Memorandum

Article 1 - Name of the Federation

The Federation shall be known as the Asian Squash Federation, whose official abbreviated title is “ASF”.

The ASF is a duly constituted Regional Federation of the World Squash Federation (WSF) and is solely responsible for the administration of squash in Asia.

The ASF is represented on the WSF Executive Committee by the President or his nominee as the WSF Regional Vice President (Asia).

Article 2 – Eligibility and Criteria for Admission to Membership

National Squash Associations or Federations which meet the following criteria may be considered for membership of the Federation:

- Are the sole authority for the administration of squash within their national boundaries and are so recognised by their National Olympic Committee. Where there is no National Olympic Committee in a country they must be recognised by the National Sports Organisation in that country. Evidence of recognition by either the National Olympic Committee or the National Sports Organisation must be provided to the ASF. Any document must be in English or have an English translation attached.

- That they are constitutionally obliged to promote and develop squash in their country without bias of gender, race or religion. A copy of their Constitution must be provided to the ASF. Any document must be in English or have an English translation attached.

Application for membership is to be proposed by a member in good standing as a nation to the General Meeting whose simple majority vote is required for acceptance. National Squash Associations or Federations are entitled to full benefits of membership immediately upon acceptance.

Members shall be grouped into five Sub-Regional Federations for the purpose of promoting and regulating squash within a given geographical area. There shall be Sub-Regional Federations for the following areas: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia (as per Article 5). In the event of a dispute as to which Sub-Regional Federation a Member should belong, the decision of the ASF shall be final.

Article 3 – Principles and Objects

The principles and objects of the ASF are:

  1. To serve as the sole administrative body for the sport in Asia
  2. To promote the game of squash in Asia without bias for gender, race or religion.
  3. To uphold and enforce the Rules of Squash as determined by the WSF and implement the regulations for international competitive squash.
  4. To promote the inclusion of squash in all Regional and Sub- Regional Games in Asia.
  5. To protect the common interest of its members through consultation and coordinated effort.
  6. To uphold and enforce good governance and behavior by all bodies and individuals in and from Asia. In this regard the provisions and scope of the current WSF Code of Ethics shall be used as the basis of dealing with Asian Regional matters that require investigation; and Asian Squash Federation shall use the processes indicated by it to deal with such matters. Similarly, the WSF Code of Conduct shall be used where appropriate to deal with conduct matters.

Article 4 – Powers of the ASF

The ASF shall have the following powers:

  1. To formulate and adopt such Rules and Regulations that are necessary or desirable to achieve the objects of the ASF.
  2. To organise, by delegation to members, all squash championships under the control of the ASF as specified in the ASF Championship Regulations.
  3. To admit National Squash Associations or Federations which meet the criteria to membership of the ASF.
  4. To expel or suspend any member which is in breach of any of the provisions of this Constitution or any of the Rules, Regulations or Resolutions of the ASF.
  5. To determine from time to time the annual membership subscription.
  6. To elect or appoint suitably qualified persons to carry out the day-to-day affairs of the ASF.

Article 5 – Officers of the Federation

The President, Secretary General, Honorary Treasurer, the three (3) Vice Presidents and any other Officers appointed by the President (limited to five persons) shall constitute the Officers of the ASF.

The following shall be elected Officers of ASF.

  1. President
  2. Three (3) Vice Presidents

Election for these elected Officers are held every four (4) years at the appropriate General Meeting of the ASF, and the elected Officers hold office for a four year term. Elected Officers may stand for re-election but shall be limited to 3 consecutive or non-consecutive terms of four years.

The Secretary General and the Honorary Treasurer shall be from the same Country as the President and shall reside in that Country. They shall be appointed by the President and shall serve at his pleasure. Similarly, the other Officers appointed by the President, as provided for above, would serve at his pleasure.

The President, when elected, shall be deemed to come from Asia and not from any sub-region. Of the three Vice Presidents only one may be elected from any one of the five sub-regions of the Olympic Council of Asia. The sub-regions are:

East Asia: China, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei.

South East Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor Leste.

South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

West Asia: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Should the position of President become vacant, the Vice Presidents shall elect one of their number to complete the four year term. The position of the Secretary General and Honorary Treasurer will not change and the Secretariat shall remain in the country of the previous President.

Should any Vice President’s position become vacant, the President and the remaining Vice Presidents shall decide whether to leave the position vacant until the next elections or to appoint a new Vice President pro term until the next elections.

