In 2020, the BWF membership introduced Vetting Rules and these were used for the elections of Council at the AGM in July 2021. The Vetting Rules are part of the BWF Constitution (Appendix II – Vetting Rules, page 34-44).

The Vetting Rules aim to maintain public confidence in the governance of the BWF by ensuring that each Relevant Person elected or appointed to a position within the BWF is and remains “Eligible”.

All Relevant Persons (Clause 1.2.2 of Appendix II – Vetting Rules) are bound by and are required to comply with the BWF Vetting Rules.

Relevant Persons

The following people are subject to vetting under the Vetting Rules.

• Council members
• Secretary General (SB)
• Referral Officer (RO)
• Members of the Independent Hearing Panel (IHP)
• Members of the Sports Disciplinary Panel (SDP)
• Members of the Independent Vetting Panel (IVP)
• Vetting Officer (VO)
• Candidates standing for election or appointment to those positions.
• Other persons subject to vetting as per Clause 19.1.17 of the Constitution.

Independent Vetting Panel

The Independent Vetting Panel (IVP) is the panel that conducts vetting of Relevant Persons. This panel is external and independent of the BWF.

The role of the IVP is to decide if an applicant or existing Official is Eligible to be, or remain in office, as a BWF Official in accordance with the BWF Statutes (BWF Constitution – Appendix II – Vetting Rules).

To be “Eligible”

The IVP gathers information on Relevant Persons through a range of methods (including a Declaration Form) and uses the criteria in the Vetting Rules to assess each individual. Clause 2.3 of Appendix II – Vetting Rules details the criteria to assess Eligibility and there is a three step process of assessment:

1. Objective Assessment
2. Reputation Assessment
3. Exceptional Circumstances Assessment

The IVP may assess (and/or reassess) the Eligibility of a Relevant Person at any time, including after their election or appointment.

Independent Appointment Body

The Independent Appointment Body (IAB) is an external and independent body appointed by the BWF AGM on the recommendation of the Secretary General (SB). The role of the IAB is:

• To recruit, vet and recommend the members of the Independent Vetting Panel to the BWF AGM, and
• To recruit and recommend the members of the Independent Hearing Panel to the BWF AGM.
• To appoint a Vetting Officer whose role is to administer the vetting process.