Reglamento General ACES América

The submission of a candidacy for American Capital of Sport shall follow these steps:

1. Sending of the letter from the Mayor of the municipality, with their written submission of the candidacy for American Capital of Sport. The period for sending this letter begins on the day after the awards ceremony in Brussels, in November of the second year prior to the year for which the application is submitted, and ends on 30 March of the preceding candidacy year. There may be a maximum of five candidates, whose admission shall be determined by the order of receipt of the Mayor's letter.

2. From 1 April to 30 June, candidate cities must prepare the candidacy file (see Appendix VI, guidance for the preparation of the bid file). It must be delivered to ACES before 30 June.

3. Based on the perceived quality of the candidacy bid file, ACES, through an independent third party, will decide which two candidates compete for the award. This communication shall take place before 31 July.

4. Visits to candidate cities shall preferably take place during the month of October.

5. The winners shall be officially announced at the annual gala in Brussels, in November or December.

Specific requirements for Communities/Cities/Towns/Regions concerning Article 15: In the case of Community-Islands/Cities/Towns/Regions, the dates — not the steps — are indicative, except for the awards ceremony, which is common to all cases. In case of doubt, consult the ACES secretariat regarding the specific deadlines.

1. Visits to municipalities bidding to be awarded American Capital/Region/City/Town of Sport shall have a standardised visit protocol, including mandatory and recommended aspects, developed so that the members of the Evaluation Committee can gain knowledge of all the sporting spheres of the municipalities being visited. This protocol is set out in Appendix I of these Regulations.

2. Visits to facilities shall be decided jointly between ACES America and the bid organisation. Accordingly, ACES America shall decide, after consulting the members of the Evaluation Committee, on three facilities to visit, with the remaining visits being decided by the organisation. Such communication shall be made at least one month before the scheduled date of the visit.

1. Cities bidding for American Capital/Region/City/Town of Sport that are not awarded may apply again for that same award from the year following the submission of their first candidacy.

2. Municipalities which, owing to their demographic characteristics, may qualify for more than one award, may submit their candidacy whenever they wish, bearing in mind that candidacies may not coincide in time — that is, they must be submitted in different years.

3. Municipalities granted the award of American Capital/Region/City/Town of Sport may not submit a new candidacy to receive this distinction again within a minimum period of 10 years.

1. The official appointment of the American Capital/Region/City/Town of Sport shall take place at the annual gala held each year at the institutional venue designated annually by ACES.

2. For organisational purposes, the cities bidding for the American Capital/Region/City/Town of Sport award must be duly informed by ACES America, at least two weeks before the date of the official awards gala at the UNESCO headquarters / European Parliament or designated venue, of the outcome of the evaluation process by the respective Evaluation Committees.