A retiring President may be appointed, by the General Meeting at which his/her term of office concludes, to the position of Emeritus President. The appointment shall be recommended to the General Meeting by the incoming President on behalf of the new Management Committee, immediately after the completion of all elections as set out in Article 10, and he/she shall be appointed if the resolution receives at least three-quarters of all the votes properly recorded. Upon appointment the Emeritus President shall serve for a period of four years and may be reappointed on any number of occasions subject to the nomination and appointment process set out above. There shall only be one Emeritus President at any time. The Management Committee shall delegate such powers and authority to the Emeritus President as it may decide appropriate to the role, including the position of ex-officio member of the Management Committee and Chairman of a sub-committee.

Article 6 – Headquarters & Secretariat

The Headquarters of the ASF and the Secretariat shall be located in the country of residence of the President.

The President shall establish the ASF Secretariat for the management and administration of the affairs of the ASF not later than 30 days after his election.

Article 7 – Official Language

The official language of the ASF shall be English. The ASF encourages countries to translate the Rules of Squash into their own language.

Article 8 – Membership Subscription

Membership subscription is determined by the General Meeting of the ASF and is due and payable on the 1st day of January of each year. Members who are in arrears for 30 days thereafter are deemed in financial arrears and become ineligible to compete in any ASF Championship, attend or vote at any General Meeting of the ASF.

Article 9 – Membership Suspension

Members of the ASF shall be suspended from all activities of the ASF under the following circumstances:

  1. The National Olympic Committee or similar authority in control of Sports in its Country, is suspended from all sporting activities in Asia by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Imposition or withdrawal of such suspension shall be based on written notification to that effect from the Olympic Council of Asia.
  2. The National Olympic Committee or similar authority in control of Sports in its Country suspends the member. Imposition or withdrawal of such suspension shall be based on written notification to that effect from the National Olympic Committee or similar authority.
  3. If found to contravene the Constitution of the ASF. Such suspension and reinstatement shall be subject to the approval of the General Meeting of the ASF.
  4. If it is in arrears of subscription. Such suspension shall be withdrawn upon receipt of the arrears. Such suspension or reinstatement is not subject to the approval of the General Meeting of the ASF.

Article 10 – General Meeting

a. Authority of General Meetings

The supreme authority of the ASF is vested in the General Meeting of the members of the ASF, which shall be held annually in conjunction with an Asian Squash Championship, or in any other Country that has been agreed upon by the Management Committee (ManCom).

b. Attendance at General Meeting

All members in financial standing are entitled to nominate one Delegate to attend any General Meeting of the ASF. Such a delegate must be resident in the country he is representing and must be closely connected with squash in that country. Members may also nominate additional person(s) to attend the meeting as Observers subject to approval of such nomination by the President.

Nominations of Delegates shall be in writing and shall be directed to the Secretary General.

In addition, the following are entitled, by right, to attend any General Meeting of the ASF:

  1. The President
  2. All Vice Presidents
  3. The Secretary General
  4. The Honorary Treasurer
  5. Representatives of Sub-Regional Federations
  6. Representative(s) of the WSF
  7. Any person or persons at the invitation of the President.

c. Voting Rights

Members of the ASF whose membership is financially current are entitled to vote. They shall have one vote each. The vote shall only be exercised by the appointed Delegate of the member. No proxy votes are allowed. Only member countries present can vote. However, proxies are allowed to participate in the meeting without voting rights. Representatives from the Sub-Regional Federations do not have voting rights.

d. Voting Procedure

  1. In matters relating to any resolution to change the Constitution, a majority of two third (2/3rd) of the members shall be required.
  2. Voting for elections shall be by secret ballot whenever there is more than one candidate for a post. Where there are more than 2 candidates vying for a post, voting shall be by successive elimination of candidates polling the least number of votes cast, until one candidate obtains more than 50% (fifty percent) of the votes. The candidate shall be declared elected. Voting shall continue subsequently by the same method until the candidates for all vacant posts are elected.
  3. On all other matters, a simple majority vote of the members present shall be required.
  4. Elected or appointed Officers of the ASF shall not have a vote.

e. Nominations for Elections of Office Bearers

A nomination of candidates for any position in the ASF is accepted from his or her National Squash Association or Federation. Such nominating member shall be a financially current member of the ASF.

Another financially current member shall second all such nominations and the nominee’s prior consent shall be obtained, for the nomination to be valid. All nominations and nominee’s consent shall be in writing and shall be directed to the Secretary General.

f. Notice of General Meeting

At least 90 days before the date set for the General Meeting the Secretary General shall issue a Notice of Meeting stating the date and venue of the meeting. The notice shall also request any motions for discussion or resolutions to amend the Constitution or nominations for positions, if so applicable. Such motions, resolutions or nominations must reach the Secretary General not later that 45 days before the date set for the General Meeting, to be included in the Agenda.

