Part II. Participants of competitions

Article 3. Age groups of participants. Weight categories. Fight formula. Round lengths. Number of contests

 Table 1 :

Article 4. Weighing of participants

1. The rules and the time of weighing participants are established in the Regulations.
2. The weighing is done once on the first day of competitions of a particular weight category, or on the day before, and lasts for an hour. 
If weighing in is made on the day of competitions, then it should be over no later than 3 hours before the beginning of competitions. 
Participants have the right to weigh themselves, as a check, on the official scales, during the hour before the official weighing.
3. Participants should be weighed either naked or wearing only underpants.
4. Before weighing, a participant must present a document with a photograph on to prove his identity.
5. Weighing is carried out of a team of referees, appointed by the chief referee. The team consists of: the deputy chief referee, a doctor, a secretary and 2 referees. The results of weighing in are recorded in the record of proceedings (see appendix 6).
6. A participant who is late for the weighing or fails to attend is not entitled to take part in the competition.

Article 5. Admittance of participants to competitions

1. The terms of admittance of participants to competitions, their sports equipment, qualification and age, and also the list of documents, which should be provided to the credentials committee, are stipulated by the Regulations.
Compulsory documents include:
d)fighters’ passport (see appendix 11)
e)insurance policy
2. The application of an organisation for the participation of its members in a competition must be made on the standard form (see appendix 5) and must include the signatures, backed up by official stamps, of the director of the organisation which is sending fighters to the competition, and a coach and a doctor who verify that each fighter is prepared for the competition. Doctor’s signature: “Admitted. Doctor: (signature)”, stamp – obligatory for each admitted participant.
3. Participants are normally admitted to competitions by a credentials committee (the members of which are appointed by the organisation in charge of the competition) The committee is made up of a representative of the organisation, chief referee or his deputy, chief secretary or his deputy, chief doctor and members of the committee who check that application forms meet the requirements stipulated by the regulations.  The representative of the organisation which organises the competition is responsible for the decision about who may participate.
4. In a competition a participant is entitled to compete only in the weight category which was established for him during weighing.
5. The admittance of young participants above 17 to a competition of juniors is possible with permission of the organisation, which is in charge of the competition. In this case in order to be admitted a young participant needs an extra certificate signed by a doctor and a coach, confirming that this participant is fit to take part in the competition. 
Juniors are eligible for participation in competitions for adults.
6. The admittance of sportsmen of a lower grade to competitions of higher grades is allowed by the regulations. In this case rules for competitions of sportsmen of higher grades must be applied.  Adult sportsmen of the first grade may enter competitions for masters of the sport.
7. Organizers of a competition are not liable for injuries or accidents, which may occur during the competition, as long as all the regulations are observed.

Article 6. Rights and duties of participants

1.  A participant must:

a) be checked by the credentials committee and officially weighed
b) strictly observe all the rules and the competition programme
c) follow the orders of referees
d) have a second
e) immediately appear at the place of the competition upon receiving a summons from the board of referees
f) immediately notify the secretariat, via his representative, if for any reason he is unable to continue to participate
g) be courteous towards participants, referees, organising staff and spectators
h) shake hands with his opponent before and after the competition
i) have a short nails and tidy sportswear.

2. A participant has the right:
a) to check his weight on the official scales 1 hour before the beginning of the competition
b) to receive information in good time about the course of the competition, who will participate in the next round, changes in the programme of the competition, etc.
c) to use the services of two seconds in contact time (before and after the match and also during breaks between rounds)
d) to be provided with medical assistance, for no more than 3 minutes totally (when 4 rounds – not more than 5 minutes), when clearing obstacles, during a pause before the beginning of a match in the ring, or during a match in the ring
e) during the match to use no more than 2 minutes totally to fix the equipment individually or with the help of  the seconds without prolonging breaks (when 4 rounds – not more than 3 minutes)
f) to refuse to continue a match at any stage
g) to turn to the referee board:
during  the breaks in the match either with the help of the team representative or , in the absence of the representative, personally;
via seconds during the breaks between rounds.

