Within the scope of the Law on Sports Clubs and Sports Federations dated 22.04.2022 and numbered 7405 and the Regulation on Procedures and Principles on the Work of Independent Sports Federations dated 19.07.2012 and numbered 28358, "Turkey E-Sports Federation's Main Statute" ("Main Statute") prepared by the Turkey Sports Federation ("Federation") was published in the Official Gazette on 18 November 2022 and entered into force on the same day.
The Main Statute determines the general assembly, board of directors, supervisory board, disciplinary board and other boards of the Federation, sports clubs operating in the field of e-sports and other related organizations, and the procedures and principles that must be followed in all activities carried out by the Federation.
The executive bodies constituting the Federation's administrative structure, the duties, and powers of; and the qualifications and procedure of the election for the said bodies are regulated by the Main Statute.
The following are the prominent ones among the duties and powers of the Federation set out under the Main Statute:
- To make all types of arrangements, produce projects, take and implement decisions in order to ensure the spread and development of sports (e-sports) around the country.
- To program and control the implementation of domestic and international activities related to e-sports in Turkey and abroad.
- To organize and to ensure the continuity of organized competitions within the country, to assign referees, representatives, and observers.
- To give permission to persons and organizations for private competitions, private seminars, and courses, after they fulfill necessary conditions.
In addition, within the scope of the activities of the Federation, it is regulated that the Federation's board of directors is exclusively authorized to broadcast, transmit, organize, and schedule all the races related to this sport via television, radio, internet and all kinds of technical devices or similar means, within the borders of the Republic of Turkey.
In the Main Statute, it is regulated that sports clubs operating in sports branches affiliated to the Federation and other sports clubs, sports branches and sports joint-stock companies will be affiliated to the Federation in matters falling under the jurisdiction of the Federation. According to the regulation, the sports clubs, provincial directorates, and sports joint-stock companies will be recorded and registered by the Ministry of Youth and Sports ("Ministry").
The last important issue regulated in the Main Statute is the regulation that the registrations of sports joint-stock companies, that do not participate in the sports branch activities they undertake to participate in, for 3 consecutive years without permission and excuse, will be canceled by the relevant sports federation via the Ministry's information system. According to the Main Statute, these sports joint-stock companies whose registrations have been canceled will not be able to participate in the competitions and will not be able to be represented in the Federation's general assembly.
With this regulation introduced for the e-sports branch, which has found its place with large-scale organizations in Turkey, the details and boundaries of the Federation's powers and duties have been determined, and thus, the Federation has gained an independent structure.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
