2004 MISTRAL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION SYSTEM

A. Principles
i.Competitors shall be a member of a National IMCO, which is in good standing with IMCO International.
ii.The target maximum number of competitors in a fleet is 90. Men and women shall race separately.
iii.This shall be an ‘Open Entry’ Regatta for Divisions A (European men) & B (European women).
iv.If a maximum fleet size is not reached, IMCO Int. reserves the right to increase the size of the maximum country quota(s) for a national team in that/those fleet(s) if requested to do so by that National IMCO.
v. A "Wild Card" or a "Place by Right" is not a qualification place.
vi. Entries at the European Championship are restricted to competitors in the following Categories….
- Division A – Men: - European 'Nationals';
- Division B – Women: - European 'Nationals';
- Overseas Competitors may compete within these divisions only if they accompany their pre-registration form with a photocopy of a valid 'National Residency Visa' and/or 'Student Visa' with proof of 'Study' for a European Country. 
- It is the sole responsibility of the competitor concerned to ensure that the IMCO Executive Office receives these documents prior to the cut-off date specified in the relevant NoR.
- An 'Overseas Competitor' who has established division A or B status and races in the 2004 European Championship for a ‘restricted’ qualification place to the Worlds, is not eligible to compete for a ‘restricted place’ in any other continental championship prior to the 2004 World Championship.
- Division AC – Men: - Overseas 'Nationals';
- Division BC – Women: - Overseas 'Nationals';
- A maximum of 12 men & 8 women from outside Europe may qualify to race in the European Championship, through their own ‘home’ continental championships. These places will be divided equally between the 4 other Continental Championships.
vii. The first regatta in which a competitor qualifies shall count. If a competitor fills a qualification place again or that competitor is from a nation that has reached the maximum national country quota, the place will be handed down to the next eligible competitor at that regatta
viii. A maximum of 12 division ’A’ men from one nation may occupy qualification places.
ix.  A maximum of 10 division ’B’ women from one nation may register.
x.  If a European nation has qualified more than 12 men, those men will be ranked according to points attributed to them by the following calculation…
            COMPETITION VALUE (C.V.) divided by OFFICIAL RESULT = COMPETITOR’S POINTS
-  If a man has raced in more than one qualification regatta, the calculation will be applied to each of those regattas and his highest points will count.
-  The man with the highest points will head the ranking list. The first 12 men will qualify for the European Championship.
-  Those qualification places vacated by this process will be re-allocated as wild cards.
-  If a tie exists at the cut-off point, the man with the best finishing position in his counting regatta will qualify.
xi.  If, by the cut-off date specified in the NoR places remain unfilled, they shall be allocated as ‘Wild Cards to Cat. A European Nationals, where possible.
xii. ‘Places by Right’ shall be managed by the National IMCO concerned. They do not form part of the maximum entry quota per fleet.
xiii. The European Champion is not counted as part of the maximum national entry quota.
xiv. Results from Qualifying Regattas held in the current year of the European Championship shall count except when European Championships are less than 12 months apart and qualifying Regatta 'X' has not yet been held in the current year in which case the results from Regatta ‘X’ in the previous year shall count.
xv. The IMCO Executive office shall handle registrations.
xvi. Qualified competitors who have not entered & paid the entry fee by the cut-off date specified in the NoR may have their places re-allocated as Wild Cards.
xvii.      Two sets of official results shall be published
a) European Championship: For Divisions A & B only
b) ‘Open’: For Divisions A, AC, B & BC

B. Qualification System
European men may qualify if:
i. Places ‘By Right’:
National IMCOs may allocate places ‘By Right’ according to their membership category, provided that they are in good standing. See App. 1 for details.
ii. European champion:
The reigning European Champion (A & B) have automatic qualification places.
iii. Grand Slam  & Tour Qualifiers:
A competitor occupies a qualification place allocated to the following regattas.
This place may have to be confirmed by the applicable National IMCO.

2004 Grand Slam Qualifiers  
      Garda                     10 men
      Palma                     10 men
      SOF                        10 men
      Spa                         10 men
      03 Kieler Woche    10 men
      03 Youth Worlds    10 men
      Total                       60 men
NB.  Grand Slam Regattas may vary annually depending on the date of the European Championship.

2004 Tour Qualifiers
ASA Championship       5 men         Open
Athens Eurolymp           5 men         Restricted
Total                            10 men

iv. Wild Cards:
Competitors wishing to apply for a Wild Card must do so in writing to IMCO International and have the support of their national IMCO who shall countersign the letter of application.

Appendix 1
European National IMCO categories of membership
Algeria        1  Austria   1  Belarus   1   Belgium   1  Bulgaria  1  Cyprus    2 
Czech Rep.  1  France   3  Germany  3   GBR        2  Greece    1  Hungary  2
Israel           1  Italy       2  Latvia      1   Lithuania  1 NED        2  Poland    2
Portugal       1  Russia   1  SEY         1   Slovakia  1  Spain      2  SUI         1
Tunisia        1  Turkey   1  Ukraine    1
· A National IMCO may allocate place(s) ‘By Right’ according to its category of IMCO membership.
i.e.   Category   1          One man/One woman
        Category 2            Two men/Two women
        Category   3          Three men/three women
· National IMCOs wishing to change their category shall advise IMCO Int., in writing, prior to January 1st. of the year in which the change is to be effective.

Appendix 2
Qualification Restrictions For Mistral European ‘Tour’ Regattas
1.   ASA Championship
       - 5 men: ‘Open Qualification’
2   Athens Eurolymp                   
       - 2 men: ‘Open Qualification’ except for those who have finished in the top 15 in the European or World Champs
       - 3 Men: ‘Restricted Entry’ only competitors from the following Nations may occupy these places:
 Cyprus  Greece  Turkey  Bulgaria  Egypt  Lebanon  Tunisia  Malta