Guam National Athletes Commission

The Guam Athletes' Commission delivers the core objective of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Movement, which is to put athletes at the centre of the Olympic Games, and by proxy, the Olympic Games and sport in general. Its mission is to acknowledge that athletes are the foundation of the Olympics Movement, provide support to the athletes of Guam; preserve the integrity of Guam National Team Athletes; ensure that athletes are given fair and equal opportunities to compete at Flag level competitions; maintain that every Guam National Team has unified representation independent of national federations.The Commission consists of an Executive Committee which provides overall governance and management of programmes and activities, and four other committees that oversee specific areas - membership; compliance; programs; and public relations.The structure of the Commission ensures Guam’s athletes are consistently prioritized and positioned at the centre of the sporting movement on Guam and abroad.

Mission Statement

To acknowledge that athletes are the foundation of the Olympics Movement and provide support to the athletes of Guam; preserve the integrity of Guam National Team Athletes; ensure that athletes are given fair and equal opportunities to compete at Flag level competitions; maintain that every Guam National Team has unified representation independent of national federations.

ATHLETES COMMISSION TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Objectives

a. GNOC shall form an Athletes’ Commission
b. The objectives of the Athletes’ Commission are to:
c. consider questions or concerns relative to athletes to provide advice & recommendations to GNOC and the Executive;
d. represent and safeguard the rights and interests of athletes;
e. notify all GNOC members on matters regarding the Olympic Movement, particularly with respect to the athletes;
f. maintain contact with members of the GNOC Athletes’ Commission, ONOC (Oceania National Olympic Committees) Athletes’ Commission, ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees) Athletes’ Commission and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Athletes’ Commission;

‍2. Composition of Commission

a. The Athletes Commission will be comprised of:
   i. (2) representatives of each national federation recognized by GNOC; one (1) male and (1) female
   ii. one (1) representative if either gender is not represented within their respective national federation
   iii. an executive board consisting of chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretariat.
b. To be eligible for appointment to the Athletes Commission, a person must be:
   i. at least 16 years of age;
   ii. without sanction for a doping offense as an athlete by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
   iii. appointed by their national federation recognized by the GNOC
   iv. an athlete who, at the time of his or her election, has participated at a national level within the previous eight (8)     years of being nominated by his or her national federation; and
   v. in good standing with the GNOC
c. The term of all Athletes’ Commission members shall be four (4) years from the date of the appointment by the member’s federation or until the end of the Olympic quadrennial. Should a member step down from his or her position, the federation shall appoint a new member, who is eligible under the requirements of Article 2(b), and that member shall assume the same term and responsibilities of the member he or she was appointed to replace.

3. Athlete’s Commission Executive Board

a. The Athletes’ Commission Executive Board will be comprised of:
   i. Chairperson
   ii. Vice-Chairperson
   iii. General Secretary
   iv. Corresponding Secretary
b. To be eligible for nomination and election to the Athletes Commission Executive Board pursuant to Article 2(a)(iii), a person must:
   i. be an appointed member of the Athletes’ Commission in accordance with Article 2(b)(iii);
   ii. be an Olympian who competed for Guam in any of the Olympic Games in which the GNOC was a participant; or
   iii. an athlete who competed for Guam in the following: World, Regional, Continental, or National competitions recognized by the GNOC
c. Both sexes must be represented on the Athletes’ Commission Executive Board
d. Motions for nomination onto the Executive Board Members commence immediately following the establishment of the Athletes’ Commission. Once the nomination period has expired, each position on the Executive Board will be elected by a majority vote amongst the eligible nominees by a quorum of the Athletes’ Commission.
e. If the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson is unable to attend a meeting of the Executive, the President shall appoint a designee to represent him/her by proxy.
f. The duration of all elections to the Executive Board will conclude following the annual general meeting of the GNOC held during the year subsequent to the Olympic Games.
g. Should a member of the Executive Board step down, the next ranking member shall assume his or her duties until a nomination period and election to fill that position can be held in accordance with Article 3(d).‍

4. Athletes’ Commission Meetings

a. the Athletes’ Commission should meet at least 4 times a year.
b. Members of the athletes commission must be present for 75% of meetings held per year;
c. 50% and one additional member of the Athletes’ Commission constitute a quorum.
d. Non-members are permitted to join committees formulated by the Athletes’ Commission at the discretion of the chairperson;
e. Actions that require immediate approval by Athletes’ Commission members can be facilitated via an electronic mail majority vote should there be difficulty in meetings and forming a quorum;
f. Failure to comply to requirements as a member of the athletes’ commission will result in a recommendation to the GNOC Executive Board to sanction said member.‍

5. Committees

a. The Athletes’ Commission shall formulate the following committees, which will be comprised of a chair, a co-chair, and at least 2 other Athletes’ Commission members.
b. The Executive Board shall appoint the chair and co-chair of each committee.
c. Non-members are permitted to join committees formulated by the Athletes’ Commission at the discretion of the chairperson.
d. Membership Committee shall be responsible for the following duties:
    i. Reviewing an athlete’s eligibility to participate in GNOC events at the request of an athlete or the Athletes’ Commission.
    ii. Establishing standards for all uniforms for all GNOC federations and reviewing each federation’s individual uniform submissions.
    iii. Reviewing the Vision and Mission Statement of the Athletes’ Commission and submitting recommendations amendments to the Athletes’ Commission.
e. Compliance Committee shall be responsible for the Following duties:
    i. Reviewing the GNOC’s compliance with WADA, Women in Sports, and other authority as requested by the Athletes’ Commission or an individual athlete.
    ii. Recommending amendments to any GNOC authority to better represent the interests of the athletes.
    iii. Conducting periodic review of the Athletes’ Commission Terms of Reference and submit recommendations for amendments to the Athletes’ Commission.
f. Programs Committee shall be responsible for the following duties:
   i. Coordinating Annual Olympic Day.
   ii. Coordinating the GNAC Athletes Forum.
   iii. Other events provided in the Olympic Solidarity program and from GNOC.
g. Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for the following duties:
   i. Overseeing all media activity related to the Athletes’ Commission.
   ii. Promoting the Athletes’ Commission and individual federations and athletes.‍

6. Amendments to the Terms of Reference

a. Proposed amendments to these Terms of Reference should be submitted to the Compliance Committee for initial review and recommendation or directly to the Athletes’ Commission.
b. The Compliance Committee or any members shall present any recommended amendments to the Athletes’ Commission for a majority vote at any meeting or via electronic mail pursuant to Article 4(e).