               2.4.1 maintain the books and financial records of the IFCS;

               2.4.2 administration and billings for membership dues;

               2.4.3 administration and accounting for grants, charitable contributions and bequests;

               2.4.4 managing investments and lending transactions;

                2.4.5 preparation of annual accounts of records and reports;

                2.4.6 handling of legal affairs not otherwise under the purview of the President.

D.3. The Council's Authority

3.1 The Council shall, between meetings of the General Assembly and subject to the authority of the General Assembly and this Constitution and any By-Laws appertaining thereto, be empowered to manage the business and purposes of the IFCS.

3.2 Unless specified otherwise, the decisions voted for at the General Assembly or between General Assemblies shall be implemented by the Council within three months after the vote or the specified time frame.

3.3 The IFCS Council shall meet at least once in every year and the meeting may be face to face in one location and/or by electronic means, including Skype, video-conference, tele-conference or any other excepted means of electronic communication.   Further, at least one meeting in every three-year period needs to be a quorum of Council Members meeting face to face in the same location. When the President is unable to attend the meeting, the Vice President shall be designated to conduct the meeting as Acting President. When the Secretary-General is unable to attend the meeting, an acting secretary will be appointed by the Council among its members.

                3.3.1 If the IFCS Council is using paid or volunteer's staff in the form of a "Secretariat", the Council may agree to allow said persons to attend the meeting and to take the Minutes of the meeting.

                 3.3.2 Notwithstanding the requirements for the IFCS Council to meet face to face at least once in every three-year period, the IFCS Council may conduct business and vote in person or by other electronic means of communication.

3.4 Immediate action, including major and important or strategic action may be taken by the Council at any time provided a majority of the Council Members vote for such action by mail, fax, e-mail or telephone. Telephone votes are to be confirmed by the Council Members in writing to the Secretary-General of the IFCS within 3 days of the vote, or the vote shall be disallowed. All voting action must be recorded.

3.5 The Council shall be responsible for the day to day running of the IFCS, subject to the authority of the General Assembly.  The Council may at its discretion delegate certain responsibilities the Secretariat that may be employed from time to time. The Secretariat shall only have as much authority as the Council delegates to them and will usually include assisting the President and Secretary-General.  The Secretariat may also assist the Treasurer or Council Member responsible for ensuring the duties of a Treasurer are carried out.

3.6 The Council may appoint Committees and Sub-Committees to handle specific activities for the IFCS. The committees shall have only as much authority as the Council delegates to them.  They may consist of representatives from all types of IFCS membership.

3.7 he quorum for meetings of the IFCS Council must include the President or in his absence the Vice President. The members constituting the quorum must represent at least three (3) regions.  The quorum will change in relation to the number of persons on the Council and will be as stated below:

                 3.7.1 Council of 3 persons – requires a quorum of 3 Council Members.

                3.7.2 Council of 4 persons – requires a quorum of 3 Council Members.

               3.7.3 Council of 5 persons – requires a quorum of 3 Council Members.

               3.7.4 Council of 6 persons – requires a quorum of 3 Council Members.

               3.7.5 Council of 7 persons – requires a quorum of 4 Council Members.

                3.7.6 Council of 8 persons – requires a quorum of 4 Council Members.

               3.7.7 Council of 9 persons – requires a quorum of 5 Council Members.

3.8 An elected IFCS Council Member who does not vote without just cause (i.e., illness, detention, or other matters beyond their control) on any two or more consecutive formal proposals called and published during a period of no less than 30 days shall be automatically suspended from office and from all IFCS Council rights and authority, and shall be replaced consistent with D.4.2. The Council may suspend such Member should they find that the cause is likely to continue or the Members absence from participation is detrimental to the operation of IFCS.

D.4. Council Election Procedure

4.1 The term for office for IFCS Council members shall be six (6) years. In order to avoid the possible replacement of the entire IFCS Council at the same election, it is recommended (not mandatory) that the Council internally manages a staggered retirement from the IFCS Council.

               4.1.1 The first IFCS Council under this Constitution will automatically carry over three (3) previous Council Members for a period of three (3) years.  The remaining being elected at the first General Assembly held under this Constitution. This will set up an initial stagger of the IFCS Council so that 3 members will be up for re-election in 3 years after the first General Assembly of this Constitution and the remaining Council Members voted in will have a period of 6 years before they must stand down or stand for re-election.

4.2 If an IFCS Council Member resigns before the term of office is complete, or is suspended from office, the vacancy shall be filled by a vote of the Council, and the vote is to be carried out within three months of the vacancy.

4.3 If the President's position is vacant as described in D.4.2 above or if the President requires a temporary replacement, the Vice President shall act on his or her behalf until the President returns in office or is replaced from another member within the Council.

