Right to play - Reinstatement of SIHL player under IHNSW

For those of you unfamiliar with sport of ice hockey in Australia, the sport is governed by IHA, and by its state associations, including IHNSW.

One of IHA's rules (Rule 4.23) is:

"Any IHA Individual Member playing against an unregistered member or unsanctioned team or in an unsanctioned event will be subject to suspension"

Players in the Sydney Ice Hockey League (SIHL) will be aware that SIHL has walked the line between being sanctioned and unsanctioned every year, a ruling which affects players, coaches and officials each season. Yet IHA has rarely, if ever, enforced this rule. Had this been a business, the ACCC would have been brought forth to
apply the Trade Practices Act in relation to anti-competitive behaviour.

This year (2008), IHNSW, on behalf of IHA has administered a suspension of membership to just one player, based on the above rule. A number of you will have met/played with or against Serena Yu, who has been actively involved in the sport for many years. Given that numerous IHNSW-registered players have, and continue to, actively participate in the SIHL without disciplinary action, the application of this IHA rule can only be seen as discriminatory. Being the only player, and the only female player, AND the only ethnic minority group member subject to disciplinary action, we can only conclude that the rule has not been consistently applied across all players.

For those of you fed up with the arbitrary enforcement of this rule and its ongoing impact on the operation of the RECREATIONAL Sydney Ice Hockey League, please sign this petition and help make our point to IHNSW and IHA.