RELEASE AGREEMENT

I understand and agree that, as a result of participating in the Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, my image, likeness or voice may be recorded by photography, video or another medium. I hereby grant irrevocable and unrestricted permission to the European College of Sport Science e.V. and its representatives or assignees to use my image, likeness or performance in any medium and for any purpose. I hereby waive any right to inspect or approve such use or materials. Your submission of this form acknowledges acceptance of these terms.
The ECSS will provide a delegate list for download to all participants of the congress from the ECSS account. The list will contain your first name, last name, affiliation, and country.

DISCLAIMER

• We strongly advise participants to personally first contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in your home country to check the entry and visa requirements before making travel arrangements.
• We strongly advise participants to contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate at least 3 months before the intended travel date.
• As there might be country-specific conditions that you are not aware of or changes in the process since you may have last informed yourself, it is still highly recommended that you obtain the most accurate information. In any case, please contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate.
• We strongly advise you to read the section on <Insurance> and make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage.
• The ECSS will only issue a visa supporting document to enter the host country for the ECSS congress and for the time period of the congress.
• It is the participant’s sole responsibility to request the visa supporting letter from the ECSS.
• The ECSS does not have the authority to contest the decision of any country’s embassy/consulate or any other government departments, nor will the ECSS appeal to the embassy/consulate on behalf of the applicant.
• All questions/concerns regarding the status of your visa should be directed to the embassy/consulate of the country where the congress will be held, in your home country.
• The ECSS disclaim all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of or damage to personal property and for any other costs or losses that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation.
• The ECSS does not take any responsibility and provides no reimbursement of paid registration fees if;
  
  o    you obtain your entry visa too late,
  o    you fail to obtain an entry visa,
  o    you receive a visa rejection notification,
  o    you are not able to enter the country.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Entering

All participants intending to attend the ECSS congress in Sevilla, Spain, are urged to please check requirements to enter Spain. Information can be found here.

Information for EU citizens

Nationals from any State of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein only need a valid national photo identity document or passport to enter Spain. Citizens from the United Kingdom and Ireland will require a passport since the countries are not members of the Schengen Area.

Information for non-EU citizens

For most participants from non-EU countries, a visa is required to enter Spain. In order to apply for a visa, we strongly recommend that you contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in your home country immediately. The requirements may vary from country to country and they could also vary from time to time, therefore it is crucial that you still contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate of your home country.
You should check the entry requirements before registering for the congress or making any travel arrangements. Follow the instructions indicated by the Embassy/Consulate. Only register and make travel arrangements once you have consulted the Embassy/Consulate and that you are convinced that you have enough resources to obtain the necessary visa.
In some cases, appointments are needed to schedule face-to-face interviews and these can be booked out for months in advance. In other cases, the process to obtain certain documentation needed to secure the visa can also be time-consuming. The ECSS urges all non-EU citizens to immediately take action.
Please note that the ECSS does not take any responsibility if you obtain your visa too late and cannot enter Spain. Should you fail to obtain an entry visa in time to attend the congress, no reimbursement of paid registration fees can be issued.

ECSS congress invitation letter

In the case where a letter of support is requested by the Embassy/Consulate, the local organisers of the ECSS conference can issue such a congress invitation letter. In order to obtain a visa letter from the ECSS, follow the below instructions.
Participants that have a paper accepted for presentation at the congress.
1.    You will receive notification that your paper has been accepted to be presented at the congress.
2.    You will be asked to confirm the acceptance. Indicate in this notification that you require a visa support letter.
3.    The visa support letter will be sent to you via email attachment in PDF format and/or a hard copy will be sent to you usually within a two-week period.
Participants that do not have a paper accepted for presentation at the congress.
1.    Register for the congress.
2.    Indicate in the appropriate field that you require a visa support letter.
3.    Once you have successfully registered for the congress, pay the registration fee.
4.    As the visa support letter can only be issued upon payment of your registration fee, we urge you to pay for your registration fee once you have successfully registered. Please note that when paying via bank transfer, it takes some time before the funds are received to our bank account.
5.    Once we have received your payment, a visa letter will be sent to you via email attachment in PDF format and/or a hard copy will be sent to you usually within a two-week period.
6.    As the registration, payment and visa application process might be lengthy, we strongly advise you to register for the congress in due time.

