1. Condition of Entry

Entry is open to all recipients of life supporting allografts and/or bone marrow transplants from other individuals or species and to dialysis patients. Competitors must have been transplanted for at least 1 year or be in dialysis treatment for at least six months, be medically fit and have trained at the events in which they have entered.

Ideally, each nation will have selected its best competitors and ensure that they are medically fit, without significant complications of chronic organ failure or immunosuppressive therapy (transplantees) or of dialysis therapy (dialysis patients).

Before competing, each competitor must send back a “waiver” form with his sport registration, which states that he has knowledge of the rules of the events entered and of the difficulties of the event entered.

In addition, an ETDSF medical certificate for each competitor must be submitted to the Local Organising Committee (LOC) at least 1 month before the start of the Games. The medical certificate must be fully filled out and signed by a senior transplant doctor (transplantees) or a senior dialysis doctor (dialysis patients). The medical certificates will be reviewed by representatives both of the ETDSF and of the LOC and, if deemed unsatisfactory, that competitor may be barred from competition.

All participants must register via their national organisation which is member of ETDSF. All registration materials must be reviewed by the team manager prior to submission.

Entry forms must include a signed declaration from each competitor that he/she is fit and has trained for the events entered.

2. Age category

All competitors must compete in their age category. No change to another age category is allowed. If there are less than 3 entrants in one event category, they will compete in the age group below (eg.: in case of senior entry, they compete in adults category). The competitor of a lower age group can not compete in higher category, except adult competitors. If there are less than 3 adult competitors they can compete together with seniors.

Athletes will compete by gender in the following age groups (age on the day of the opening ceremony of the games will apply):

• 18-29: Adults
• 30-39: Seniors
• 40-49: Super Seniors
• 50-59: Veterans
• 60 and over: Super Veterans

Team events, relay events and mixed doubles events will be one open age category.

It depends on the number of competitors whether the doubles events can be done by age category.

Children will compete by gender in the following age groups: 5 years and under, 6-9 years, and 10-13 years.

Juniors will compete by gender in the following age groups: 14-15 years, and 16 – 17 years. In addition, if a competitor at the age of 16 or 17 years competes successfully in his/her country's transplant Games as an adult, he/she may compete as an adult in the European Games in this event.

Race bibs of each age group should be identified by a distinct colour so that competitors will be able to easily determine each other’s age group during competition.

3. Entrants

The transplant and the dialyzed competitors compete in separated events. If there is a shortage of time or if too few dialyzed or transplanted competitors have entered one age category in an event, a combined event in this age categories held. The results are counted separately.

Each dialysed competitor must have a rest of at minimum eight hours after a dialysis treatment before he is allowed to enter an event.

All sports are run in accordance with the international regulations except where modified in these ETDSF Sports Rules. Contravening these regulations will result in disqualification.

If in an event – considering all age categories – there are less than 3 competitors than that event has to be cancelled. In this case possibility has to be provided for these competitors for the participation in another event. Information about it has to be given for them before the starting up of the Games. If a dialyzed athlete agrees he/she can compete together with the transplant.

There will be a separate heat or bracket for each age group if eight or more individuals compete. If there are fewer than eight individuals or in other cases, age groups may be combined in the interests of competition and meet management.

Athletes will be allowed to enter a total of five events, in addition to the swimming and track relay events. Athletes may not enter events that take place at the same time. Failure of an athlete to appear at any event when called may result in the athlete being scratched or eliminated from that competition. There will be no appeal of any disqualification for failure to appear.

For events with more than one competitor, e.g. doubles and relays, each team must consist of members from one nation only. Mixed national teams are not permitted. It is not permitted to change doubles partners after the entry deadline.

It is not permitted to enter an event after the entry deadline. Exceptions can be allowed for double and mixed events and for relays.

4. Seeding

Seeding should be used in all events to ensure the fairest competition possible. In all events, to insure the fairest competition possible, the entries should be formatted using standard procedures. The following factors should be considered (in this order):

• medallists from the previous European Games;
• performances from the previous national games (in evaluating national games, the strength of the competition - quality and size - should be considered);
• other pertinent information.

5. Medals

Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded in all age categories. In the racquet events both loosing semi-finals will be awarded a bronze medal.