06 February 2026
As the Winter Olympics open in Milan and Cortina, legal disputes are once again being resolved almost as fast as the athletes compete. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Ian Blackshaw of Valloni Attorneys examines the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS's) ad hoc divisions, which can decide cases within 24 hours
Eligibility rows, doping disputes and urgent challenges are handled by specialist tribunals whose decisions are ‘final and legally binding’—at least initially.
Critics argue that mandatory submission to CAS undermines athletes’ freedom to choose a forum and sidelines national courts. But defenders say speed is essential when medals, careers and schedules hang in the balance.
The Court of Justice of the EU has recently questioned whether such ‘voluntary’ arbitration is more fiction than fact when EU law is engaged. For now, CAS remains the Olympic legal referee, delivering swift justice—even if its final whistle may still be reviewed in Lausanne.
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