The EGF Board’s position on violence

The European Go Federation (EGF) considers violence and violent behaviour to be strictly unacceptable in the Go community.

This includes not only violence directed against another person, but also aggressive or destructive behaviour such as deliberately damaging or destroying objects in anger. In the past, there had been several incidents of this kind within the European Go community which usually did not result in formal sanctions. The current executive EGF Board considers this approach no longer appropriate.

The EGF therefore wants to make its position clear: violent or aggressive behaviour is not acceptable at Go events, regardless of status, strength, reputation or achievements of the person involved. From now on, such incidents will be handled strictly and consistently and, where appropriate, will result in sanctions.

Different levels of handling misconduct

It is useful to distinguish between different and independent levels at which an incident can be handled.

1. Tournament-level action

The first level is the tournament itself. The tournament director, chief referee, and other persons, who share responsibility to maintain a safe and orderly playing environment, can therefore react to misconduct that occurs during an event. This may include behaviour directed at an opponent, another participant, an official, spectators, or the venue itself. 

Depending on the circumstances and the rules of the particular tournament, possible tournament-level measures could include, in increasing severity:

1. Informal warning,
2. Formal warning or reprimand,
3. Order to leave a particular area,
4. Forfeit of a game,
5. Removal from the current round,
6. Exclusion from further rounds,
7. Expulsion from the tournament,
8. Exclusion from further tournaments under responsibility of that tournament responsible person,
9. Referral of the incident to the relevant national Go association and the EGF. If the tournament is an EGF event, the tournament director has to notify the EGF board immediately

The tournament director’s role is primarily to deal with the immediate situation and to protect the tournament and its participants. A tournament-level decision does not necessarily prevent further disciplinary action by a national Go association or the EGF.

2. Federation-level disciplinary action

The second level is disciplinary action by a national Go association and the third level are actions by the EGF, which can be handled also weeks after the event itself. These levels are appropriate when an incident is sufficiently serious, when it has consequences beyond the immediate game, or when a player’s conduct raises concerns about their participation in future events.

Federations shall consider matters such as:

• violence or threats of violence;
• deliberate destruction or serious damage to property;
• serious or repeated aggressive behaviour;
• harassment or intimidation;
• behaviour that seriously disrupts a Go event;
• repeated violations of tournament rules or codes of conduct;
• conduct that seriously damages the reputation or integrity of the Go community.

Possible federation-level sanctions include, in increasing severity:

1. Informal warning,
2. Formal warning or reprimand,
3. Written commitment by the player to behave appropriately in the future,
4. Fine or reimbursement of costs, where applicable,
5. Temporary restriction from particular Go events,
6. Suspension from participation in Go events,
7. Long-term suspension,
8. Removal from or prohibition of representation of a federation/EGF,
9. Exclusion from EGF events for a defined period,
10. In the most serious cases, a long-term or permanent ban.

The appropriate sanction should depend on the circumstances of the individual case. Factors such as the seriousness of the behaviour, whether anybody was endangered or harmed, whether property was damaged, whether the behaviour was directed at another person, whether the incident was repeated, and the person’s conduct after the incident should all be taken into account.

A person’s playing strength, title, reputation, or importance to the Go community will not determine whether the rules apply to them.

Establishing a proper EGF procedure

At present, cases of this nature are handled directly by the EGF Board. The Board considers this an interim solution until a formal process will be set up. 

The EGF intends to establish a designated group of people who will develop and maintain policies dealing with violence, aggression and other serious misconduct in the Go community.

Such a policy should provide clear guidance on questions including:

• What behaviour constitutes misconduct?
• When should a tournament director intervene?
• When should an incident be reported to a federation or the EGF?
• Which body is responsible for which type of case?
• What sanctions are available at each level?
• How should the severity of an incident be assessed?
• What mitigating or aggravating circumstances should be considered?
• How should repeat offences be handled?
• What procedure should be followed when investigating a complaint?
• How should the rights of the accused person and other participants be protected?
• How should decisions and sanctions be communicated?

The objective is not simply to punish misconduct, but to create a system that is predictable, fair and understandable to everyone.

We would particularly welcome people from the European Go community who have experience with tournament organization, refereeing, governance, disciplinary procedures, safeguarding, or related areas to participate in setting up such a system

If you would like to contribute to this group, please contact the EGF Executive Board.

A recent case

Following a loss at this year’s European Championship, a player became extremely angry, left the playing area and smashed a chair in the referee’s room. No one was present in the room at the time, nobody was injured, and there was no financial loss or other significant damage.

The EGF considers such behaviour unacceptable. Violence and destructive behaviour have no place at Go events, regardless of the circumstances or the status of the player involved.

If the same behaviour occurs again by another player, it may be subject to a stronger response and appropriate disciplinary sanctions according to the procedure which is currently being set up.

The EGF’s message is simple: competitive Go can be intense, and losing can be frustrating, but violence and destructive behaviour are not acceptable.

Good sportsmanship is not optional. It is part of being a member of the Go community.