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The NCAA News -- November 22, 1999

Olympic sports group favors modification of expense rule

The NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee has strongly reaffirmed its support of a proposed modification to Bylaw 12.1.1.4.4 that would allow currently enrolled student-athletes (as well as prospective athletes) to receive funding to cover actual and necessary developmental training expenses that are approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee or the appropriate national governing body.

The Divisions II and III memberships will vote on the proposal at the 2000 Convention in San Diego in January. The Agents and Amateurism Subcommittee of the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet has tabled the proposal (No. 98-37) until February 2000.

The committee noted its belief that approving the legislation as soon as possible would be in the best interests of currently enrolled student-athletes hoping to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

As currently stated, Bylaw 12.1.1.4.4 permits prospective student-athletes to receive actual and necessary expenses to cover "developmental training, coaching, facility usage, equipment, apparel, supplies, comprehensive health insurance, travel, and room and board" without jeopardizing the individual's eligibility for intercollegiate athletics, if such expenses are approved and provided directly by the USOC or the appropriate national governing body. After college enrollment, however, the receipt of such expenses must be consistent with Bylaws 12.1.1.1 and 16.11.1.4, which describe prohibited forms of pay.

The committee also discussed how to achieve greater compliance with a little-known provision from the Amateur Sports Act.

The act, which is federal law, states: "Any amateur sports organization which conducts amateur athletic competition, participation in which is restricted to a specific class of amateur athletes (such as high-school students, college students, members of the Armed Forces, or similar groups or categories), shall have exclusive jurisdiction over such competition. If such an amateur sports organization wishes to conduct international amateur athletic competition to be held in the United States, or sponsor international amateur athletic competition to be held outside the United States, it shall obtain a sanction from the appropriate national governing body."

The provision has been held to mean that college teams competing abroad are required to acquire the approval of the appropriate national governing body. For instance, if any college soccer team is planning to compete abroad, it must gain approval from the U.S. Soccer Federation.

The Olympic Sports Liaison Committee considered whether such a requirement should be incorporated into NCAA legislation.

Ultimately, however, the committee concluded that because the NCAA has traditionally not incorporated federal law into its own rules that this would not be appropriate. Instead, the committee agreed to identify ways to educate the NCAA membership about this law and will continue those efforts on an ongoing basis.