The Secretary General shall not later than 30 days before the date set for the General Meeting distribute the Agenda for the Meeting along with such resolutions or nominations.

g. Quorum

A minimum 8 member countries present shall form the quorum for a General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). An amendment to the ASF’s Constitution or suspension or expulsion of a member shall only be passed at the General Meeting or an EGM.

h. Agenda for the General Meeting

The Agenda for the General Meeting shall contain the following items:

  1. Opening address by the Chairman
  2. Confirmation of the minutes of the previous General Meeting
  3. Matters arising out of the minutes of the previous General Meeting
  4. Financial Report
  5. Secretary General’s Report
  6. Committee Reports
  7. Motions and Resolution
  8. Any other Business, with due notice.
  9. Election of Office Bearers (when applicable)

The minutes of all General Meetings shall be circulated to all members not later than 2 months after the Meeting.

i. Extraordinary General Meeting

At any time during the period in between General Meetings, the President, upon request from the majority of the members or the officers at their discretion, may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the ASF.

Article 11 – Action without Meeting

a. If in the opinion of the President, an emergency has arisen which requires a decision without convening an EGM he shall take such action as he deems necessary and shall seek the approval of the members at the next General Meeting of the ASF of the action already taken to resolve the emergency.

b. Between General Meetings, any member or the Officers may propose a motion(s) on any subject except the Constitution for action without a meeting.

  1. Such motion shall be submitted by the member to the Secretary General in writing. After consideration by the Officers, the Secretary General shall, within 30 days forward copies of the motion(s) received to all members by registered mail, for their consideration and response in the form of a Postal Vote.

    Such motion shall be submitted by the member to the Secretary General in writing. After consideration by the ManCom Members, the Secretary General shall, within 30 days forward copies of the motion(s) received to all members by registered mail, for their consideration and response in the form of a Postal Vote.

  2. The vote cast by post must be received in writing by the Secretary General not later than 30 days after the date of the Notice of the Postal Vote. All motions accepted by more than 50% of the members shall be adopted.
  3. Not later than 60 days after the date of Notice, the Secretary General shall advise the members in writing of the outcome of the vote.
  4. All such motions adopted by Postal Vote shall be placed on the Agenda of the subsequent General Meeting for formal approval.

Article 12 – Duties and Responsibilities of the Officers

a. President

The President shall be solely responsible for the conduct of the affairs of the ASF. The President shall chair all meeting of the Officers and the General Meetings of the ASF. The President shall appoint various Sub-Committees of the ASF and shall be an ex-officio member of all such Sub-Committees.

b. The Vice Presidents

The Vice Presidents shall, when required by the President or whenever the President is indisposed, act for the President.

c. Secretary General

The Secretary General shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the ASF. He shall be responsible for the proper operation of the Secretariat and maintain proper and regular communication with members and all other parties.

The Secretary General shall be an ex-officio member of all Sub-Committees of the ASF.

d. Honorary Treasurer

The Honorary Treasurer shall be the Financial Officer of the ASF and shall manage the financial affairs of the ASF.

e. Bank Accounts

The Bank Account of the ASF shall be operated on the signature of the Honorary Treasurer together with that of either the President or the Secretary General.

f. Audit of Accounts

The Annual Accounts of the ASF are to be prepared by the Hon. Treasurer and audited by a certified Public Accountant. Such accounts are to be presented and approved at each General Meeting of the ASF.

Article 13 – Executive & Management Committees

a. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EXCO) shall be responsible for the day to day operation of the ASF. The Exco shall consist of the President, the Secretary General and the Honorary Treasurer.

b. The Management Committee

The Management Committee (ManCom) shall be responsible for the setting and reviewing of the policies of the ASF as directed by the membership. The ManCom shall consist of the President, the Vice Presidents, the Secretary General and the Honorary Treasurer.

Article 14 – Dissolution

a. The ASF shall not be dissolved except at a General Meeting at which a motion for dissolution shall have been announced in accordance with this Constitution and the motion receiving at least three-quarters of the votes of total members present and eligible to vote.

b. If upon the dissolution of the ASF, there remains after the settlement of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall either be divided between members proportionally or transferred to another body with objectives similar to the ASF. A resolution to divide or transfer such property shall be included in the motion for dissolution and shall be subject to the approval of at least three-quarters of the votes of total members present and eligible to vote.


Constitution incorporating amendments
passed by ASF AGM of 20th January, 2019 at Pattaya, Thailand