Is Arbitration for Olympic Athletes Arbitrary?
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the parties and their right to be heard in adversarial proceedings.
162
The AHD and its potential
for deciding to not hold a hearing and render an award immediately if the panel deems itself
sufficiently informed can disrupt Due process in this regard.
163
Due Process in arbitration also requires the right to cross-examine opposing party’s
witnesses.
164
CAS and its AHD do not provide for cross-examination of witnesses during their
dispute resolution procedures.
165
Due process in arbitration encompasses the key concept of
procedural fairness.”
166
Arguably, the IOC is directly involved with CAS; there is not a
“neutral decision-maker” or third party during these arbitration proceedings, creating an
instance that a party can be treated unfairly or with bias.
167
Without the availability to cross-
examine the opposing party, the potential for an award rendered without a hearing, or the un-
availability of a neutral decision maker, unfair decisions are likely to be made, thus violating
due process for these athletes. To aggravate the process further, the AHD denying the right to
appeal compounds on due process issues, essentially rendering an athlete the inability to
challenge a due process claim during their arbitration procedures.
168
The AHD’s previous arbitration panelist have argued that the decline in growth of
cases submitted to the AHD stems from athletes fearing the judge and the rules they emplace;
thus, serving its purpose in providing strictly followed rules and fair and immediate
recourse.
169
Based on the arguments of this note however, this decline of cases submitted and
fear of athletes to submit them may be entwined with impartiality or injustice.
170
Potential remedies for the issues analyzed above should include: (1) selecting
arbitrators for the AHD that are not within the CAS but who continue to meet Section 14 of
the ICAS Statutes in maintaining a general knowledge of sport;
171
(2) allow appeals for
decisions made during the Olympics; and (3) create stipulations in the athletes’ waiver to
utilize arbitration. Selecting arbitrators outside the CAS would sever the link between the IOC
and AHD during the Olympics and help negate impartiality concerns. An appeals process
would allow athletes to challenge decisions in their current Olympics that could render them
the opportunity to compete in the future, like Sun Yang’s appeals through the CAS. This
appeals process could mimic the CAS’s in submitting the appeal to the Tribunal to determine
the athlete’s eligibility for future Olympics or reestablishing awards or accomplishments
during the Olympics in which the dispute took place. In order to maintain the speedy process
of the AHD, an appeals AHD could be incorporated to the procedural timeline, the appeals
AHD would need to establish a neutral third party, potentially a member of an international
committee involved in sport that is not from the same nation as the athlete or entity bringing
162
Schweizerisches Zivilgesetzbuch [ZGB], Code Civil [CC], Codice Civile [CC] [Civil Code] Dec. 18, 1987,
SR 291, art. 182(3) (Switz.), https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1988/1776_1776_1776/en.
163
ARBITRATION RULES APPLICABLE TO THE CAS AD HOC DIVISION FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES, art. XV, § c.
164
Due process, ARB. INFO. (Oct. 11, 2015), https://law.missouri.edu/arbitrationinfo/2015/10/11/due-process/.
165
Gubi, supra note 136, at 1018.
166
Simon Sloane & Emily Wyse Jackson, Arbitration awards-due process and procedural irregularities:
Challenges, FIELDFISHER (Jun. 30, 2021), https://www.fieldfisher.com/en/insights/arbitration-awards---due-
process-and-procedural-ir.
167
Gubi, supra note 136, at 1017.
168
McLaren, supra note 126, at 523.
169
Oliveau, supra note 157.
170
Id.
171
Code: ICAS Statutes, supra note 38, at § 14.
15
Ehrmann: Is Arbitration for Olympic Athletes Arbitrary?
Published by University of Missouri School of Law Scholarship Repository,