The SPARC Match Rules have been updated to v1.2
The sidebar link has been updated. You can also find the updated document by following the links below:
SPARC Match Rules (PDF)
(DOCX)
Version 1.2 includes a new emergency match stoppage procedure. The full text is included below:
Emergency Match Stoppage Procedure:
In the event of an arena breach, damage to the arena that renders it unsafe, or any other event that is otherwise judged a safety risk by event staff the match shall immediately be halted. For sufficiently large or loud arenas there should be a system in place to allow any event official to quickly act to stop the fight either by triggering a notification system or having direct communication with an official that does that won’t be impacted by distance or arena noise.
It is strongly encouraged that there is both an audible (alarm, buzzer, air horn, or similar) and visual (arena lights off, flashing red lights, a deployed curtain, or similar) indication that the fight has been stopped to ensure that competitors are aware of the issue immediately. It is the responsibility of the team to ensure that the driver or another team member is watching and/or listening for these indicators.
If a competitor continues to fight after the referee has called for the fight to be stopped they will be disqualified. Repeated infractions will result in removal from the tournament. It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that they respond promptly to the call to stop fighting.
Once fighting has ceased the robots will be deactivated. The deactivated robots may be left in place or moved to a safe location in or around the arena until a determination about the status of the fight is made. No work may be done on the bots during this time. The source of the safety issue will then be inspected to determine the appropriate action. Once the issue has been resolved a determination will be made as to whether or not the fight will resume. If possible, the fight will resume from the point where it was paused. If resuming the fight is determined to not be possible due to a safety concern or other issue the fight will be judged up until the point where it was stopped.
The safety of the crowd, competitors, and crew must always be considered when determining if any additional measures need to be taken beyond resolving the immediate safety issue.