Selection of International Representatives

From time to time the AGA is invited to send representatives on behalf of the USA or of the North American region to international go tournaments. International competition often provides experiences and opportunities for top-level competition not available in domestic tournaments and being selected as a representative to such an event is desirable.

It is the policy of the AGA that international representatives be selected through a process that is fair, inclusive and transparent. Inclusive procedures provide an opportunity to participate to all players who are United States citizens no matter where they reside, as well as to all players with permanent resident status who reside in the United States. Fair procedures rely on competition to the greatest extent feasible to select representatives from among those eligible. Transparent procedures are clearly and publicly stated.

Eligibility for American go players selected as a representative of either the USA or North America is governed by the AGA's policy on the selection of international representatives. The policy requires

US citizenship or permanent residency (“Green Card”) status; and
US physical residency of at least six of the last 12 months; and
Full or youth membership for all candidates, for the entire year prior to the qualifier event or series of events in the US that serve as the selection procedure for the representative; and
Compliance with all foreign host or sponsor-specific requirements; and

Players selected as international representatives should bear in mind that they represent both the AGA and their country. Representatives should conduct themselves in an appropriate fashion when interacting with the players and officials of other countries.

Drug testing

As part of the effort to make go an Olympic event, the International Go Federation (IGF) has adopted an anti-doping policy. This policy affects players in IGF-sponsored events, namely the World Amateur Go Championship and Korean Prime Minister's Cup. The following documents describe the policy effects for AGA players:

It is important that players who wish to participate in IGF events read and understand these drug policies. Certain prescription drugs (e.g., for hypertension, ADD, allergies or steroids for injuries) are classified as prohibited substances. Players should consult with their doctors to determine if a "Therapeutic Use Exemption" is required.

Administrative rules

For the purposes of selecting international representatives, full AGA membership also includes the full, sponsor, sustaining, life or promotional membership classes
US citizenship must be secured prior to competing in any tournament to select an international representative. Noncitizen players may compete in selection tournaments that are otherwise open to all competitors (e.g. the US Open and the North American Oza), but may not retroactively claim eligibility if citizenship is obtained later.
Players who wish to be considered for selection as an international representative are responsible for ensuring that the AGA has accurate contact and citizenship information on record. Players who cannot be contacted in a timely fashion may lose their invitations to invitational tournaments and/or international competition.

Relevant documents

Policy on the elibility of players as international representatives
Selection procedure for international representatives
Tournament category and points system for WMSG and Ing Masters qualifiers:
- Full description in OpenDocument or PDF formats (also converted to Microsoft Office)
- Calculator spreadsheet in OpenDocument format (converted to Microsoft Office)

Online tournament games

Some or all of the games required for AGA selection tournaments may be played online. In recent years many events have been played on the KGS Go Server, although AGA adopts a policy of neutrality that allows events to be organized on any system. For players unfamiliar with KGS, we have prepared brief tutorial to help orient you prior to their first game.