What is the role of AAC?
Although AAC is not a union, it functions as the athlete representatives to the USATF National Office, IAAF, and USOC. AAC’s role is to protect the rights’ and interests of the athletes at all levels that influence their athletic careers. AAC also provides guidance on mitigating athlete specific issues.
Who do I need to contact in case I need support for a doping violation?
If you feel that a filing failure or another doping violation is unwarranted, contact the USOC Athlete Ombudsman Kacie Wallace kacie.wallace@usoc.org immediately. AAC nor the USOC can provide legal advice in such cases but we encourage athletes in this case to take their cases to arbitration, to ensure all sides of a case have been thoroughly considered.
What course of action do I have to deal with USADA filing failures?
In the case of USADA filing failures, we encourage our athletes to submit a written explanation to USADA about why the filing failure occurred, once they have been notified. Failure to do so may result in a missed test. Please remember that three missed test will result in a 1-year ban from competing.
If I have not heard from the National Office regarding an issue, what is my next course of action?
If you have emailed or called the National Office regarding a question or concern and have not received a response within 3-5 days, please send a follow-up email to your contact person and then copy Jeff Porter (aacchair@usatf.org) or any member event leader or officer. Once we are notified, we will help ensure that questions are answered in a timely manner. Please do not go to social media before attempting to contact AAC and giving us a chance to help first.
Who can I contact I have an IAAF related issue or concern?
If you have an IAAF related issue or concern, please contact AAC and let us know what that issue/concern and we can forward you to the right person.
If I have an issue with USATF, who do I contact?
If you have an issue with USATF, please contact AAC Chair Jeff Porter and he will follow up with you to gather information before proceeding.
Why doesn’t the Tier System take Indoors into account?
Currently, the Tier System does not take into consideration the indoor performances because the USOC provides the funding for this system and only cares about outdoor performances. This is due to the fact that the USOC believes that outdoor performances are better indicator of medal potential, as compared to indoor performances. However, AAC will be working with USATF and USOC to help them better understand the linkages between indoor and outdoor performances.
