Schedule 05L - Appendix A - FCI World Agility Championships

                                APPENDIX ‘A’                              

FCI WORLD AGILITY CHAMPIONSHIPS

1. Organisation

The World Agility Championships are organised annually. The winners will gain the title ‘World Agility Champion(s)’. Any NCO wanting to organise the ‘World Agility Championships’ must apply five years in advance. Applications must be sent to the chairman of the FCI Agility Committee. As a rule, the date for the World Championship, is the first weekend of October. The FCI Agility Committee must approve any deviation from this date. Applications should include the following details:

- Name of the NCO including name and address of the official running the event
- Place where the event is planned
- Description and plan of the facilities 
- Confirmation that everything will be carried out according to the Specifications for the World Championships

Description of the facilities and ring chosen for the event as well as the available resources, which must meet the ‘Specifications for the World Agility Championships’ attached to these regulations.
The World Agility Championship is an event in which the top handlers of FCI member countries take part. The organising country should give this event the prestige befitting the ‘World Championships’.

The host country will provide all the necessary equipment. It is responsible for the reception of all invited competitors and officials.
To create a good atmosphere, which will contribute to the success of the event, special consideration should be given to the use of a good commentator during the event.
The media (press, radio, TV etc.) should be contacted to ensure the necessary publicity in order to attract a large number of spectators and thereby promote Agility and the pure bred dog.
The organising NCO is responsible only to the FCI for the practical organisation and it must take the appropriate measures to make sure that the event runs smoothly.
At least 6 months prior to the event, the organising NCO must invite other NCOs to participate. The NCOs should be advised about closing date, maximum number of entries and they should also be requested to provide suitable and identical attire for their teams.

The FCI agility committee will appoint a representative who will ensure that the ‘Specifications’ regarding the World Championships are respected by the organising NCO and that the Agility rules and regulations are strictly applied. The organising NCO will present the representative with a programme of the competition.

2. Tests

Tests will be judged according to the FCI rules and regulations. They will be held in one ring, 30 x 40 m. Two judges (one from the host country) will officiate.

The World Agility Championships will consist of:

a) 2 ‘individual’ tests
• 1 Agility course containing the contact equipment
• 1 Jumping course without contact equipment

The course will only contain the approved obstacles.
The two results added together will determine the winner, who will be ‘World Agility Champion’. In case of a tie (for first place only), a run-off is held over a third course.

b) 2 ‘team’ tests 
• 1 Agility course containing the contact equipment
• 1 Jumping course without contact equipment

Each participating country will be allowed to enter one team, consisting of 4 dogs per category (a dog can be entered in one team only). The course will only contain the approved obstacles.
The two results (agility and jumping) of the best 3 dogs in each run of each team will be added together to determine the winning team. The winning team will be called ‘World Agility Champions’. After/before each run – individual and team – the dog’s chip number is checked.

TEST DOG
Before the judge starts the test and after determining the SCT, a ‘test dog’ – that does not take part in the competition – will have a test run. This will occur in each category.

3. Applications

For the World Agility Championships, NCOs affiliated to the FCI (or those with a close relationship like the AKC, CKC and The Kennel Club of GB) are allowed to select teams according to the following rules:

• Owners and handlers must have the nationality of the country or must have their permanent residence in the country for which his/her dog will compete. It is up to the NCO to determine the residential status of the owner and handler. In case of dual nationality, he/she can choose either country without restriction: however, he/she can only compete for one country.

• The dog must have been registered in the studbook (or the appendix) of the NCO for which it will compete for a minimum of 6 months

• Each handler is allowed to compete with maximum of four dogs.

If difficulties arise, they must be referred to the General Board of the FCI.

- ‘Individual’ tests: 9 dogs, “L”, “M” or “S” (maximum 6 in one category).
- ‘Team’ tests: 1 team consisting of 4 dogs per category, ‘L’, ‘M’ and ‘S’.

Note: The winners (same dog/Handler) in the ‘individual’ tests (L – M - S) of the previous Championship will be selected automatically so they can defend their title. These dogs will simply be added on to the number of dogs allowed for their country.

To qualify as a competitor at the World Championships, dogs must have a pedigree recognised by the FCI and achieve the qualification ‘Excellent’ or at least ‘Very Good’ in an official Agility 2 or Agility 3 test.

The NCOs can consider other criteria.
The NCOs will send the entry forms, properly completed and signed, to the organising committee before the closing date. They will, at the same time, appoint a ‘team leader’ or coach who shall be responsible for the team before the organising committee.

4. Ring equipment

2 complete agility sets, consisting both of the following approved obstacles:

14 hurdles with poles (1 brush fence, 1 hurdle with full panel, 1 hurdle with gate are also allowed – diameter of the poles should be 4 to 5 cm), 1 collapsible tyre, 1 wall or viaduct, 1 dog walk, 1 A-frame, 1 see-saw, weaving poles (the frame should be no thicker than 8 mm.), 1 table with an electronic timing device built in the surface, 1 long jump, 2 tube tunnels and 1 flat tunnel.

5. Veterinary control
Each dog will be submitted to a veterinary control before the competition starts. The inoculation certificates against rabies will be checked. Dogs coming from or going to a rabies-infected region must also have a valid health certificate issued by their veterinary surgeon.
Pregnant bitches or dogs that are ill or hurt will not be allowed to compete. Bitches in heat are allowed to compete, provided they are separated from the other competing dogs, and kept away from them and run last in the competition. All dogs must be chipped.

6. Record book or license
Each dog must have a record book or license, which is handed over to the organising committee before the competition starts.

7. Judges
The FCI Agility Committee will appoint two qualified judges, one of them must be from a different country than the organising country, and one assistant judge (this must be a FCI recognised judge). The two appointed judges are responsible for judging the courses, the assistant judge is only responsible for judging the up contact of the dog walk. 
The judge is not permitted to judge immediate family such as spouse, partner, father, mother, daughter, son or household residents.

The expenses of the judges are defined in the FCI ‘Specifications for the World Agility Championships’. The organiser must provide the foreign judge with an interpreter in one of the four FCI languages (French, English, German or Spanish). 
The judge’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

8. Specifications
The organising committee must abide by the FCI rules and regulations that lists all the committee’s duties and responsibilities and implement them correctly.