Rules and regulations in organised sports - EduqasRules, risk management and terminology
To participate safely, fairly and effectively, sportspeople must understand the terms used in their sports and adhere to the rules and regulations. They must also manage any risks.
All organised sports have rules that ensure participants play correctly, safely and fairly. The rules are decided and regulated by the sport's governing bodyAn organisation that draws up the rules that regulate an institution or sport and ensures that the rules are followed.. National governing bodies affiliateBe connected or associated to a person, group or company. to international federations, which ensure the rules are applied across the world. Depending on the sport, the rules may be known as:
rules – eg goalball
regulations – eg motor sports
laws – eg rugby union
Sport rules also need to reflect the laws and safetylegislationThe passing of laws. of the country in which they are played. In the UK these are decided by Parliament. Laws take precedence over sport rules.
During performance, the rules are upheld by officials. The titles of officials vary according to the sport or their specific roles within it. For example, athletics has field judges, track referees and starters.
Types of rules
Typically, rules cover the following examples:
number and type of participants – eg seven-a-side netball with specific positions
play and performance – eg throw-in when a ball goes out of play
scoring – eg a double fault in tennis earns the opponent a point
clothing and footwear – eg full body suit ban in swimming
equipment – eg weight of discus in athletics
Safety and risk management
In addition to the rules, organisers, participants and officials also need to manage risks within sport. These may be changeable elements for which it is difficult to make an exact rule. To do this, people undertake risk assessments. For example, a PE teacher must do a risk assessment for each lesson. Typically, examples of risk assessments include:
environment – eg checking the pitch, assessing the weather
activities – eg warming up appropriately, participating at the right level
techniques – eg being able to tackle correctly, providing support when needed
Terminology
Participants need to be familiar with the terminology used within each sport's rules. For example, offside (football), kill (volleyball), shido (judo), disobedience (equestrian), hog line (curling).