Rules

1. Aim

  1. The British TrailO League (BriTOL) aims to maximise participation in TrailO in the United Kingdom through a series of worthwhile and friendly competitions that are accessible to all.

2. Competitions

  1. The league runs from 1st January to 31st December each year.

  2. Long term, the league aims to consist of about 20 competitions each year. The target for 2020 is 8 competitions.

  3. Competitions shall have the quality of at least a British TrailO category 2 event. Any exemptions, including the use of non-standard formats, shall be authorised by the league coordinator and only with good justification.

  4. The volume of the most challenging course should meet the guideline for the elite course at a category 2 event. The volumes of any easier courses, if offered, are unconstrained.

  5. A competition may consist of multiple sections of different disciplines/formats, summing to give the required volume in rule 2.4. The overall scoring method shall be approved by the league coordinator.

  6. A league competition may be the aggregate of several smaller events that individually do not satisfy rule 2.4. These events may be spread over several days, but shall be located and scheduled such that a non-local competitor reasonably completes the competition in a single journey from home.

  7. An event that consists of several distinct parts, each of which could be a standalone league competition, should count as separate competitions in the league, unless it might prevent another worthy event from being included in the league.

  8. Competitions should be evenly distributed across the country.

  9. The league coordinator is solely responsible for selecting competitions to include in the league. Factors of attractiveness include:

    1. Being held as part of a multi-day TrailO competition

    2. Being held in conjunction with other types of orienteering, where it is feasible to compete in both

    3. Challenging terrain with high quality courses

    4. Inclusion of both PreO and TempO, perhaps as separate competitions, or other formats, such as Sprint PreO

    5. Not clashing with other events, TrailO or otherwise, that would significantly reduce the entry

3. Scoring

  1. Competitors score points as individuals; the league is not a team competition.

  2. To score in the league, competitors shall enter with their BOF number.

  3. Those who compete in groups, do not have a BOF number, declare themselves non-competitive or are disqualified shall score no points and shall be excluded from the calculation of points for that competition.

  4. Finishers of a competition are ranked according to the rules of that competition. Points are awarded according to the prevailing rules of the UK Urban League, except that disqualified competitors are not included (in accordance with rule 3.3) and class rules are different (see rule 4).

  5. Where a competition includes separate courses of different technical difficulty, results across all courses should be collated into a single ranking list where the winner of the easier course is ranked one place behind the last finisher of the harder course.

  6. Heats may be used to sort competitors into finals, with the scoring as follows:

    1. The winner of a lower final is positioned one place lower than last place in a higher final.

    2. If multiple heats are used, the ranking shall be solely determined by the scores of the finals.

    3. Competitors who fail to qualify for any final are ranked behind the last finisher of all the finals, subject to rule 3.3, and all such competitors shall be ranked equally if multiple heats take place.

    4. Competitors who qualify for a final but do not start shall be treated as though they failed to qualify.

  7. The best N/2 + 1, rounded down to the nearest integer, scores from N competitions in this year's league are summed to give a competitor's score for the league. The highest score wins.

  8. All competitors who have at least one score receive an overall ranking in the league.

4. Classes

  1. There are four classes: open (O), physically challenged (P), junior (J) and physically challenged junior (PJ).

  2. There is a single league table covering all classes.

  3. All competitors are included in the open class. Competitors are also included in the other classes for which they are eligible.

  4. Competitors may win multiple classes.

  5. League tables for the other classes shall be extracted and published from the main table at the end of the league, and should be published after every competition.

  6. Physically challenged class eligibility is determined by the IOF rules for TrailO. Athletes are asked to self-declare their eligibility. Doctor's certificates are not required, although the league coordinator reserves the right to ask for proof of eligibility, of which a certificate is a suitable means.

  7. Juniors have IOF age class 20 or under: the athlete will be aged 20 or under on 31st December of the current year.

  8. All classes shall complete the same course.

5. Administration

  1. The league programme and table shall be published online.

  2. Prospective competition organisers shall email the league coordinator at british.trailo.league@gmail.com to apply for inclusion in the league. An outline of the format and scoring, event details and up to 100 words on the attractiveness of the event should be submitted.

  3. A league competition shall be published in the online programme at least one month before the date of the competition and should be published as early as possible.

  4. Prospective organisers should allow sufficient time for their application to be considered. Applying at least two months in advance is recommended.

  5. For guaranteed consideration of inclusion in the league, prospective organisers should apply by 31st October the preceding year. After this deadline, the league coordinator shall consider the applications received and publish an outline programme, which may be later amended, by 30th November. The coordinator may delay approval of some competitions if it is likely to improve the programme.

  6. An accepted competition shall not be removed from the league unless there is a material change in the properties of the competition.

  7. Competition results should be uploaded according to the instructions within 48 hours and shall be provided within 7 days.

  8. Those not competitive in the league shall not be included in the league results file (see rule 3.3). Competition organisers may ask the league coordinator for technical assistance.

6. Disputes

  1. The spirit of fair play applies at all times.

  2. Competition organisers are responsible for the validity of their competition's results, including resolving disputes over the fairness of controls and the whole course.

  3. In exceptional circumstances, the league coordinator may remove a competition from the league after it has taken place if it is considered to have an adverse effect on the league.

  4. The league coordinator shall respond to complaints about the league. The complainant may protest without charge to the coordinator against the response, who will convene a jury of three. Each member of the jury shall be either a controller/IOF event adviser or an experienced trail orienteer, with at least one member of each type on the jury.

  5. The British TrailO Steering Group appoints the league coordinator and may remove one. A new league coordinator may overturn a decision of a previous coordinator, although rule 6.4 still applies to this action.

  6. These rules may be changed without notice and applied retrospectively if unforeseen circumstances dictate.