Integrity
Integrity
Introduction:
According to its Statutes, the ISMF’s mission includes promoting and safeguarding good sporting practices, protecting the integrity of ski mountaineering, ensuring clean and fair sport, and defending the rights, health, and well-being of athletes. This also means fighting against doping, corruption, competition manipulation, and any behavior that may undermine equal opportunities. The ISMF is equally committed to providing a safe environment for all participants, free from any form of harassment or abuse.
To achieve these missions, the ISMF has adopted several key regulatory instruments:
- The ISMF Integrity Code
- The ISMF Safeguarding Policy
- The ISMF Conflict of Interest Policy
This list may evolve, and additional regulations can be adopted to further strengthen the ISMF’s integrity framework.
Breaches of these rules are handled in accordance with the relevant regulations and, where applicable, the ISMF Disciplinary Rules.
Integrity Code
Integrity Code:
The ISMF works to promote ski mountaineering and uphold the ethical, athletic, and educational values that define our sport. To support this mission, the former Code of Ethics has been replaced by the ISMF Integrity Code, adopted by the Plenary Assembly on 18 October 2025 and effective as of 1 December 2025.
The Integrity Code aims to:
- Protect the integrity of ski mountaineering
- Safeguard athletes and all participants
- Guarantee fairness and equal opportunities in competition
The Code applies broadly to ISMF stakeholders, including ISMF Officials, competition officials, employees and contractors, Local Organising Committees, host cities, athletes, National Members and their representatives, team staff, partners, suppliers, media representatives involved with ISMF activities, candidates in ISMF elections, and any person who accepts to be bound by the Code.
The Integrity Code also establishes the Ethics and Compliance Office (ECO), an independent body ensuring that ISMF operates in line with its ethical commitments and regulatory obligations.
Useful resources:
- IOC Code of Ethics of August 2024: Code-of-Ethics-ENG.pdf
- Principle B1, B5 and B9 of the IPACS Recommendations of January 2023: IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and Guidelines
Safeguarding
Safeguarding:
Ski mountaineering should be a place where athletes feel safe, respected, and able to thrive. Sadly, harassment or abuse may occur in sport and can have serious consequences. To address this, the ISMF adopted the ISMF Safeguarding Rules, approved by the Plenary Assembly on 18 October 2025 and effective from 1 December 2025.
Any suspected breach of the Safeguarding Rules can be reported—anonymously or not—through the ISMF Report Channel.
Athletes seeking advice or support can also contact the ISMF Safeguarding Officer at:
Useful resources:
- Dedicated webpage of the IOC about safeguarding and safe sport: Safe Sport
- IOC Safe Sport Action Plan of May 2021 : 2021-Safe-Sport-for-athletes-action-plan.pdf
- Safeguarding athletes from harassment and abuse in sport IOC Toolkit for IFs and NOCs: pdf
- Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019): Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019) | British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Safe Sport International – Declaration and Principles of 2014: SafeSportInternationalDeclarationandPrinciples-2014.pdf
- The IOC platform Athlete365: Athlete365 | Latest news for Athletes, exclusive offers, new topic articles
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of Interest
Everyone involved in ski mountaineering is expected to act in the best interests of the ISMF and to comply with all ISMF regulations. This includes acting impartially and avoiding any real or perceived conflict of interest.
To provide clarity and enhance transparency, the ISMF Plenary Assembly adopted the ISMF Conflict of Interest Policy on 18 October 2025, with entry into force on 1 December 2025. The Policy outlines how conflicts of interest are identified, declared, and managed. It applies to all individuals covered by the ISMF Integrity Code.
The ISMF Conflict of Interest Policy requires that upon election, appointment, or employment, every person subject to this Policy must declare all interests that might result in a conflict of interest on the Declaration of Interest’s Form. This Form must be updated as soon as possible following any change in circumstances.
Useful resources:
- ISMF Declaration of Interest Form (Annex 1 to the ISMF Conflict of Interest Policy): ISMF Declaration of Interest Form
- Conflict of Interest: Implementing Provision of the IOC Code of Ethics Rules Concerning Conflict of Interest Affecting the Behaviour of Olympic Parties: Code-of-Ethics-ENG.pdf
- Principle C8 of the IPACS Recommendations of January 2023: IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and Guidelines
Prevention of Competition Manipulation
Prevention of Competition Manipulation
Competition manipulation or match-fixing is “an intentional arrangement, act or omission aimed at an improper alteration of the result or the course of a sports competition in order to remove all or part of the unpredictable nature of the sports competition with a view to obtaining an undue benefit for oneself or for others.” (Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, 2014).