4.4 Nominations for IFCS Council positions shall be made in writing to the IFCS Secretary-General at least 45 days before the beginning of the General Assembly when the elections are going to take place. Nominations which arrive after the deadline shall not be taken into consideration.

D.5. The Secretariat

5.1 The Council may at it discretion, from time to time employ a Secretariat.

5.2 The Secretariat may be one or more individual persons.

5.3 The Secretariat may be full time, casual or volunteer staff.

5.4 The wages and duties of the Secretariat will be set forth by the President of the IFCS and as stated within this Constitution.

5.5 The work location of the Secretariat will be as decided by the Council and may include allowing staff to work from their home.

5.6 The immediate supervisor of the Secretariat will be the President of the IFCS.

E.1. Formation of Committees and Sub-Committees

1.1 At any time, the IFCS Council may form one or more Committees and Sub-Committees to conduct, investigate or review the business of the IFCS.

1.2 Each Committee must comprise a minimum of a Chairperson and two Committee Members. The Committee must have clear goals and direction provided by the IFCS Council. The Committee will report to the IFCS Council, either as a whole, or to a nominated Council member.

1.3 Each Sub-committee will report either to a Committee Chairperson or direct to an IFCS Council member.  A Sub-committee may be one person or more. A Sub-committee may or may not have a chairperson.

F.1. General

1.1  The IFCS shall be financially bound, within the limits of the approved budget, by the signature of two (2) members of the IFCS Council, with at least one (1) signature being from the President, or Vice President or the Secretary-General.

1.2  Members shall only be financially bound within the limits of their annual subscriptions to the IFCS.

1.3  The fiscal year of the IFCS shall be from January 1st through December 31st.

1.4  The financial records of the IFCS shall only require independent audit as required by a 2/3 majority vote of the Voting Members and at a schedule/interval as required by a 2/3 majority vote of the Voting Members.  Should insufficient funds be available for an audit, the resolution calling for the audit must declare a special assessment be imposed in sufficient amount to cover the cost of the audit.  Such assessment shall be prorated among all Voting Members.

F.2. Membership Fees

2.1  Voting Members (on probation or not) of the IFCS shall be assessed a membership fee annually, which shall be paid no later than 90 days following the due date set forth herein, or such other time as set by the Council, in order to maintain status as a member "in good standing"

2.2 The amount of the membership fee shall be established by the IFCS Council with the 2/3 majority approval of the Voting Members. All fees for the following year shall be due and payable in US funds or its equivalent on December 1^st. Membership fees are delinquent if not received by IFCS prior to January 31^st.  The IFCS Council may from time to time decide to accept membership payment in US Dollars, Euro or other currency they may deem suitable.

2.3 The IFCS Council may, for just cause, waive or reduce membership fees of Associate Members, Provisional Members, and Candidate Members as they deem fit.

G.1. Resignation

1.1 A Member may resign at any time, provided that at the time of resignation that Member has no outstanding liabilities to IFCS.

1.2 Resignation shall take effect immediately upon receipt by the IFCS Secretary-General of a notice of resignation signed by the President or Chairperson and the Secretary or Secretary-General or Treasurer of the Member, and shall be reported to the next General Assembly by the Secretary-General of the IFCS.

1.3 A Member that resigns is not entitled to any refund to any Membership fees paid.

G.2. Suspension

2.1 A Member shall be automatically suspended from Membership upon occurrence of the following:

               2.1.1 Non-payment of any liabilities to the IFCS within 90 days of the time they are due;

               2.1.2 Failing to pay any membership fee due to IFCS after receiving at least one written notice from the IFCS Council that the Member is in arrears;

2.2 A Member may be suspended from membership by a 2/3 majority decision of the IFCS Council or a 2/3 majority decision of the General Assembly for failure to comply with the provisions of this Constitution and any By-Laws appertaining thereto.

2.3 Suspension of membership by the IFCS Council may be appealed at the next immediate General Assembly or in the case of sections 2.1, upon making restitution or otherwise satisfying their financial obligations to the satisfaction of the Council.

G.3. Expulsion

3.1 A member shall be expelled from membership in the IFCS on a resolution passed by a 2/3 majority of the IFCS in General or Extraordinary General Assembly for any of the following reasons:

               3.1.1      Refusal to pay any liabilities due to IFCS;

               3.1.2      Non-payment of any membership fees due to IFCS for two or more years;

               3.1.3      Refusal to comply with the provisions of this Constitution and any By-Laws appertaining thereto;

               3.1.4      After having been suspended for at least one year, and the reason for suspension still prevails.

H.1. General

1.1 The IFCS has the following Code of Conduct in which all Members are bound under this Constitution.

H.2. Code of Conduct

2.1 To treat other Members with respect and consideration.

2.2 To not deliberately try to harm another Member.

2.3 To respect the territory of Voting Members.

2.4 To ensure each Member respects the welfare and safety of the dog and to act swiftly to condemn and take action against any cruelty towards dogs from within their own ranks.

