Draw by lot 2019

Who is guaranteed participation and will therefore not included in the draw?

Walkers who have successfully completed the Four Days Marches at least once before are guaranteed participation in the 103^rd Four Days Marches.
The following four groups are exempt from the draw: anyone who the Central Administration, after checking proof of identity, has been able to determine was born in one of the calendar years 2004-2007; anyone who registered for the Via Vierdaagse programme in 2019; anyone who was eliminated by the draws for both the 101^st and the 102^nd editions of the Four Days Marches; anyone participating as part of a detachment or a group.
Civilian groups and detachments are also excluded from the draw. There are seperate regulations for these participants.

Does participation as a companion also count as a successful participation?

No, it does not. A successful participation is defined as a participation in a regulation distance, in which the participant has received a Four Days Marches Cross or a number as a reward. Participation for an orderly medal does not count as an official participation for a regulation reward. But it is still an achievement which a companion can be proud of!

Who will be included in the draw?

All civilian participants who never successfully participated in the Four Days Marches before and are registered to take part in the 103^rd Four Days Marches with the intention of gaining reward 1, will be included in the draw, with the exception of the following three groups: anyone who the Central Administration, after checking proof of identity, has been able to determine was born in one of the calendar years 2004-2007; anyone who registered for the Via Vierdaagse programme in 2019; anyone who was eliminated by the draws for both the 101^st and the 102^nd editions of the Four Days Marches.

Does everyone have the same chance of being drawn?

Yes, everyone who is included in the draw has the same chance of being drawn.

Is a 12-15 year old debutant ensured of participation?

Debutants born in 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007 will be exempt from the draw, provided that the year of birth can be verified by the Central Administration by means of an ID check. After going through the registration module, participants who fall into this category will have the possibility to upload a digital copy of their identity card in My Four Days (at 'Personal details'). After approval of the ID, an email containing a payment link will be sent. Once the payment has been completed, registration is finished and the participant is insured of participation. If the registration is not completed by 22 March at 17.00 hrs CET with an online payment, the 12-15 year old debutant will have to participate in a possible draw.

When will I know whether or not I can participate?

Upon registration, those who are guaranteed participation will be immediately forwarded to the online payment environment. When online payment is complete, this will be shown on My Four Days. You then know for sure that your participation is guaranteed.
Those who are not guaranteed participation will not be sent to the payment page upon registration, and will need to wait until the registration period is over. This will be on 22 March 17.00 hrs CET. If there are more than 47,000 registrations, there will be a draw, which is due to take place on Friday 29 March. All those who participated in the draw will receive an e-mail with the outcome on Friday evening. The results will also be available in My Four Days. ‘Drawn a place’ means that you may participate; ‘not drawn a place’ means that you may not participate. Those who have drawn a place will receive information about how to pay the registration fee. When payment is complete, this will be shown on My Four Days.

How can I see whether or not I have been drawn on My Four Days?

After you have entered your registration number and password on My Four Days, go to the page 'Registration 2019'. At 'Status of your payment' you can see if you were eliminated by the draw or not. All participants will also receive a personal e-mail.

Why can I not enter the draw with someone else?

Registrations are personal, which means that the draw is also personal. This is why you cannot enter the draw with one or more other participants. Unfortunately, due to administrative reasons, it is not practical to combine individual registrations. Not only do technical changes need to be made, but one of the parties may also change their mind if the situation changes. We just cannot fulfil everyone's individual wishes. With the current regulations, we try to fulfil the requirements of the majority of participants. When somebody registers, they are informed well in advance of the implications if they are drawn. You have to weigh this up yourself.

If I am drawn, do I then have to participate?

No, you do not. If you are drawn, and therefore may participate, you have until 12 April to cancel your registration in writing. You will not need to pay the registration fee in this case, and you do not have to provide us with a reason for your cancellation.

Can I give away my starting ticket?

No, you cannot. Registrations are personal and therefore non-transferable. If you decide not to use your starting ticket, you have until 12 April to cancel.

Why does registration not close when the 47,000 limit has been reached?

The current approach gives everyone the opportunity to register. This includes those who realise late that the registration period has begun, and those who do not have access to the internet. Everyone now also receives the opportunity to request information before registering, and the registrations received are generally correct registrations. If registration were to be on a first come, first served basis, there would be a pressure to register as quickly as possible, while some people still need to request information. We think that more people would register in haste and then decide not to participate after all.

If I have not drawn a place, is there still a possibility to participate?

The payment and cancellation deadline of 12 April has passed. Due to non-payments and cancellations, it is possible to let a re-registration take place for those who were eliminated by the draw. 2,183 starting tickets will be made available once again to civilian participants eliminated by the draw for the 103^rd Four Days Marches.
The number of registrations from participants of the Small Contingents has also dropped significantly below the for this group permitted limit of 425. For participants of the Small Contingents who were eliminated by the draw for the 103^rd Four Days Marches 41 starting tickets will be made available in re-registration.
Participation in the re-registration is determined by means of a number randomly assigned during the draw. Civilian participants with re-registration number 1 to 2,197 and participants of the Small Contingents with re-registration number 1 to 41 are allowed to take part in the re-registration and therefore get a second chance to participate in the 103^rd Four Days Marches. Click here for more information about the re-registration procedure.