CAS: The hidden referee in all sports

There’s an international sports body whose impact across all sports can be as far reaching as the body is unknown to the casual sports fan. Even hardcore fans who can recite all rosters of their favorite league may be ignorant of CAS.

Normally a referee/judge is the only person besides the competitors who has an influence on the outcome of a contest. Besides the refs on field and the governing body of the sport like AIBA and FIFA, there’s another institute which plays a major part in the running of and policing of sports, CAS. Yeah, it’s a court of sorts.

India has had a couple of recent run-ins with CAS. Vikas Krishnan had a bout overturned at the Olympics in London. The ref made a blooper in not calling a couple of warnings, and later AIBA reversed the ref’s decision. India then went to CAS. That’s not Conditional Access System, it’s the Court of Arbitration.

Couple of years back, CAS imposed a ban on 6 of India’s top women athletes in a doping scandal, including Ashwini Akkunji, Sini Jose and Mandeep Kaur , who were part of the 4×400 relays team that won the gold at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. But CAS has been around for a long while. Since 1984.

A judicial court brings to mind a somber atmosphere with justice being tossed down from the judge’s high chair, with a judge in a wig banging his gavel and throwing down death sentences. While CAS is a body for policing sports, sentences are passed down here too, albeit in a different manner.

Sports introduce a unique dimension where normal rules of society are suspended for a bit. If you were to boff someone in the face in the streets you would be hauled down to the dungeons. If you boff the same person in the ring, you get plaudits. The rules of engagement change on the sports field.

In real life, you can’t just go around tossing spears and heavy metal balls and shooting guns/arrows, and jumping over subway turnstiles. But do that in a leotard in the confines of a sports field, and you are applauded.

Point being that different rules of society apply in context of sports. This difference leads to the need of a separate tribunal for arbitrating matters about sports. So there is a separate international body which polices sports.

I’ve just mentioned when CAS came into Indian spotlight, the above pic was a famous recent case where CAS was approached by Sweden. Nicola Spirig and Lisa Norden (Swedish) clocked identical times of one hour 59 minutes 48 seconds in one of the closest triathlon finishes seen, and the latter was given a silver medal since the former’s torso crossed the line first.

CAS is a body independent from sports federations. It takes care of disputes arising in sports. The rules are adapted to the specific needs of the sports world. Boxing and WWE will have different kinds of rules applying to them.

Quick facts about CAS

- Been around since 1984

- CAS has nearly 300 arbitrators from 87 countries.- Roughly around 200 cases are registered by the CAS every year.- HQ in Lusanne, Switzerland, Sydney Australia and New York

Unlike the courts which deal with criminal and civil law, CAS doesn’t just jump into any issue. The parties involved have to agree to involve CAS, only then do CAS intervene by forming a tribunal of three arbitrators who mediate and offer a judgement. Mediation is a different matter here too, they can either simply judge a case and have their judgement be binding or if they are approached to mediate then their judgement is non-binding.

CAS hands down certain guidelines to be followed by sports bodies across nations. When things need be arbitrated, CAS is approached. Any issue related to sports, on field stuff or commercial aspect like athlete sponsorship can fall under CAS’s purview.

It’s good to know that there is a proper system in place which can be approached to set things right, even though India hasn’t had much luck with it.