General regulations
Last revised: 22.06.2025 | Effective from: 25.06.2025
Chapter 1 - General provisions
§ 1.1 About the organization
a. Esport Arena is a voluntary association (org. no. 935533937), led by a self-replacing board. The association is registered in the register of entities and the register of volunteers.
b. The purpose of the association is to provide a fair, safe and inclusive environment for gamers. The association focuses on maintaining the breadth of Norwegian e-sports, but shall also provide opportunities to compete at a high level. In all cases, the association shall facilitate a community that promotes respect for and cooperation with each other, as well as sporting and personal development for the individual.
§ 1.2 Scope of application
a. These rules apply to all participants in activities and events organized by Esport Arena, and/or carried out on Esport Arena's platforms (including Discord and websites), and/or activities and events that affect these.
b. The rules apply regardless of game and activity type.
c. The regulations apply to individual players, teams and clubs - regardless of their own designations and organizational forms.
d. More detailed provisions for the individual event and/or the individual game may be provided in separate regulations, terms and conditions and the like.
§1.3 Definitions
a. Administrator: A person who is responsible for managing tournaments and who is responsible for ensuring that participants follow the rules. A tournament can have one or more administrators. All the administrators for a tournament are referred to as the admin team.
b. Activity: All interactions between participants that occur in writing, visually, verbally and/or in games.
c. Event: A planned activity with a given start and end time.
d. User-controlled event: Event created by a user on Esport Arena's platforms. The user is responsible for the implementation of the tournament.
e. Participant: Anyone who participates in an activity and/or event, regardless of role.
f. Club: An association of players, which organizes one or more teams. Clubs are owned by registered club managers on our Platforms.
g. Team: A group of players who have registered as a team in one or more games. Teams are always owned by a club.
h. Platform: A digital meeting place for gamers, where either; a) information from Esport Arena is provided, b) communication between participants takes place, c) activities/tournaments are organized, d) access to game-related functions from Esport Arena is provided (possibly in cooperation with a third party), or c) a mixture of these.
i. Player: A participant who is a performing s+0player in an activity/tournament, either individually or as part of a team.
j. Tournament: An event with competition between individual players, teams and/or clubs, arranged on Esport Arena's platforms.
§ 1.4 Roles
a. The Board of Directors: Esport Arena's Board of Directors, which makes decisions on the organization's strategic direction, objectives and guidelines, including the revision of these regulations.
b. Arena developers: Resource persons with defined areas of work and responsibility, who support the development of Arena Esport.
c. Administrators/moderators: Individuals responsible for enforcing the rules set by Esport Arena and/or the individual user-controlled tournament.
d. Tournament Managers: Administrators who have specific responsibility for organizing and managing tournaments.
e. Club leaders: Those who are registered as club owners on Esport Arena's platforms. Club managers have responsibility for the club and overall responsibility for the club's teams in all games.
f. Team managers: Those registered as team managers on Esport Arena's platforms. Team managers are responsible for their own team in the game they are registered for.
g. Players: Performing players who participate in activities, events and tournaments organized by Esport Arena.
§ 1.5 Amendments
a. Esport Arena reserves the right to change and update this policy as needed.
b. All changes will be clearly communicated to members via official channels. The new rules may enter into force as soon as they are published, or as of a fixed and stated date.
Chapter 2 - Fair play
§ 2.1 Fair Play
a. All members and participants shall comply with the principles of Fair Play, which means
- Respect for opponents, administrators, organizers, co-players, partners, and all other participants involved.
- No cheating or attempts to manipulate the gaming experience.
- Respect for and compliance with the rules applicable to each tournament and competition.
- Compliance with ethical guidelines.
§ 2.2 Ethical guidelines
a. Honesty
All participants shall compete fairly, without the use of cheating, exploitation of bugs, or other unethical behavior.
b. Respect
All players, referees and organizers shall be treated with respect, both inside and outside the game. Bullying, discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. Player names may not be offensive or sexualized.
c. Integrity
Players and teams must act honestly. Match fixing, sabotage and financial misconduct are strictly prohibited.
d. Inclusion
E-sports should be open and accessible to everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, background, religion or disability.
e. Privacy policy
Personal data shall be handled responsibly and participants' privacy shall be respected.
f. Accountability
Everyone involved has a responsibility to contribute to a safe and positive environment. This applies to their own behavior, but can also include speaking up when others are exposed to violations of the guidelines.
g. Obligation to report
Everyone has an individual duty to speak up if they observe a breach of the Code of Conduct, and to notify the board and/or tournament administrator if they become aware of such matters.
