Preamble
In order to maintain and promote a positive sports culture in Europe, a complete awareness of the common heritage of physical education and European sports is needed. A specific future cannot be created without appropriate knowledge of the past.
Responsible development of the common cause in promoting European Sports History demands the following:
- favouring cooperation among sports historians in Europe and beyond,
- encouraging exchange of ideas as much as possible,
- organising international sports history congresses and conferences to reinforce awareness of a common heritage,
- promoting the emergence and formation of young researchers,
- calling upon European-level specialists to serve as support for young people,
- harmonising European sport teaching standards in Europe at the highest university level,
- facilitating international research projects,
- accelerating comparative research into European sports history,
- facilitating exchange of bibliographical material,
- building a wide network of researchers,
- creating a European dimension in sports history studies,
- creating a European Doctorate and Masters in sports history,
- encouraging knowledge of European languages among sports history researchers given due respect to local, regional and national traditions,
- publishing and spreading research results in as wide a manner as possible,
- encouraging audio-visual production in order to develop a European-dimension education,
- promoting actions safeguarding sports history archives and disseminating material and archive protection.
In order to achieve these goals, a European Committee for Sports History (CESH) was established within the European Network of Sports Sciences Institutes. CESH is without profit-making purposes and is made up of individual and institutional members.
- NAME
The organisation shall be called the European Committee for Sports History (CESH). It shall have its logo and motto as cognita historia futurum figurare.
- STATUTES AND SOCIAL SEAT
2.1. CESH is an organisation without profit-making objectives, in conformity with European law. It pursues scientific objectives and international accord. Everything shall be done to assure it statutes exonerate it from taxation.
2.2. No member shall make a profit from CESH, with the exception of reimbursement of expenses on the basis provided for by European institutions or fixed conditions for using received emoluments. CESH co-operates with the European network of sports sciences in higher education. The seat or location shall be the postal address of the President.
- INTERNAL REGULATIONS
The Directing council presents Interior Regulations which have to be approved by the General Assembly. These aim at a correct running of the daily business of the Directing Council.
- CATEGORY OF MEMBERS
4.1. There are five categories of members: members, Fellows, honorary members, honorary Fellows, and institutional members.
4.2. Any bona fide researcher (in all good faith) in sports history who works in a European Union nation or in a country which has an equivalent statute in regard to cultural and educational exchange may be Member. The Directing Council may refuse membership for justified reasons.
4.3. Any Member who, having published at least one monograph on sports history, adheres to the CESH objectives, is a paid-up CESH member, commands two languages, has presented a scientific paper in at least two CESH congresses, and will be present at the next CESH congress, may be elected to the College of Fellows as a Fellow, with less than 10% of negative votes. Annual membership of the College of Fellows is dependent on the payment of the annual CESH membership fee for that year.
4.4. Joining as Honorary Fellow may be conferred on any researcher in line with attaining the status of Fellow and who has produced significant contributions to sports history. Honorary Fellows are elected with less than 10% of negative votes of the College of Fellows and enjoy the same rights as the latter. They are excused payment of the annual membership fees.
4.5. Any bona fide institution (in all good faith) in sports history may be Institutional Member and receive a copy of the journal. In order to become such, a representative of this institution must ask to join.
- GENERAL ASSEMBLY
5.1. The General Assembly is the primary organ of CESH and is constituted by all paid-up members with the right to vote.
5.2. CESH holds a General Assembly of Members where possible annually at its International Congresses or Conferences. The President proposes the agenda. Members may propose agenda items with supportive papers. The General Secretary announces one month in advance by any proper means the CESH annual reunion to each paid-up member with the right to vote. This information is also published on the CESH website. This information indicates the time, place and anything concerning the general conditions of the reunion.
5.3. The General Assembly lays down the lines of development of the association, makes fundamental decisions, deliberates on the function of executive and representative organs, and constantly exercises appropriate action so that all activities are in line with the conditions of the present statutes. Its deliberations are sovereign.
5.4. The status of CESH member is in line with the version of the annual associative fee established by the General Assembly on the proposition of the Directing Council and within the conditions determined by the Interior Regulations.
5.5. Within the Assembly each member cannot represent any other member as a means of voting or nomination.
5.6. The General Assembly possesses the following obligations:
- approves the financial account of the past year and its appropriate report,
- elects for four years by secret ballot the CESH President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer,
- co-opts the Vice-President,
- nominates two auditors,
- determines the directions that the Association’s activity should take,
- assesses and ultimately approves the activity programmes decided on by the Directing Council or whoever might be interested in the final decisions of the Association,
- approves ultimately the Interior Regulations proposed by the Directing Council necessary for good associative functioning before they become valid,
- deliberates on other subjects inscribed in the agenda,
- elects a recorder and ensures that minutes are being kept.
- DIRECTING COUNCIL
6.1. In the event of differing interpretations of the statutes, the conduct of CESH is decided upon by the Directing Council. The President presides over the Directing Council.
6.2. The Directing Council is made up of the President, the General Secretary, the Treasurer, for four years each, and of the President Elect or the Past President, for two years each.