Article 7.  Equipment of the participant

1. The equipment of the participant includes: a sports suit and protection appliances
2. The sports suit comprises a loose sports jacket (kimono type) with a belt, trousers of a special cut and special footwear.
The jacket and the belt should be made of strong, single-toned, red or blue cotton.
The sleeve of the jacket should reach the wrist, and the width of the sleeve should be such that all through the sleeve the distance between the arm and the sleeve is no less than 10 cm.
The belt should be able to be turned twice around the body, should fit closely and to be tied in at the front in a flat knot which will hold together both turns.  The ends of the belt should be no longer than 20-25 cm.  The flaps of the jacket should not be more than 20-25 cm below the belt.
Shoes are made of soft leather, with a soft flexible sole, without any sharp protruding parts.  All stitches should be inside.  The ankle and the foot in the region of the big toe must be protected by small felt insertions covered in leather. 
Participants may wear trainers while competing on the obstacle strip.
3. The track suit and protective equipment – gloves, foots and helmet, mouthpiece, shin-pads, and shell - must sample in annex 7. For juniors of 12-13 year old and youths of 14-15 years old special headgear with face protection and gloves should be used.
When carrying out the competitions for children of 8-11 years old kimono and sports shoes (at the obstacle strip) are used, and shoes with a soft flexible sole are used on tatami.
While effecting the competitions among girls, junior girls and women the combats in the rings are to be made with special breastplates and protecting helmets.
4. In team competitions members of one team should have identical sports wear, which may include a logo of the team or the emblem of their country of origin.
5. It is forbidden to wear rings, bracelets, earrings, chains and other jewellery, and to have long hair, a beard, or a moustache, as these could cause injuries.
6. Hands’ wrists are not bandaged.

Article 8. Duties and rights of the team representative

1. The official representative of the team acts as an intermediary between the referee board and the participants put forwards by a certain organisation. He leads the team and is in charge of the discipline and the behaviour of participants.  If a team does not have an official representative, his duties are performed by a coach or a team captain.
2. The team representative must:
a)know the current rules, the contents of the Regulations and the programme of a competition
b)provide on time an application to the credentials committee for the participation of  a team in a competition as well as all other necessary documents
c)be present at joint meetings of the referees board and representatives of teams
d)inform his team members about the decisions taken by the referees board
e)ensure that the team members arrive at the competition on time
f)be at a special representative place throughout the time when his team members are competing and to leave it only with the chief referee’s permission.
3. The representative has the right:
a)to present reconsidered claims in accordance with the Regulations, but not later than 1 hour before the competitions start;
b)to be present at the weighing and the draw;
c)to have all the information concerning the carrying out and results of the competition;
d)to make remarks and to participate in the discussion of questions during joint meetings of  referees and representatives;
e)put applications (disagreements) based on the present regulations, with the obligatory reference to the paragraphs of the regulations that were violated.
4. The team representative must not:
a)interfere with the work of the referees and organizers of the competition
b)be a referee at the same time
c)to give instructions to participants during a match, being close to the ring
5. The team doctor is its representative in terms of medical questions and he bears responsibility for the provision of medical service to all the members of the team.  He is entitled to apply to chief doctor for the removal of team members from the competition because of health reasons.
6. A representative can be dismissed from leading the team if he violates the Regulations or neglects his duties.  The organisation of which team that he represents is a part must be informed of his dismissal.
7. A representative (coach, captain, doctor) of a team can be disqualified and removed from the competition for disrespect to any member of the referees board.

Article 9. Seconds

1.During a match seconds (but not more than 2 persons) must be next to the ring, stay there and assist the fighter during contact time.
2.Seconds must also grant help to the fighter during a round
a)in case of injuries, following the instructions of a doctor
b)to fix the equipment of the fighter, following the instructions of a referee
3.One of the seconds is entitled to be in the ring during contact time before the second measurer commands: “Seconds – out of the ring!”
4.A second is entitled to present a fighter’s refusal to participate in a match at any stage, except when the referee starts to count.
5.It is forbidden for a second to give advice, to help or to encourage the fighter during a match.  If the second violates the rules, he may first be reprimanded, and then, if he offends again, he may be suspended. If the fighter has only one second, the fighter himself can be reprimanded.
6.A second who has gone away from the ring may not be a second for the rest of that day.  If he leaves the ring more than once then he may no longer play any part in the competition.

Part III ⇒