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IFPA endeavors to maintain an environment in which everyone is treated with respect, decency, and dignity. IFPA will not permit discrimination or harassment as defined in this policy.
The pinball community is a diverse group that invites and includes all people, regardless of their background, to fully engage in pinball competition. We hold ourselves accountable to grow and improve in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Enforcement
The Tournament Director (TD) is the primary authority responsible for enforcing this policy during an event.
Tournament staff may take immediate action and may skip steps depending on severity, intent, or prior behavior. If someone needs to be removed from the premises tournament staff is encouraged to work through business management if an event is being held at a business.
Reporting Process
Primary reporting:
Any player or spectator who experiences or witnesses behaviour that violates this code should report it directly to the Tournament Director or designated event staff as soon as possible.
Escalation:
If the TD fails to take appropriate action, dismisses the concern, or is directly involved in the behavior, the affected individual may escalate the issue after, or during the event to the International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA). Please refer to the process details at the bottom of this page.
No Retaliation
Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern or participates in an investigation is prohibited and may result in immediate penalties, removal, or future bans.
Anti‑Harassment Policy:
Mission: Create and preserve an inclusive, safe, and welcoming pinball community. Harassment will not be tolerated.
Prohibited conduct (non‑exhaustive):
- Offensive verbal comments or slurs related to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, body size, religion, or identity.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or threats.
- Unwanted physical contact or sexual attention.
- Inappropriate photography or recording and sharing images without consent.
- Harassing electronic communication (trolling, repeated messages after a request to stop).
- Abusive handling of machines beyond normal play (e.g., slamming, death saves, intentional damage).
If someone asks you to stop, do so immediately; continued behavior is harassment and will be acted upon.
Reporting and appeal process
Escalating to IFPA or urgent report
IFPA receives a large volume of messages to our main email address. If you are in a situation where there is a need for the IFPA to respond rapidly, use this dedicated email address to contact IFPA staff urgently:
Messages sent to this address will immediately alert the entire IFPA staff, ensuring that urgent safety concerns receive prompt attention. We encourage players and TDs to use this address whenever an incident involving player safety is actively unfolding. Establishing a dedicated contact is the first step in a larger effort, which will include a dedicated reporting system on our website to make it easier for community members to reach us when it matters most.
When submitting a report, please include the names of any players who witnessed the incident, as well as the tournament directors and event staff present, so we can gather a full and fair understanding of what occurred.
The reporting process will generally follow this sequence:
- Incident reported and acknowledged by IFPA staff
- Gather details regarding the incident for IFPA to perform their review.
- IFPA to determine if the incident is now resolved or if it is still ongoing.
- IFPA to determine if the event can continue as an IFPA sanctioned event or if sanctioning will be revoked.
- IFPA decision will stand unless there is a change to the situation or facts being reported that would restart this process back to step 1.
Disclaimer – IFPA can help intervene in matters related to IFPA policy, tournament and league sanctioning, and TD/player disciplinary action. If you are experiencing an urgent situation that would be better handled by law enforcement or medical services, reach out to them.
Appeal
The IFPA appeal process allows competitors or tournament directors to formally challenge the sanctioning of an event that has broken the IFPA Diversity and Inclusion Code by submitting an official appeal request by email to: [email protected].
It will then be reviewed by the entire IFPA staff in order to determine a ruling for final approval by the IFPA President for final ruling.
Official appeal must be submitted within 30 days of the end date of the event. If the appeal happens after the yearly standings for NACS/WNACS has been locked in, they cannot be updated.
