First Answers
In the tutorial that went up with the previous post, we mistakenly published the date of 1 September 2012 as the start to the card's mandatory use by dancers in WDSF competitions.
We apologise for the mistake. While the above date was indeed the target when WDSF first embarked on the project, the Athlete's ID Cards will not be mandatory for participation in WDSF competitions until 1 January 2013. This has since been corrected in the tutorial video!
Why wouldn't my membership in the national organisation suffice? Why two membership cards? I already have all this information with USA Dance, which is a member of WDSF. Why do I need two cards? Was there a reason that my USA Dance card and membership number was not considered in this?
B.B. | USA
It is important to point out that the Athlete's ID Card is not - per se - a "membership" card. The dancer's relationship to WDSF is established through his or her national governing body being a WDSF Member. A membership other than that is definitely not established by issuing these cards to individual dancers around the world.
The card is a tool for individuals to be properly identified throughout the different stages of participation in the WDSF competition system. From entering a competition conveniently from one's home, to the actual check-in at the venue, to the publication of results in print and online after the final round, and, finally, to the appropriate World Ranking points being credited to each dancer.
With 1,000+ WDSF competitions staged every year, this can no longer be done without significant improvements to processes such as registration, result and Ranking List management, etc.
At the core of it all is the proprietary Registration and Licensing System. It has significantly improved some of these processes already, but without reaching the level of perfection that further standardisation and automation will ensure. Unfortunately, bringing national registration numbers in unison for a global system of identifying each athlete with however many digits and/or bars is not an option. Enter the WDSF Athlete's ID Card!
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