NGB Webpages
Find the webpage for your NGB.
Athlete Ombuds:
Team Selection and Protected Competitions
Team USA Athlete Ombuds
Team USA Athletes may contact the Athlete Ombuds for confidential, independent advice regarding their selection and/or opportunity to participate in protected competition. The office’s role is to help athletes understand the rules and offer assistance in resolving concerns or disputes.
In particular, the Athlete Ombuds can help assist you with questions involving:
- Requirements in the drafting, approval or implementation of selection procedures (i.e., athlete involvement, conflicts of interest on the selection committees, application of objective or discretionary criteria, advance notice, amendments, etc.)
- How to file a “right to compete” grievance with a National Governing Body or the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (i.e., under Section 9 of the USOPC bylaws)
- How to file a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association
- Informal resolution
- NGB hearings or Section 9 arbitrations
- Legal representation and costs
- Past Section 9 decisions and precedent
To learn more about the "right to compete" grievance process, please visit our resolving conflicts and concerns page.
Athletes can find the Section 9 and Arbitration complaint forms here and past Section 9 Arbitration decisions here.
Team Selection FAQ#
NGBs are required to publish and implement a selection process for Delegation Events and other Protected Competitions as defined in the USOPC Bylaws. Athletes attempting to qualify for these competitions should read and familiarize themselves with the published selection procedures and the process used to select the team. When athletes have concerns about selection procedures or a selection process, they can:
- Raise any questions or concerns with their NGB staff
- Contact their athlete representatives. NGBs are required to have a committee with 33% athlete representation that develops, approves, and implements selection criteria for Protected Competitions
- Contact the Athlete Ombuds (Ombudsman@usathlete.org) for independent and confidential advice
- File a grievance
To learn more about athlete rights and responsibilities related to team selection, visit the Opportunity to Participate webpage.
Disclaimer:
Please note that advice from any member of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds, including but not limited to information provided on this website, does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. The Athlete Ombuds will offer neutral, independent advice to any athlete, and athletes should always seek legal counsel if they want specific legal advice or individual representation. See our homepage for our full disclaimer.