§ Section 2.3 Efforts to uncover cheating and attempted cheating
a. Esport Arena commits on behalf of the players to actively work for Fair Play, and to be uncompromising in the face of cheating and attempted cheating.
b. Esport Arena considers all built-in anti-cheating programs in the individual gaming platform (e.g. Steam) and game (e.g. PUBG) as valid and as a basis for direct reaction also from Esport Arena's side.
c. Esport Arena reserves the right to approve third party anti-cheating software/controls (such as AI software) other than built-in anti-cheating functionalities in the gaming platform and games. Conclusions from such investigations will be considered valid irrespective of the time and place of infringements, and provide the basis for direct sanction as of the date of the conclusion of cheating.
d. In the event of suspected cheating, Esport Arena may ask players to provide documentation (such as game recordings) and explanations. Esport Arena may also require individual players to actively register with an approved third party for investigation and control within a given deadline.
e. Failure to comply with the requirements mentioned in letters c and d within a reasonable time frame will be treated as equivalent to cheating.
f. Detected attempted cheating will be treated in the same way as completed cheating.
g. Sanctions for uncovered cheating or attempted cheating can be imposed regardless of whether the violation has occurred on Esport Arena's platforms or not.
h. Guidelines for case management are provided by §§ 4.6-4.7.
§ 2.4 Breach of rules
a. Failure to comply with the principles of Fair Play or breach of the Code of Conduct at events conducted via Esport Arena's platforms may result in warnings, suspensions, loss of roles/functions, points deductions, disqualification and/or exclusion.
b. All users of Esport Arena's platforms and participants in activities and tournaments are obliged to accept sanctions for rule violations, and cannot hold Esport Arena liable for any adverse effects such sanctions may have on clubs, teams, individuals or others.
Chapter 3 - Tournaments
§ 3.1 Organizers
a. Esport Arena is responsible for arranging and managing all official tournaments under the auspices of Esport Arena.
b. Users and organizations can arrange their own user-controlled events on Esport Arena's platforms by agreement, but these must follow the terms and guidelines set by Esport Arena, including these general regulations.
§ Section 3.2 Special rules for administrators/moderators acting on behalf of Esport Arena
a. All administrators and moderators at events organized by Esport Arena must be approved by the board, after an assessment of competence in tournament management, conflict resolution and rule understanding. The board may also withdraw approval.
b. Applicants for administrator or moderator roles must demonstrate sufficient skills and understanding of the rules to ensure the fair and efficient administration of Esport Arena's activities.
c. Administrator and moderator assignments are assigned as needed, and based on competence and experience.
d. Administrators and moderators undertake to act fairly and objectively, including seeing their role as a representative of Esport Arena also outside events organized by Esport Arena.
§ 3.3 Requirements for clubs
a. All clubs wishing to participate in tournaments through Esport Arena must be registered on Esport Arena's platforms.
b. Clubs must have an ethical framework that complies with Esport Arena's rules for Fair Play and Ethics.
c. Club leaders should ensure that all members follow the rules and behave respectfully.
d. The clubs themselves are responsible for ensuring that the club management registered on Esport Arena's platforms complies with the club's own regulations and any elected club management, and is updated as necessary.
e. Clubs with their own articles of association may request Esport Arena to make changes to the registered club management in accordance with valid resolutions. These must be documented and signed in accordance with the applicable provisions on power of attorney.
f. If disagreements arise regarding club ownership, and there are no articles of association or similar that regulate authority in the club, Esport Arena will refer to the original founder of the club on our platform as the one with the authority to make decisions on behalf of the club.
g. When transferring ownership to a new team, association or other form of company, documentation of the change of ownership must be sent to Esport Arena.
h. The club name must be proper and not offensive by general standards to either other participants or spectators, and may not be an identical or very similar team name already used by other clubs. The same applies to team names.
Chapter 4 - Reactions to breaches of the regulations
§4.1 Scope of application of the sanction provisions
a. The sanction provisions apply to all participants, including players, administrators, clubs and teams.
§ Section 4.2 Actions/omissions subject to sanctions
- Cheating and use of illegal means, or promotion of such.
- Bullying, harassment or discrimination.
- Violation of tournament rules or attempts to manipulate competitions.
- Violation of the principles of Fair Play or the Code of Conduct, including failure to follow up on reporting obligations.
- Malicious actions against Esport Arena (such as hacking of platforms, smear campaigns, or similar).
- Other breaches of the rules set out in the general rules, terms and conditions for the use of platforms, and/or specific rules/regulations for the individual game, gaming platform, activity, event or tournament.
- Circumvention of applicable sanctions (e.g. use of another player account).
- Violation of Norwegian legislation.
§ Section 4.3 Principles for assessing breaches of rules
a. If a participant breaks the rules, culpability should be assessed on the basis of intention, severity and previous incidents, as well as the consequences of the action/omission.
b. As a general rule, the participant should be given the opportunity to provide an explanation before a sanction is imposed.
c. Detection of cheating through the gaming platform/game's built-in functions or third-party anti-cheating software approved by Esport Arena will be regarded as decisive, and provide grounds for a direct reaction, regardless of whether the cheating has occurred on Esport Arena's platforms/events or not. In such cases, the player in question will not have the opportunity to make a statement to Esport Arena, but will have to relate to the proceedings of a third party for any statement, complaint, appeal or similar. If the third party waives the claim of cheating, reactions from Esport Arena will cease as soon as the necessary documentation has been handed over and validated.
