FIPPA COUNCIL DECISION
Cash Prizes in International Opens.
The FIPPA Council has approved (on a trial basis) the awarding of cash prizes to the winners of FIPPA approved International Open competitions. FIPPA Council has decided that FIPPA Open tournament organisers may award cash prizes to those players with the best results in such tournaments. Players may not, however, receive payment for merely participating in such events.
FIPPA feels that asking players to travel all over the world to play in Open events where they compete for token prizes is outdated and sees a wonderful opportunity for our open events if we embrace an optional cash prize format. Member organisations who stage Open events will receive greater support for their events.
The concept is an overall prize fund of a maximum of €2,500, with the first prize set at a maximum of €750. Other prizes could be on offer to other classified players at the discretion of the organising committee. This will encourage more players to attend and might offset some of the expenses incurred in travelling to international events.
This initiative is restricted to FIPPA International Open tournaments at the discretion of the organising committee of such events. The following changes will be made to the FIPPA rules. The experiment will be reviewed at the end of 2011.
GUIDELINES ON AMATEUR STATUS
Pitch and Putt is essentially an amateur sport.
1. A player may not:
· Compete for prize money except as provided for in Special Provision A
· Receive payment or compensation for giving instruction other than as part of an approved programme
· Accept a prize or prizes of a retail value in excess of €750.
· Exchange any prize for cash.
· Use a prize voucher to pay for all or part of a Club subscription.
· Accept honorary membership, or membership at a reduced rate, as an inducement to play for a Club.
2. A player may:
· Enter a voluntary Sweepstake (a club members' pool competition).
· Give instruction on a voluntary basis.
· Accept symbolic prizes which are permanently and distinctively engraved and are, therefore, exempt from the prize limit of €750.
· Accept free food and beverage at a competition, provided the same is offered to all competitors.
· Receive expenses for participating in team, promotional and international events.
Infringement of these guidelines will result in automatic exclusion from registration for competition. Reinstatement will only be considered by the player’s association on written application, but only after one year of the event giving rise to the loss of amateur status.
The following Special Provision A will apply on a two-year trial basis from 01 January 2010
In FIPPA approved International Open competitions
a)
1)The total prize fund may include accumulated cash prizes of a maximum of €2,500.00
2) First prize of a maximum of €750.00 may be awarded
3) Subsequent prizes may be awarded
b) The decision of whether or not to award cash prizes is at the discretion of the organising committee.
c) Cash prizes will be paid as gross amounts and any personal taxes will be the responsibility of the individual participant. EPPA and FIPPA will not be responsible for the tax treatment in any particular jurisdiction.
d) The participant's levy per competing player in a FIPPA Open will be €6 in 2010 and €7 in 2011. If the organising committee decides to award cash prizes, it is entitled to retain 50% of the FIPPA participant's levy to help defray the cost of such prizes.
e) The organising committee may award a trophy or other form of prize if accepting a cash prize might contravene or prejudice the amateur status of a player in another sport. The organising committee will inform the participants in an international open competition of this possibility.
f) Acceptance of cash prizes in accordance with the terms of this provision will not debar a player from participating in EPPA or FIPPA individual or team championships.
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