2.5 To hold no prejudice between pedigree and non-pedigree dogs involved in dog sports.

2.6 To uphold the equal rights of all sportsmen and sportswomen with no prejudice against race, colour or religion.

2.7 The IFCS and its Members are to be guided by the principles of fairness, equal rights, acceptance of cultural variety and the mutual respect.

2.8 To recognize and not infringe upon the Intellectual Property right of other Members, including but not limited to trademarks, service marks and copyrights.

I.1. General

1.1 The General Assembly shall be convened to discuss the proposals regarding the dissolution of the association by the Board of Directors or by at least 1/5 of all Members. The invitation and the agenda shall be drawn up in accordance with the relevant provisions of Chapter C of these Articles of Association.

1.2 The deliberation and decision-making on the dissolution shall take place with due observance of the quorum and majority of the change of purpose set forth in Chapter C 11 of these Articles of Association.

1.3 As soon as the decision to dissolve the association has been taken, the association will always mention that it is an "IVZW in dissolution".

1.4 If the proposal for the dissolution of the association is approved, the General Assembly will appoint one or more liquidators. The General Assembly shall describe their mission.

1.5 In the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the association, the Extraordinary General Assembly will decide on the allocation of the assets of the not-for-profit association. These assets must be allocated to another non-profit association with a similar or related purpose.

1.6 All decisions relating to the dissolution, the conditions of liquidation, the appointment and termination of office of the liquidators, the closure of the liquidation and the use of the assets of the association shall be filed with the clerk's office and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette.

J.1. Regulations

1.1 Regulations governing penalties for offenses shall be decided by the IFCS Council and ratified by the Voting Members at the General Assembly and/or by a mail vote, or vote by electronic means.

1.2 Other Regulations, including Regulations for a single cynological (dog) sport or a championship shall be decided by the IFCS Council.

1.3 Regulations shall be reviewed annually and revised as needed.

J.2. Interpretation

2.1 The authority for interpreting any dispute arising out of this Constitution, and any By-Laws and/or Regulations appertaining thereto, shall reside in the President, who shall seek the advice of the Council or the General Assembly before making the final decision.

2.2 Any dispute arising from this Constitution, any By-Laws and other IFCS Regulations which cannot be settled amicably shall be settled finally by a tribunal of IFCS Voting Members as agreed by both parties. This shall exclude any recourse to ordinary courts. All parties shall accept in good faith and in no way hinder the execution of any ruling that it makes.

2.3 Disputes between IFCS and any of its Members which are not settled finally by a decision within IFCS may be submitted for arbitration by any of the parties to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the country of IFCS registration of this Constitution or in a country agreed by both parties. Any decision made by this court or Arbitrator shall be without appeal and binding on the parties concerned.

J.3. Modification of the Constitution

3.1 This Constitution shall come into force when approved by 2/3 majority of a quorum of the General Assembly. They may only be modified or rescinded by the Voting Members at a General Assembly or an Extraordinary General Assembly, according to the procedures prescribed in this Constitution.

J.4. Electronic Meetings

4.1 Any meetings contemplated within this Constitution may be held electronically or in person. When held electronically, all provisions set forth in this Constitution shall be enforced to the extent applicable and as permitted by law. For this purpose, "electronically" or electronic medium shall mean through web-conferencing, tele-conferencing, email exchange, skype, or other means of meeting through electronic communications."

Files for National Governing Organization Membership

You will find files here which will help you to apply for membership in the IFCS:

• Membership Application Packet, including Declaration (PDF)

FOR NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (FEDERATIONS, UNIONS, ASSOCIATIONS) ON CYNOLOGICAL SPORT OR ONE OF ITS DISCIPLINES

A national organization, which develops more than one discipline of cynological sports, can intend to become IFCS full member.

A national organization, which develops only one discipline of cynological sports, can intend to become IFCS associated member.

FOR LOCAL CLUBS

When your country does not have a National Governing Organization (NGO) as member of IFCS, a local club can file application for provisional membership if they have intent to formally create an NGO. The application must include statements of intent to organize an NGO within a two-year period, which may then be extended at the discretion of the IFCS Council

FOR GROUPS OF PEOPLE

If you present a group of people, which is not organization and your country is not presented by full, associate or provisional member in the IFCS, please do not hesitate contact IFCS. IFCS Council will give you necessary explanations about possibly ways of cooperation with the IFCS. For example, IFCS can grant to your group status of the IFCS representative in the country for purposes of subscribing to participate in international and intercontinental competitions.