§ 4.4 Forms of reaction (sanctions)
a. Reactions (sanctions) for less serious breaches (such as breaches of tournament-specific rules on team composition etc.) include:
- Warning notice
- Point draw
- Restriction of access to roles, functionality, etc. within the period of the event
b. Reactions (sanctions) for serious violations include:
- Disqualification
- Suspension/exclusion from a single event
- Suspension/exclusion from an organizer's user-controlled events
- Suspension/exclusion from Esport Arena's platforms
- Limitations on access to roles, functionality, etc. on Esport Arena's platforms (beyond the duration of a single event)
c. The duration of warnings, suspensions, exclusions and/or restrictions should be determined as part of the sanction.
§ 4.5 Player penalty, Team penalty and Club penalty
a. Player penalty: Sanctions against individual players.
b. Team penalties: If a team violates rules, or a player on the team violates the rules in a way that benefits the team, the entire team may have points deducted or be disqualified from the applicable event or tournament.
c. Club penalty: Sanctions may also be imposed on the entire club if their players or members systematically or in a particularly serious manner violate the rules.
§ Section 4.6 Sanctioning authority for user-controlled events
a. The organizer of a user-controlled event may impose sanctions such as warnings, point deductions, suspensions and the like applicable to a tournament and/or generally for events organized by the organizer.
b. Case processing, decisions on reactions and forms of reaction, as well as any right of appeal at user-controlled events are dealt with in accordance with the organizer/event's own rules.
c. If the violations are considered to be of a serious nature (such as cheating in games, hate speech, criminal offenses or the like), the organizer must also report the matter to the board of Esport Arena.
d. Participants in user-controlled events can also independently report matters that are considered to be of a serious nature to the board of Esport Arena.
e. Esport Arena's board of directors decides whether or not to process cases submitted by user-controlled tournaments. There is no right of appeal in the event of rejection of cases.
§ Section 4.7 Case processing and sanction authority for events under the auspices of Esport Arena
a. Rule violations that are considered less serious (such as late registration of a player based on tournament requirements), or that result in sanctions in the form of a warning, point deduction or restriction of role/functionality in a single event, are handled on an ongoing basis by the administrators of the individual event. Participants have the opportunity to complain to the board about case management and/or decisions.
b. Breaches of the rules according to section 4.3 c shall be followed up as soon as possible by the board of directors and administrators in any ongoing events by giving the player(s) in question an immediate suspension from Esport Arena's platforms and events pending any proceedings by a third party. When the third party's decision is considered final, the decision to sanction the player(s) in question is formalized by the board.
c. The event administrators are obliged to consider all suspected violations of these regulations and any specific event regulations.
d. The individual administrator of an event has the opportunity to obtain documentation (such as game recordings etc.) from individual players, as part of Esport Arena's commitment to Fair Play and quality assurance. The administrator must make all administrators for the event aware that this is being done. If the documentation needs further investigation, it must be presented and reviewed by all event administrators.
e. If a majority of the administrators consider that there are reasonable grounds for suspicion, they shall formally open a case on the matter.
f. In cases according to letter e, the administrator team is responsible for handling the case based on the following guidelines:
- Available documentation must be collected.
- Collected documentation shall be reviewed and assessed.
- Prepare a case presentation with a recommendation for the type of sanction (and possibly duration).
- The person or persons who have committed the alleged breach shall be given up to 5 days to respond to the petition.
g. The matter is presented to the Board for final consideration. The Board of Directors has the final decision-making authority, and there is no further right of appeal.
Chapter 5 - Other provisions
§ 5.1 Interpretation of the rules
a. Esport Arena reserves the right to interpret the intent of the provisions of this Code of Conduct as necessary to maintain fair play and compliance with the Code of Conduct.
§ Section 5.2 Rights, agreements and cooperation between Esport Arena and the business community
a. Esport Arena can enter into partnerships with the business community to offer sponsorship, marketing and promotion in its events.
b. Agreements with businesses and others must not conflict with our ethical standards.
§ 5.3 Personal data
a. Esport Arena manages personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation (GDPR).
b. All information collected about players and participants shall only be used to administer tournaments, ensure fair play and improve the user experience.
§ Section 5.4 Esport Arena terms and privacy policy
a. By using Esport Arena's platforms, including Discord servers and websites, as well as by registering a user account and/or linking yourself to other services (such as Discord bots, etc.), you agree to terms and privacy policy that apply to these platforms. In addition, our Discord servers follow Discord TOS and can in addition, have set their own rules (as announced in the # Rules channel for the individual server).
Appendix - Standardized upper sanction limits
- Circumvention of imposed sanction: Doubling of the sanction imposed.
- Cheating or attempted cheating in games: Up to 5 years ban, requirement for a new gaming account after the ban.
- Serious violations of ethical guidelines: Up to 5 years ban.
- Manipulation or circumvention of rules: Up to 3 years ban.
- Violation of ethical guidelines: Up to 1 year ban.
- Failure to comply with reporting obligations: Up to 1 year ban.
- Serious breach of tournament regulations: Disqualification and suspension.
- Moderate violation of tournament rules: Point draw layer
- Mild violation of tournament rules: Warning notice
