The vocabulary of sports accreditation

Accreditation

The process of registering, screening and approving everyone who needs access to an event, and issuing them a credential that states where they may go.

Accreditation card

The physical card someone wears at an event. It carries their photo, name, organisation, category and the zones they may enter, plus a QR code used at the gates.

Zone

A controlled area of a venue — field of play, mixed zone, tribune, VIP area, media centre. Access rights are granted per zone, not per door.

Field of PlayFOP

The competition surface itself and its immediate surroundings. Normally the most tightly restricted zone at any venue.

Mixed zoneMIX

The corridor athletes pass through after competition where accredited media may interview them. Access is usually limited to a subset of press credentials.

Venue

A physical site of the event: an arena, a stadium, or a hotel used as an official site. One event can run across several venues, in several cities.

Gate

A controlled entry point into a zone. In AccredZone every gate is bound to a zone requirement, and scanning the gate QR connects the access control app to that gate.

Access matrix

The table that says which unit may enter which zone. Defined once per event and read by both the printed card and the check at the gate.

Category and subcategory

The top two levels of the organisation structure — for example Athletes, Team officials, Media, Organisation. They usually determine the colour of the card.

Unit

The third and most detailed level of the structure, such as a specific team, broadcaster or department. Access rights are defined per unit, and a person inherits their unit rights.

Matrix parameter

A single access right in the matrix — one zone, one venue or one privilege. Parameters printed in the same spot on the card are grouped together.

Delegation

A country, federation or club taking part in the event. Quotas and entry lists are managed per delegation.

Participant type

What role a person fills within a delegation — athlete, team official, medical staff. Quota rules are calculated from these types.

Quota rule

The rule that decides how many people a delegation may bring. It can be a fixed number, a ratio per athlete, a percentage or a tiered ratio, and exceeding it can warn, require approval or block.

Long list and short list

Two optional intermediate stages of a delegation entry list: a wide initial list that narrows to the people who will actually attend, before approval. Used only where the event needs them — otherwise the flow is simply adding people, approving them and printing the cards.

Final confirmation

The point at which a delegation list is locked. In AccredZone the person who confirmed and the moment of confirmation are both stored on the record.

Security approval

The clearance step — often a police or security screening — that a record must pass before its card works. A card without security approval is refused at the gate.

Upgrade card

A secondary card giving temporary access to a zone the holder normal accreditation does not cover, valid only between a start and end time.

Day pass

A credential issued for a single day rather than the whole event, typically for guests, contractors or short visits.

Custom card

A card that is not tied to a person accreditation record — an invitation, a parking card, a crew card or a ceremony card.

Vehicle accreditation

The equivalent process for vehicles: a car or bus is registered, approved and issued its own card carrying its parking and entry rights.

Access log

The record of every scan at every gate, kept whether entry was granted or refused, together with the reason for a refusal.

Local Organising CommitteeLOC

The local body that delivers an event on behalf of a federation or confederation. An LOC typically runs the accreditation operation itself, inside the licence holder system.

Data Processing AgreementDPA

The contract that sets out how personal data is processed on your behalf under the GDPR: what is stored, for how long, by which sub-processors and how it is deleted.

Definitions describe how these terms are used in international sports accreditation and inside AccredZone; other organisations may use them slightly differently.