6.3. One Vice President may be co-opted by the General Assembly with certain tasks concerning the organisation of the congresses and conferences. The position of Vice Presi- dent may not last for longer than 30 months.
6.4. The elected officers have the usual duties that accord with such charges and which are further described in the Interior Regulations. The Vice President endorse also the duty of Organising and Scientific Committee for the next international CESH congress under preparation. The Vice Presidents charged with other specific duties may also be elected at the General Assembly. After having informed the President and obtained his consent, any Member of the Directing Council has the right to represent CESH by himself or herself, unless other dispositions have been taken.
6.5. In case of the stepping down of the President or his declared indisposition, the conduct of the Directing Council is conferred on the President Elect. In the absence of the latter, the General Secretary is named interim President until the next General Assembly.
6.6. The Directing Council is quorate when half plus one of voting members is present. It is presided over by the President or, on his/her absence, by the President Elect. The General Secretary fulfills the functions of the Council Secretary. The Directing Council deliberates always with a simple majority of those present. In the event of an equal number of votes, the vote of whoever presides over the meeting prevails. If financial matters are at stake no decisions can be taken against the explicit vote of the Treasurer.
6.7. The Directing Council may accept votes by correspondence or by e-mail. Apart from differing interpretations of the laws or the present statute, the decisions of the Committee are taken on the basis of a simple majority.
6.8. The Directing Council shall present to the General Assembly final reports for the term since the previous General Assembly of the President, the General Secretary, and of the Treasurer. The reports must contain all the operations undertaken by CESH and which concern the acceptation of members in terms of paragraph 4.
- COLLEGE OF FELLOWS
7.1. In line with Article 3, all Fellows and Honorary Fellows shall form the College of Fellows. This latter shall elect a President who deals with the nominations of President Elect, General Secretary, and Treasurer to be proposed to the General Assembly. The College shall also be concerned with running the College of Fellows. The period of duties is two years. Election is held one year before the end of term with the possibility of being re-elected once. The President of the College of Fellows may nominate a Secretary of his/her choice.
7.2. The College of Fellows proposes the new officers to the General Assembly vote. If the General Assembly does not accept the candidatures of the College, the Fellows of the College who are present take a time out and propose other officers to the same General Assembly. The College shall elect new Fellows and Honorary Fellows with less than 10% of negative votes.
- DUES AND FINANCES
8.1. The amount of the annual dues for all classes of CESH membership shall be determined by vote of the General Assembly upon proposal of the Treasurer.
8.2. CESH members who are full-time students or unemployed shall be assessed reduced annual dues.
8.3. Members, who are members of CESH and a national section which is accredited by CESH shall be assessed a reduced percentage of the annual dues.
8.4. CESH membership terminates on 31 December if fees are not paid for the following year.
8.5. Participants presenting a research at CESH congresses must be CESH-members for the civil year in which the congress is held.
- CANDIDATURE TO ELECTIONS IN THE DIRECTING COUNCIL
Candidatures to elective functions in the Directing Council (President, General Secretary and Treasurer) are presented to the President of the College of Fellows not later than 60 days before the date of the elective General Assembly. The President of the College shall be responsible for communicating to all voting members and for publishing on the CESH website the list of candidates as well as the election date of the President of the College of Fellows. The candidates for President of the College of Fellows shall be proposed not later than 60 days before the date of the reunion of Fellows. In order to incorporate more CESH members in leading elective functions, all holders of such functions cannot be re-elected, unless stated otherwise.
- AFFILIATION OF NATIONAL SOCIETIES FOR SPORTS HISTORY TO CESH
Definition
In order to reinforce its role as a European steering group, CESH proposes to strengthen contacts with national societies for sports history through affiliation to CESH.
Affiliation consists on mutual recognition and support in developing sports history research in Europe. CESH and affiliated societies promote each other’s events and activities (i.e. on their webpages). They work together to coordinate European research projects, to organise the international CESH congresses and to train junior scholars (i.e. through seminars).
Organisation
An affiliated society shall appoint one representative who will represent the society within CESH. Affiliated societies shall present each year an account of their work to the Directing Council. They may also present their activities during the General Assemblies of CESH.
Procedure
Applications to CESH affiliation must first be agreed by the Directing Council of the single national society. Affiliation to CESH may then be requested by at least three scholars, which are members of both CESH and of the national society for sports history. Requests must be presented during and approved by the General Assembly of CESH.
There may be only one national society affiliated to CESH per country.
- OFFICIAL WEB SITE
CESH has its own website (www.cesh-site.eu) operated on a regular basis by the President and by the General Secretary, to whom everyone may signal news or information of interest to sport historians.
- DISSOLUTION OF CESH
CESH may be dissolved by a vote of three-quarters of all CESH members, who answered by postal ballot. Sums of money remaining in the account may be given to a Foundation chosen by the General Assembly.
Leicester, 6 September 2016
Evangelos Albanidis Daphné Bolz Alejandro de la Viuda Serrano President General Secretary Treasurer
Former CESH Statutes: