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Code of Conduct · v1.0

Respect is part of the competition

This code is how everyone at a Bachata Social World Cup event treats each other. It applies to every person who takes part, whatever their role, title or result. That includes our own team.

Competitors, judges, MCs and hosts, competition coordinators, marshals and scorers, staff and volunteers, partner organizers and their teams, the Bachata Social World Cup team and directors, coaches, supporters, spectators, photographers and videographers.

It applies at every Bachata Social World Cup competition (qualifiers, cups and the World Cup Finals), at the parties and activities around them, and online whenever the behavior is connected to the competition or to the people in it.

Partner festivals that host a qualifier have their own rules too. Where both apply, the stricter one wins.

Competitors accept this code when they register, as part of our Terms. Judges, MCs, staff and partner organizers accept it when they take on their role.

No role, reputation, ranking or level of visibility places anyone above this code.

For everyone

Nine rules, every role

01

Respect everyone

Discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying and humiliation are not accepted. This includes "jokes", imitations and gestures that mock someone for their nationality, ethnicity, skin color, facial features, accent, language, religion, body, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.

02

Consent and boundaries

Consent is free, mutual and can be withdrawn at any time. Agreeing to dance is not agreeing to close embrace or extra contact. A no, or a stop, is respected immediately and needs no explanation.

03

No harassment of any kind

Unwanted sexual attention, sexualized comments about someone's body or dancing, unwanted contact, repeated advances after a refusal, threats, stalking and retaliation against someone who refused, disagreed or reported are never accepted.

04

Dance safely

Mind the space and the people around you. No dips, lifts or tricks without room, skill and the consent of your partner. Respect injuries and physical limits.

05

Influence is responsibility

Judges, artists, MCs, organizers and staff never use their position to pressure, humiliate or obtain anything from anyone, and never punish someone for a refusal or a report.

06

Online counts too

Insults, mockery, pile-ons and harassment on social media or messaging apps are treated as if they happened at the event when they target competitors, judges, staff or anyone involved. This also applies when an incident becomes public: criticize the behavior, never threaten the person.

07

Respect privacy

Do not film or photograph people covertly, keep filming after someone objects, or share images to mock or harass anyone.

08

Honesty and fair play

One account per person and true information when you register. No attempt to influence a result by anything other than dancing.

09

Respect the event

Follow the instructions of the competition team, marshals, security and venue staff. Respect the venue and other people's property. Intoxication is never an excuse, and illegal drugs are not tolerated.

Everyone has a duty to step in

When something discriminatory or abusive happens in front of you, staying silent lets it pass as normal. You do not need to confront anyone: tell a member of the competition team, or write to us afterwards. People with a microphone, a judge's seat or an organizer's badge are expected to act on the spot.

Safeguarding

Dancers under 18

Dancers can compete from the age of 16. Every adult at our events shares the responsibility for keeping younger dancers safe.

  • Competitors must be at least 16 years old on the day of the competition. Organizers may ask for an ID.
  • Dancers under 18 register with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian, who stays reachable during the event.
  • Dancers under 18 wear a wristband from check-in until the end of the event, so staff, bar teams and partners recognize them.
  • Bachata is a sensual dance, and that does not change. With a dancer under 18, the connection stays respectful and never sexualized, and the younger dancer can always ask to adapt the dance.
  • Adults never flirt with or make advances toward a dancer under 18, even if it seems welcome, and send them no private messages beyond what the competition needs. This applies to judges, artists, staff and competitors alike.
  • Nobody offers alcohol to a dancer under 18, and parties remain under the venue's own age rules.
  • Photos and videos of dancers under 18 are published only with the consent of their parent or guardian, and never edited or shared in a sexualized way.
  • Prize money and travel for a dancer under 18 are arranged with their parent or guardian.
  • Any concern about the safety of a dancer under 18 is reported straight away. We may inform their parent or guardian and, where needed, the authorities.

By role

More influence, more responsibility

On top of the rules for everyone, each role has its own.

Competitors

You represent yourself, your community and your country. Your flag goes onto the floor with you.

  • Be gracious in victory and in defeat. Celebrate others without belittling them.
  • Give every partner the draw gives you your best dance. Showing disappointment, refusing or neglecting a partner goes against the spirit of the competition.
  • No booing, mocking or deliberately distracting other competitors, on the floor or from the audience.
  • Never approach, message or pressure a judge about scores or results, at the event or on social media. Questions about results go in writing to info@bachatasocialworldcup.com.
  • Disagreeing with a result is normal. Publicly attacking a judge's honesty or good faith is not.
  • Be on time, follow the marshals and keep your bib visible. If you cannot compete, tell the organizer as early as you can.

Judges

Your scores decide who travels to Geneva and who becomes champion. Integrity is the whole job.

  • Judge only what you see on the floor, against the published criteria. Reputation, friendship, nationality or school play no part.
  • Declare any conflict of interest to the competition coordinator before the event: your students, your dance partner, family, your own team or school, or anyone you have a business relationship with. The competition coordinator decides how it is handled, and it is recorded.
  • Keep scores and deliberations confidential until the results are published. Do not tell a dancer how you scored before then.
  • Never lobby other judges, and never accept gifts, favors or pressure from competitors, coaches or organizers.
  • Sober and focused on the panel, phone notifications off during rounds.
  • Feedback after the results is welcome when it is asked for, kind and private. Never comment publicly on a competitor in a demeaning way.

MCs and hosts

A microphone multiplies every word. What an MC says, or lets pass, becomes what the event stands for.

  • No jokes about nationality, ethnicity, accent, physical features, body, gender or sexual orientation, including jokes meant kindly.
  • Introduce every dancer and every country with the same respect and energy. Ask how to pronounce names you do not know.
  • If something discriminatory or humiliating happens on stage or in the audience, step in on the spot: stop it, say clearly that it is not accepted, and move on. Then report it to the competition coordinator.
  • Stay neutral about results. Do not hint at scores or favorites before they are published.
  • Keep the energy high without making anyone the target of the show.

Coordinators, marshals, scorers and staff

The competition runs on your fairness. Every dancer must be treated the same way.

  • No favoritism in marshalling, heat assignment, scoring or information. The same rule for everyone, every time.
  • Handle scores and results with care, and report any error the moment you see it.
  • Keep personal data private: phone numbers, emails and documents never leave the people who need them.
  • Take every concern seriously and pass it to the competition coordinator or to the organization, even when it involves someone you know.

Partner organizers

A qualifier carries the Bachata Social World Cup name, and this code with it.

  • Apply this code at your qualifier and share it with your MC, judges, staff and volunteers before the event.
  • Name one person on site who receives concerns, and make sure competitors know who it is.
  • Report any incident involving the competition to the Bachata Social World Cup within seven days, even if you already handled it on the spot.
  • Sanctions decided by the Bachata Social World Cup apply at every qualifier, cup and Final.

The Bachata Social World Cup team

This code binds us first.

  • Directors, MCs, coordinators and everyone working for the Bachata Social World Cup follow the same rules as everyone else.
  • When a concern involves a member of our own team, that person takes no part in handling it.
  • When we get something wrong, we say so publicly.

Coaches, supporters and spectators

Cheer as loud as you like, for your dancers and for everyone else.

  • No booing, mocking or abusive comments toward competitors, judges or staff.
  • Do not approach judges or the scoring table during the competition. Coaches raise questions about results in writing, after the round.
  • Keep the marshalling and backstage areas clear unless you are invited in.

Speak up

Raise a concern

You do not need to be sure it breaks the code before you reach out. You do not need to confront anyone, and you can bring someone you trust.

  • At the event: tell the competition coordinator or any marshal. At festivals with a care team, you can also go to them.
  • After the event: write to info@bachatasocialworldcup.com. Say what happened, when and where, and add photos, videos or the names of witnesses if you have them.
  • In an emergency, call the local emergency number first.
info@bachatasocialworldcup.com
  • There is no deadline: we act from the moment we learn about something, even months later.
  • You can report anonymously, but we may not be able to act on a report we cannot verify.
  • Reports are handled as discreetly as possible. Retaliating against someone who reported is itself a serious breach.

What happens next

  1. 1Immediate safety comes first, whether or not a report is made.
  2. 2We acknowledge every report within seven days.
  3. 3We look at the facts: what was reported, any videos or photos, and what witnesses say.
  4. 4The person concerned is told what is alleged and can give their side before anything is decided.
  5. 5The World Cup Committee reviews the case and decides on a response, based on the facts and not on who is involved.
  6. 6Both the person who raised the concern and the person concerned are told the outcome, as far as privacy allows.

Consequences

Sanctions, case by case

There is no fixed scale. Every case is different, so every case is reviewed by the World Cup Committee, and the sanction is decided for that case.

What the Committee weighs

  • What happened, in what context, and its impact on the people involved
  • Whether it was a single moment or a repeated behavior
  • How the person responded: whether they took responsibility, apologized or made things worse

Depending on the case, a sanction can go from a reminder of this code to a permanent ban from all Bachata Social World Cup competitions. Serious cases do not need a prior warning.

  • During an event, the competition coordinator can disqualify or remove someone on the spot. Anything beyond the event is decided by the World Cup Committee.
  • Sanctions apply at every qualifier, cup and Final. We may inform partner organizers so the decision is applied everywhere.
  • When an incident is public, we may publish the decision without naming the people involved.
  • These are decisions about taking part in our competitions, not criminal judgments. Where the law is broken, the authorities may be contacted.

Appeals

Anyone sanctioned beyond the event itself can appeal in writing to info@bachatasocialworldcup.com within 14 days of being told the decision. The appeal is reviewed by members of the World Cup Committee who did not take the first decision, and their decision is final. A sanction stays in force while the appeal is reviewed.

Version 1.0, last updated 21 October 2026.