ID-Cards

Facts you should know

According to the WDSF Competition Rules only athletes and couples registered at the RLS and permitted by their NMF are allowed to participate at WDSF competitions.

From January 2013 onwards all WDSF athletes will have to carry a WDSF e-Card. This card contains a unique number for each person and it’s called MIN (Member Id Number).

Couples wanting to participate in a WDSF sanctioned competition after January 2013 MUST be in possession of their WDSF ID-Card. If they do not carry it they are NOT allowed to participate.

The WDSF is maintaining a publicly accessible database where information about all athletes and couples can be requested either manually or by software.

Problems you might encounter

Problem: A couple arrives at check-in and one or both partners are not able to show the WDSF e-card.
Solution: If the couple knows both of their MIN numbers you must check if the couple is registered at the RLS.
Please assure both partners can be identified clearly (Picture-ID, Passport, etc.) and their names match the names related to the MIN.
Can the couple not provide any MIN or is not able to identify itself; provide them a copy of the WDSF Competition Rules and deny them to participate at the competition.

You can provide an internet access for the couples to check their MIN at the WDSF website.

Problem: The couple has got e-cards but their partnership is not confirmed by their NMF.
Solution:  Provide the couple information about how to contact their NMB or RLS administrator so they can confirm and update their partnership. Deny them to participate at the competition.

Problem: The couple has got e-cards but is registered in the wrong section (e.g. General vs. PD).
Solution:  Provide the couple information about how to contact their NMB or RLS administrator so they can confirm and update their partnership. Deny them to participate at the competition.

Problem: The couple has got e-cards but one or both partners are not allowed to compete (set to "suspended").
This situation can occur if between the times of placing the entry to the organizer and the check-in at the event the suspension has been expressed.
Solution:  Provide the couple information about how to contact their NMB or RLS administrator so they can take care of their status. Deny them to participate at the competition.

Problem: The couple has got ID cards but the representing country or nationality printed on the card does not match the information provided by the WDSF database.
Solution:  Provide the couple information about how to contact their NMB or RLS administrator so they can update their information. Deny them to participate at the competition.

Remarks: In some competitions it’s possible to check-in days before the specific competition starts. Some of the cases mentioned above might be solved during this time.
The definite denial of participation should only be declared, if the problem can't be solved until the closing time of the check-in of the competition. 

How to prevent problems

Having couples arrive at your venue and not being able to allow them to compete is sad and frustrating for everybody and can be a financial and status problem for you.

Most problems can be avoided by informing the athletes about the new WDSF Competition Rules on time.

To reach everybody, especially the athletes coming to your venue, you should inform them about their obligations. You can do this by:

• Placing a message/banner on your event website
• Contact all registered couples by email
• Ask you national member federation for help
• Check the entered couple's data promptly and give them feedback immediately if something might be wrong.
  Caution! Couples might be suspended or change the representing federation between entry and event. So do confirm entries only subject to these possible changes. 

The message to the couples should state the following:

“Bring your WDSF e-Card!”

“Only WDSF registered couples can participate!”

Also state the advantages for the athletes as described below.

Yours and the athlete’s advantages

By using the WDSF e-Card you:

• Will NOT have to make the athlete sign the Anti-Doping code.
• Will always have the right spelling of the athlete’s names.
• Can check automatically if the athlete is allowed in an age group.
• Speed up the check-in process (no more picture-ID or passport check, no more age group check).
• If technically equipped you could provide a self-check-in.

By using the WDSF e-Card the athlete:

• Will NOT have to sign the Anti-Doping code.
• Will always have the right spelling of the name.
• Will NOT have to carry a passport or national ID card at the competition.
• Will spend less time at the check-in desk.

Tools you should have

• A means to access the WDSF couple and athlete database.
  This can be either:
  • The WDSF's own Competition Registration System.
  • A scrutiny or check-in software that connects to the WDSF API.
  • An application you have developed yourself using the WDSF API.
• Copies of the WDSF Competition Rules (specifically rule D 2.5 page 14).
• A list of all NMF RLS administrators

How to register couples for your competition

We recommend you make use of the WDSF's own Competition Registration System (CRS) which includes all checks that need to be done for a couple to participate in a WDSF competition and has many more usefull features. By using the CRS all steps indcated below are not neccesary.

The procedures described below are generic in nature. They depend a lot on how you organize your competition internally and what scrutiny software you use.

Assuming a couple registers at you competition or arrives at the check-in with two valid WDSF e-Cards proceed as following:

The MIN can be collected in two ways:

1. By reading it from the WDSF e-Card. It is just below the person’s picture and labelled with “MIN”.
2. By using a barcode scanner. Any common barcode scanner will do.

The couple can be verified in 2 ways:

1. By using the WDSF website:
   1. Go to the WDSF website couples list
   2. Assure you have selected “Active” only for the status filter in the left menu.
   3. Enter the MIN of any partner in the search field labelled with “Search all couples”.
   4. Click on “Go”.
   5. Click on the “Details” link of the couple that appeared in the list.
   6. Check all necessary couple details in the page that appears now (age, division and country).
2. By using the WDSF API if your IT-staff has integrated it in your check-in system.

This step varies a lot depending on how your scrutiny expects this list to arrive.

Please contact your scrutiny to clarify this procedure.

Do also provide the scrutiny a list of couples that have registered but have either a) sent a letter of excuse or b) did not show up at all.
The WDSF is trying to find a solution to the problem of couples not showing up at competitions they have registered for.

Hardware you might need at the competition

The hardware needed to run a check-in or registration for a WDSF competition is minimal.

If you choose to use the “Check-in” client as mentioned above you will require:

• 1 x Standard PC or laptop
  • Any computer with at least 2 USB ports from your local computer store
  • Windows XP, Vista or 7 operating system
• 1 x Barcode scanner
  • Any standard barcode reader which can read a Code 128
    (ask your local computer store)
• 1 x Internet connection
  • This is not mandatory but you will always have the most up to date WDSF athletes’ data.

Should you have any questions please contact: John Caprez - [email protected]