Insurance

When visiting Europe, participants should be able to financially cover medical and other services in case of an accident, injury or any other sudden event. The ECSS urges and strongly encourages all participants of the ECSS congress, to obtain comprehensive international travel medical insurance for their period of participation.

Travel medical insurance requirements when applying for a Schengen Visa

Anyone travelling temporarily to Europe from a country that is subject to visa requirements, be it an individual visitors or group visitors, tourists, or business travellers is required by EU law to have travel medical insurance. As per the extract from “Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009”, which entered into force on April 5 of 2010:
“Article 15

Travel medical insurance
1.    Applicants for a uniform visa for one or two entries shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States.
2.    Applicants for a uniform visa for more than two entries (multiple entries) shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance covering the period of their first intended visit.
In addition, such applicants shall sign the statement, set out in the application form, declaring that they are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent stays.
3.    The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000.
When a visa with limited territorial validity covering the territory of more than one Member State is issued, the insurance cover shall be valid at least in the Member States concerned.
4.    Applicants shall, in principle, take out insurance in their country of residence. Where this is not possible, they shall seek to obtain insurance in any other country.
When another person takes out insurance in the name of the applicant, the conditions set out in paragraph 3 shall apply.
5.    When assessing whether the insurance cover is adequate, consulates shall ascertain whether claims against the insurance company would be recoverable in a Member State.
6.    The insurance requirement may be considered to have been met where it is established that an adequate level of insurance may be presumed in the light of the applicant’s professional situation. The exemption from presenting proof of travel medical insurance may concern particular professional groups, such as seafarers, who are already covered by travel medical insurance as a result of their professional activities.”

Travel medical insurance is mandatory when applying for a Schengen Visa

A travel medical insurance policy is a mandatory requirement for travelers who need to apply for a Schengen visa. You are required to have the needed coverage for the entire period of your stay in Europe, regardless if you go for business, tourism, studying, holidays, or for other reasons.
The travel medical insurance coverage to obtain a Schengen visa must meet the following criteria:

• Minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR (equivalent to 50,000 USD).
• It should cover all member states of the Schengen Area.
• Cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent health attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death.

Check your coverage

Your national health insurance policy or employment medical coverage might cover medical emergency expenses. Check the restrictions and limitations and also if it covers or alleviates any international health emergency costs. When choosing a travel medical insurance provider make sure the company is licensed and accepted in the Schengen country you are visiting.

What should be covered?

A good travel insurance policy for Europe should cover the following costs;

• Medical emergency (accident or sickness) while in the Schengen Area;
• Emergency evacuation;
• Repatriation of remains;
• Return of a minor;
• Trip cancellation;
• Trip interruption;
• Accidental death, injury or disablement benefit;
• Overseas funeral expenses;
• Lost, stolen or damaged baggage, personal effects or travel documents;
• Delayed baggage (and emergency replacement of essential items);
• Flight connection missed due to airline schedule crash;
• Travel delays due to weather;
• Hijacking;
• Usually, the insurers cover pregnancy-related expenses, if the travel occurs during the first trimester. After that, insurance coverage varies from insurer to insurer. 

What is presumably excluded or optional?

Every travel medical insurance company is different; however, there are ones that offer to cover additional costs if necessary. If not, additional insurance must be purchased to cover explicit costs such as:

• Pre-existing conditions (e.g. Asthma, diabetes)
• Sports with an element of risk (e.g. Skiing, scuba diving)
• Travel to high-risk countries (e.g. Due to war, natural disasters or acts of terrorism)
• Acute onset of pre-existing conditions – It means a sudden and unexpected occurrence of pre-existing medical conditions without any prior warning from a health care professional. If you have pre-existing conditions, make sure to get this coverage to protect you against any emergency situation that arises due to pre-existing conditions in spite of taking care.