UK Athletics can today confirm the establishment of the new Standards, Ethics and Rules Committee.
Following last week’s publication of the single UK-wide strategy for athletics in the UK, the new committee is another important step for the sport, part of the collaboration between UK Athletics (UKA) and Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs).
Appointed by UKA, the Committee’s role is to advise and recommend to the UKA Board, and the boards of the HCAFs, on a wide range of issues, focused on establishing and promoting clear and consistent standards of behavior for all participants in athletics in the UK, wherever they are, and at all levels.
The Committee has a wide remit, including areas such as general conduct, anti-doping, safeguarding, anti-discrimination, anti-corruption and health and safety. It includes making sure that directives, codes and policies are in place, so everyone in the sport knows what is expected of them, and that disciplinary processes, licensing decisions and safeguarding cases are dealt with to the highest standards of regulatory best practice. The Committee will also consider and advise on medical-legal and ethical issues raised with it by the Chief Executive.
The UKA Board has appointed seven members, having run an open recruitment process and the HCAFs have each provided a nominee for the Committee, which will be chaired by UKA’s Senior Independent Director Penny Avis. The members of the committee are: Kwadjo Adjepong; Dawn Allan (Scottish Athletics nominee); Wayne Barnes; Tony Clements (Welsh Athletics nominee); Janice Kaufman (England Athletics nominee); Paul Lawther (Athletics NI nominee); Dan O’Connor, Emily Ryall; Tim Soutar; Mark Webster; Richard Yates. Biographies are attached.
Nic Coward, Chair of UKA said: “The new Committee is a first for athletics and shows again how the sport is working together to sort important issues. It’s great to welcome the Committee members, who bring fantastic skills and experience, from a wide array of backgrounds, to help athletics in the UK. We identified the need for significant change in this vitally important area in March, which was reinforced by the recommendations of the independent review of the sport’s safeguarding approach. The Committee, and the new clarity of role and responsibilities that many have worked hard to establish, are seriously positive moves”.
