Social Media Regulations 15/02/2019

The WDSF Presidium has approved the inclusion of Social Media Regulations to the Adjudicator’s Code of Conduct. 

Below is the new addition which will be included in the Chairperson’s briefing for all adjudicators at the beginning of the competition: 

Adjudicators Code of Conduct - SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATIONS

Self-Promotion vs. Selfless Behavior.

On the day and the following morning of a competition an adjudicator’s loyalty must be to adjudication at the competition and to all of the ethical duties of the adjudicator. So on the day and the following morning, an adjudicator shall not make speeches, pose for photographs, post or send or sponsor/contribute to messages in social media, about any matter. This prohibition is impossible to define exactly but it extends beyond the boundaries of the hall, the competition, the competition hotels and the streets of the host city or town. If in doubt, an adjudicator should politely decline to take part in any activity that suggests a relationship or alliance with any other adjudicators, any athletes, any producer or competition. Adjudicators have a right to be proud and happy of their achievements and of being appointed to a prestigious competition; but the adjudicator may not engage in activities which, however innocently, celebrate his or her position and participation in the competition in question. S/he must remember in his or her behavior that s/he is not a star, s/he is part of a proud, select, but unified team of experts whose role is to work rationally and materially and not to create their own centre of attention. Accordingly, self-promotion is inappropriate and is not permitted. Self-promotion includes, but is not limited to, writing and publishing commentaries in print or on social media, promotion by selfies, promotion on their own or other web pages, and generally drawing attention to themselves in a self-centred way. If the adjudicator is in doubt about the limits on her or his behavior, s/he should decline opportunities for self-promotion by his or her own actions or the actions of others, in connection with a competition at which s/he is a member of the panel. Furthermore it is a cardinal responsibility for an adjudicator to refrain from making any kind of disparaging or personal communications about athletes, coaches, other adjudicators, and other members of the DanceSport community whether they are present or absent from the competition, because such behavior immediately lowers the tone and reputation of the competition and affects the efforts of all concerned to practise and project standards of fairness and objectivity.

Additional requirements will also be included in the future WDSF competition invitation letters to all Adjudicators and Chairpersons.