Whilst it's not the most glamorous part of organising an event, there are certain areas of compliance that are important to consider. Getting these things right from the outset will help to keep everyone involved with the event safe and protected.
Data Protection
When organising an event, there are a number of different reasons why you may need to collect personal data. For instance, personal data may be collected when:
- People register to attend an event (name, address, contact details).
- People compete in events (name, address, contact details, emergency contact details, relevant medical details, competition results).
- People purchase tickets to an event (might include name, contact details, address, card details).
- People participate in other activities at events (name, address, contact details, emergency contact details, parental consent).
- People register their email/address for the purpose of receiving marketing/promotional material.
- People are photographed or videoed at an event.
Whenever you collect and process personal data you must be satisfied that you have a legal basis to do so. In this respect, it must fall within one of the six legal reasons outlined in the relevant data protection legislation. These are as follows:
- You have proof of consent from the person whose data you are processing.
- You need to process the data for contractual reasons.
- You need to process the data to meet a legal obligation.
- You need to process the data for the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person.
- You need to process the data because it is in the public interest to do so.
- You have a legitimate interest in processing the data.
Data Privacy Policy
Under Data Protection law, you must also outline to individuals at the point you collect their data how, why and for what purpose you are collecting their data. This is best achieved in a Data Privacy Policy or Data Privacy Statement.
This statement should include:
- Your purpose for collecting and processing their personal data;
- What personal data you are gathering;
- The lawful basis for processing their data;
- How long their data will be stored for;
- Any security mechanisms in place with regards to the data;
- Any third parties the data may be shared with – consider whether some data will be shared publicly, e.g. if you are publishing results;
- The rights available to individuals in respect of the processing;
- The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
Further information on what information you need to provide to people when gathering their data in different circumstances can be found via the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Membership and Insurance
Paddle UK clubs and discipline committees are covered to organise events through the Paddle UK Public and Products Liability insurance.
Paddle UK individual members also have this cover so can participate in any event. They also have a waterways license as part of their membership so can paddle on any waterways which require it.
Members of affiliated clubs are insured for recognised sessions and activities of that club, including events that the club organises.
Members of other affiliated clubs or paddlers who are not members of Paddle UK who wish to participate in an event will need to purchase a day ticket to participate. They will not, however, have a waterways license so this may need to be sourced elsewhere.
If an event, e.g. a club open day, is open to members of the public who are not members of Paddle UK but who may be interested in joining, individuals are insured for a maximum of 6 initial “taster” sessions.
For indemnity to apply it is essential that the club records their name, address and dates of attendance. These details must be retained as they may be called upon in the event of a claim.
Anti-Doping
Everyone has a duty to protect clean sport. We want to know when we compete or watch sport that it's the real deal – that there is integrity in sport. Cheating in any form undermines the spirit of sport and the efforts of clean athletes.
Paddle UK works in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the International Canoe Federation (ICF) to ensure that the integrity of our sport is protected.
Paddle UK encourages everyone to share the message of Clean Sport. If you would like some resources or are interested in running a workshop for participants, please contact Paddle UK and ask for the anti-doping lead.
UK Anti-Doping and the International Canoe Federation manage the testing of athletes and select which events to test at. It is likely that they will turn up unannounced and will make themselves known to the Event Organiser.