DEAR MEMBERS
The National Champions League series was established in 2019 to keep a record of nationally competing Championship athletes/couples and to award points to those athletes/couples for the purpose of the National Rankings as well as International Representation. Moreover, the Champions League Rules were established with the primary objective to ensure that the rankings and representation are simple, fair, transparent and are professionally presented. These rules are put in place as a tool to ascertain, out of the National Rankings, those athletes who are eligible to represent the country internationally by meeting the set criteria in the rules to qualify for representation. In this release we seek to update membership on various aspects of the Champions League while addressing the multiple questions arising from various sectors
in our membership rank and file.
1. NATIONAL RANKINGS
The National Rankings should be understood as a record of participation in the recognized national events for ‘log ladder’ points as well as how couples/athletes performed throughout the season. Rankings take into account all athletes/couples who have participated in the National Champions League series and rank them, in their age categories, according to points accumulated (calculated as per National Champions League Rules) from largest to smallest. This is the reason why even couples/athletes who would have not fully met the Champions League Rules set criteria for representation are included as part of the rankings. The National Rankings are published on our various media platforms and kept as a record for public scrutiny.
2. INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION
Representation takes into account national rankings and other recognized methods for selecting qualifying candidates. This is achieved by applying the set criteria per the National Champions League rules as well as considering various other applicable rules of the Federation, SASCOC and WDSF that affect selection for international representation. In order to represent South Africa at the various WDSF World Championships, the Federation is allowed to select and send two (2) representatives in each age category (junior II, youth, under 21, adult, senior I, II, III, IV, V) in a particular style (e.g. Standard/Latin American). In order to select the two representatives, the Federation established the National Champions League series as one method of selection as well as considered the National Championships as the other selection method – in a single Dance Sport calendar/season as follows:
- The first representative to the WDSF World Championships is a couple/athlete topping the National Rankings in their relevant age category for that season – taking into consideration all rules applicable for representation including but not limited to age category, partner changes, full participation etc.
- The second representative is a couple/athlete winning the National Championships in their relevant age category in that season – taking into consideration all rules applicable for representation including but not limited to age category, partner changes etc.
- In case the winner of the rankings becomes the winner of the National Championships, the second representative will be considered up to 6th place from the National Rankings – taking into consideration all rules applicable for representation including but not limited to age category, partner changes, participation etc.
3. CHALLENGES AND REMEDIAL ACTION
Having implemented the National Champions League series since 2019, various challenges have been experienced which necessitated continuous interventions to ensure that the implementation does not move away from its intended objective – to have a simple, fair and transparent ranking and representation system in place. The following are some of the challenges experienced and the measures implemented to rectify them:
i. Couples Registering and Dancing Incorrect Age Categories
• to curb this the Federation imposed a condition that the couples/athletes wishing to represent at the WDSF Championships must participate in the age category that they will fall in the following year (year of representation) according to WDSF age categories e.g. a couple turning adult in 2024 must participate in the adult age category in 2023.
• As a result, couples/athletes who do not adhere to this condition will be disqualified and therefore removed from the rankings and will not be eligible for representation.
ii. Registration With WDSF
• In the beginning of 2023, the Federation imposed a condition that, in order to take part in the Champions League series and the National Championships, ALL Championship couples must be registered with WDSF, as this ensures that couples are registered in the correct WDSF age categories even before they are selected for representation.
• To make it easy for athletes to register themselves, every Champions’ League entry form had instructions of how to register with WDSF. Understanding that this was being implemented for the first time this year, the Federation exercised leniency and allowed couples/athletes to register until after Champions League 3 and further held a training session or workshop to get to understand the issues and challenges experienced by individual athletes with the aim to assist those athletes who had experienced challenges.
• Various challenges experienced ranged from:
– Attaching ID instead of passport as per WDSF requirements,
– Attaching a picture with a colourful background instead of a white background as per WDSF requirements.
– Incorrectly signing of declaration forms
• Note: all athletes/couples who fail to register with WDSF at the beginning of the season will not be eligible for representation.
iii. Partner Changes in the Middle of the Season or After Selection for Representation
• Changing a partner in the middle of the season results in forfeiting all ranking points already accumulated with that partner, complete removal from rankings therefore forfeiting the right to representation.
• changing a partner after selection for representation disqualifies a couple from representation until the next representation year/season.
iv. Couples/Athletes not Participating in All Three Champions Leagues
According to the current Champions League rules couples/athletes MUST participate in ALL 3 Champions Leagues in order to be eligible for representation. Couples/athletes who do not participate in all 3 Champions Leagues, even though they may be included in the rankings, are not eligible for representation unless there is a valid reason e.g.:
• Presentation of a valid doctor’s note
– where a couple who produces a valid Dr’s note shall be exonerated for not attending the relevant leg of the Champions League but
– shall not accumulate any points for that leg of the Champions League and therefore shall be awarded 0 points on the standings.
• international participation
– prior provision of proof to participate in a recognized international competition including WDSF International, Open, Grand Slam, World Championships competitions for either having qualified to represent South Africa and/or for accumulation of international ranking points; where a couple who participated in a recognized international competition shall be exonerated for not attending the relevant leg of the Champions League but
– shall not accumulate any points for that leg of the Champions League and therefore shall be awarded 0 points on the standings.
v. Couples Participating and/or Representing in Competitions Outside the WDSF System
• Rule 2.4.1 of the WDSF competition rules states that; “An athlete who has previously been registered in the WDSF DanceSport system or WDSF PD, who returns to the WDSF DanceSport system after competing or otherwise participating in a dancing system or dancing competition system which was not registered in the WDSF DanceSport system, may not represent any country or WDSF Member body in any WDSF competition until six (6) months after his or her most recent participation in a dancing competition that was not registered in the WDSF DanceSport system.”
• All our members are to take note of the above rule as athletes affected by the rule will be suspended for the period as stipulated.
vi. Allocation of Points for Couples not in the Finals
• To ensure that all couples who have participated in all 3 Champions’ Leagues (including those who do not make the finals) are traceable and rewarded with points in the rankings and are therefore eligible for representation, the Federation resolved to introduce the inclusion of points for preliminary rounds (rounds, quarter-finals & semi-finals) and not just the finals. The update to the current Points Calculation System and other amendments to the rules will be effected for implementation in 2024 and beyond.
It must be noted that getting Championship athletes to register for WDSF before they take part in the Champions Leagues had challenges of its own, which has unfortunately resulted in the delay of publishing the 2023 rankings after Champions League 2 and in this regard the Federation would like to humbly apologize and would like to plead with membership to bear with us as we strive to ensure that the rankings and representation is fair, transparent and is professionally presented in the near future.
Members with any further queries on this matter are encouraged to contact the national office.
Secretary General: secretariat@danceinsportsa.co.za
International Affairs Directorate: internationalaffairs@danceinsportsa.co.za
Issued by the National Executive Committee
