1. Our commitment to young athletes
Young athletes should be able to take part in athletics without having their contact, location, medical or family information exposed. We use age calculated from the athlete's date of birth and apply stronger protections to everyone under 18.
2. A guardian registers the athlete, not the other way around
A person under 18 cannot create their own iRunSA login. Instead, a parent or legal guardian creates their own guardian account first, giving their own first name, surname, cellphone number and email address.
Once signed in, the guardian adds each minor athlete in their care from their own profile. A single guardian account can register and manage more than one athlete, for example brothers and sisters, or several athletes a guardian is responsible for.
This means every minor athlete profile on iRunSA is linked to a real guardian account with a name, surname, cellphone number and email address on file, rather than to an invitation that may or may not be confirmed.
3. Athlete profiles without login credentials
An authorised and verified coach, representative, club, school or federation official may also create a sporting record for a minor without creating login credentials for the athlete. Possible existing records are checked first, to avoid duplicate profiles.
This kind of record can be claimed later by the athlete once they turn 18, or by their guardian, but it does not replace guardian authority and does not grant control over public profiles, marketing or sensitive identity changes.
4. Your guardian account and relationship to each athlete
A guardian account is a normal iRunSA account. It does not need a public guardian profile and is never shown as part of any athlete's public information.
When adding an athlete, the guardian confirms their relationship to that child, for example parent, legal guardian or other competent person responsible for the child. This relationship is kept on file for that athlete's record.
Guardians can review and manage every athlete linked to their account from one place, add a new athlete at any time, and update an athlete's sporting details as needed.
5. How coaches and representatives may act
Verified people acting through an authorised athletics organisation may attest to limited operational permission for an athlete. This can support event entry, disciplines, rosters, bibs, payments, results and necessary event communication.
This limited permission does not grant control over public profiles, marketing, guardian authority or sensitive identity changes. Only the registered guardian, or the athlete once they turn 18, holds that authority.
6. Information kept private by default
A minor's profile, contact details, profile photograph, biography, messaging and location sharing start private. We never publish a full date of birth, home address, guardian or emergency contact details, identity documents, medical information, or usual training schedule.
A minor's ID or passport number, and the guardian's own contact details, are encrypted in our database and are never shown in plain text, even to administrators, except through an authorised and logged lookup.
7. Official results and public athlete profiles
Official competition results are part of the event record and are controlled by the event or federation's minor results policy. They are separate from the richer public athlete profile. Only information needed for the competition record is shown.
8. Photos, media and marketing
Profile photographs, event photography, promotional media, marketing and sponsor sharing are separate choices from basic athletics administration. Registering a minor athlete for competition does not automatically agree to any of them.
9. Guardian and representative controls
A guardian can review every athlete linked to their account, correct an athlete's sporting details, withdraw optional consent, raise a concern about a relationship, and grant narrowly scoped permissions to a coach or representative where needed.
A coach, club or representative's delegated permission is not proof of legal guardianship, and does not override the registered guardian's authority.
10. What happens when an athlete turns 18
The athlete is invited to accept the current adult terms and take control of their own privacy settings. Guardian control ends after this transition by default.
Historical consent, audit and competition records remain on the athlete's profile. A former guardian can continue to help manage the account only if the athlete, now an adult, explicitly approves this.
11. How to report a concern
If a relationship, message, photograph or use of information worries you, email support@irunsa.co.za with "Minor Protection Concern" in the subject. Do not send identity or medical documents by ordinary email.
12. How to request correction, restriction or withdrawal
A guardian, or an athlete who has turned 18, may ask us to correct information, restrict a profile, review authority over an account, or withdraw optional consent. Use the privacy controls in iRunSA or contact support. Official results may be retained where required as part of the competition record.