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Members who wish to have a tournament or training officially sanctioned by IDEA should adhere to the following guidelines:

Competitive Events

General Guidelines

• The host of an IDEA-sanctioned event must be a member (voting or non-voting) of IDEA.

• Events (with the exception of limited-entry tournaments) should be open to all members of IDEA.

• All events under consideration for sanctioning must be included in the IDEA calendar. This can be done by contacting IDEA, or through submission to DebateTracker, IDEA's on-line database.

• Event organizers should provide every participant with all relevant event information (invitation, schedule, topics, modifications in category rules, etc.).

• If applicable, grievance procedures operate reasonably and fairly.

Additional Notes:

• If a tournament coordinator wishes to deviate from the IDEA Rules for Events, those event descriptions should be sent to IDEA for review and approval.

• Results from IDEA-sanctioned events should be entered into DebateTracker.

Levels of Participation

To be sanctioned, a competitive event must meet the following participation levels:

• An international event that is directly sanctioned by IDEA must have a minimum of two participating countries.

• A regional or local event, sanctioned by IDEA or a locally-accredited IDEA voting member, must have a minimum of three participating clubs.

• An event that seeks sanctioning as a debate tournament must offer a minimum of six teams (from three clubs) and three rounds; the third round of the event (at minimum) must be power-paired.

• An event that seeks sanctioning as an individual events tournament must offer a minimum of twelve participants (from three clubs) and three rounds.

Tournament Organizers

Tournament organizers who wish have their event sanctioned should agree to:

• Publicize the event.

• Make the event open to the public.

• Provide training for judges, coaches, and students. Judges in competitive events should agree to the guidelines for judging.

• Recognize and accommodate the various cultural, religious, or dietary needs of participants.

• Make tabulation procedures fair, transparent, and available to participating programs.

• Enter and upload into DebateTracker the name of the host school, the number of schools attending, the events offered, the number of rounds, the number of participants, and the result.

• provide an open, inviting, unpressured atmosphere

Non-Competitive Events

Non-competitive events can be sanctioned via submission of the following information to the IDEA office (this information can also be uploaded into DebateTracker):

• Event date (for inclusion in the IDEA calendar).

• Event curriculum for review and approval.

• Names of trainers.

• Event location.

• Target audience.

• Registration fee (if any).

• Financial sponsor (if any).