Competition manipulation, also known as match-fixing is when the result of a tournament or competition is partially or completely decided in advance and the match is played to ensure the pre-determined outcome. This is against the rules of the game and often the law. The most common reason for match-fixing is to obtain a payoff from gamblers, but teams may also intentionally perform poorly to gain a future advantage, such as a better draft pick or, on paper, a less eminent opponent in a play-off.
To address this risk, the ISMF Integrity Code incorporates the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (as revised in September 2022). As a result, betting related to ski mountaineering competitions is strictly prohibited for all individuals bound by the ISMF Integrity Code.
Useful links:
- Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions of 2022: Code-Mouvement-Olympique-2022-EN.pdf
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) website about Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime: Safeguarding Sport
- Online resources from the UNODC: Safeguarding Sport: Resources and tools
- The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions of 2014 (Macolin Convention): CETS 215 – Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions
- Universal Declaration on Sports Integrity of October 2025: Universal-Declaration-on-Sports-Integrity.pdf
- Principle B3 of the IPACS Recommendations of January 2023: IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and Guidelines
- IOC Course about Preventing Competition Manipulation: Learning | Preventing Competition Manipulation 2023
Reporting
Reporting
Any suspected breach of the ISMF Integrity Code, Safeguarding Rules, or Conflict of Interest Policy can be reported through the ISMF Report Channel, where confidentiality is guaranteed.
Providing detailed information helps the ISMF assess and address concerns more efficiently. Reports may be submitted anonymously, but doing so may limit the ISMF’s ability to investigate.
For doping related reports, the ISMF encourages anyone who becomes aware of, or suspects, any breach of the WADA World Anti-Doping Code, to report such doping violation concerns in confidence. One way to do so is by using our Partners anonymous doping reporting platform called ‘Reveal’, that the International Testing Agency (ITA) launched in 2021.
Useful links:
- ISMF Report Channel: Report Channel
- Reveal Platform of the ITA: ita.whistleblowernetwork.net
- Principle B4 of the IPACS Recommendations of January 2023: IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and Guidelines
Ethics & Compliance Office
The ISMF Ethics and Compliance Office
The composition and the powers of the ISMF Ethics and Compliance Office (the “ECO”) are set out in the ISMF Integrity Code. The ECO is composed of 3 independent members, elected by the ISMF Plenary Assembly.
The ECO is empowered to:
- Investigate integrity-related matters before they are referred to the ISMF Disciplinary Commission and issue, if there is reasonable suspicion of an Integrity Code violation, a Report of Charge.
- Initiate investigations on its own when potential violations of the integrity-related regulations emerge.
- Adjudicate safeguarding matters in accordance with the ISMF Safeguarding Rules.
Composition of the ECO:
- Juan Jesús Ibañez Martin, President (2022-2026)
- Maxim Soldatkin, Secretary (2025-2029)
- Helder Navarro, Member (2024-2028)
Ethics and Compliance Office’s reports
Disciplinary Matters
Disciplinary Matters
The ISMF updated its disciplinary framework to align with the federation’s growth and professionalisation. The former “International Disciplinary Commission Rules” (2018) were therefore replaced by the ISMF Disciplinary Rules, adopted on 18 October 2025. Most provisions entered into force on 1 December 2025.
The Disciplinary Rules define the composition, powers, and procedures of the ISMF Disciplinary Commission, which typically consists of three to five independent members.
The ISMF Disciplinary Commission has jurisdiction over breaches of the ISMF Integrity Code, specific cases identified in ISMF Rules & Guidelines, and other cases defined by the ISMF Statutes. It is in principle composed of three to five independent members.
Disciplinary cases:
- 2025/2026 season (ongoing): 0 cases
- 2024/2025 season: 0 cases
- 2023/2024 season: 0 cases
Contact
Contact
For any integrity or safeguarding-related questions, please contact: ISMF Ethics and Compliance Office