UESF Introduces Its Esports Disciplinary Policy and Publishes List of Banned Players for Its Tournaments

The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) has announced the adoption of an updated Esports Disciplinary Liability Policy. The document outlines the procedures for identifying and reviewing violations, imposing disciplinary measures, and maintaining a list of individuals restricted from participating in competitions.

According to the federation, the policy was created to ensure fair competition, protect the integrity of tournaments, and establish a transparent accountability mechanism. It applies to players, coaches, team managers, referees, organizers, and other participants involved in competitions organized, supported, or sanctioned by the federation.

UESF has identified five categories of violations:

• Sporting violations: cheating, exploits, bug abuse, account sharing, and bypassing anti-cheat systems.
• Match manipulation: match-fixing, result manipulation, betting on one's own matches, and sharing insider information.
• Regulation violations: failure to appear for a match, unauthorized substitutions, and disrupting a tournament.
• Ethical violations: toxic communication, discrediting tournament organizers, anti-Ukrainian statements, participation in competitions involving entities linked to the aggressor state, or competing on the same team with their representatives when a conscious choice exists.
• Other violations: providing false information, circumventing sanctions, and failing to comply with commission decisions.

The policy separately states that participating in matches against representatives of the aggressor state due to technical inability to avoid such encounters does not, by itself, constitute a violation.

Decisions on disciplinary measures are made by the Disciplinary Commission, which consists of an odd number of members, with a minimum of three. Proceedings begin with a complaint submitted to disciplinary@uesf.org.ua and may last up to 14 calendar days. Individuals subject to proceedings have the right to provide explanations and defend themselves, and must be notified at least 48 hours before the hearing through communication channels available to the Federation. Decisions of the Disciplinary Commission may be appealed within seven calendar days.

Four types of sanctions are предусмотрені for offenders:

• Warning: an oral or written notice regarding the inadmissibility of further violations.
• Technical defeat: awarding a loss in a specific match or series of matches.
• Disqualification: removal of an individual or team from an ongoing competition without the right to continue participating.
• Participation restriction: banning an individual from future competitions for a specified period.

For certain categories of violations — such as breaching rules related to crossing the state border — participation restrictions may be indefinite, with the possibility of review after returning to Ukraine. Individuals who assisted in a violation or failed to report it will receive half of the main offender's sanction.

UESF has also published a list of banned players, which currently includes 36 esports athletes. The full list can be accessed via the provided link.

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