It’s August, the Bar exam is over, summer internships are wrapping up, the rest of the summer looms, what a law student/graduate to do?
The answer at UConn Law Library would obviously be to glue yourself to your favorite media outlet and follow the 2024 Olympics! (Full disclosure, sports enthusiasts abound at the Law Library. Cheering on sports such as swimming and gymnastics are popular pastimes with certain UConn Law librarians!)
Busy with celebrating athleticism and international unity, I became disillusioned when a news alert, Canada lose ‘disruptive’ appeal in ongoing Olympic soccer drone scandal shocked my inbox, discussing a drone spying incident in which a Canadian staffer was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand team practices before the start of competition at the Paris Olympics.
In this case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday upheld a six-point Olympic tournament deduction issued by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body. On Wednesday, the panel of three judges at the CAS dismissed Canada’s appeal of the point deduction. (FIFA released a full report of the findings that led to its decision to punish Canada for using a drone to watch New Zealand practice ahead of their Olympic opener. digging into the FIFA site reveals this redacted statement)
This news piqued my curiosity, given that resolving these issues swiftly and impartially is paramount to maintaining the integrity of sporting competitions. How exactly do drones, doping and cheating get resolved in Olympic time?
Not knowing where to begin, I sought out one of the law librarian’s favorite research hacks – Research Guides! In this case, Georgetown had a Research Guide ridiculously on point; even its title, Olympics and International Sports Law Research Guide promised to guide the researcher towards introduction to researching the structure and legal aspects of the Olympics.
This research guide pointed me to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in particular the CAS Ad Hoc Division, which is a temporary tribunal convened for the Olympic Games. In addition, since news outlets often times do not provide the primary source, I learned where to find the decisions for further research.
Operating under specially tailored procedure rules, the Ad Hoc Division’s task is to quickly adjudicate disputes that arise during the course of the Olympics, operate around the clock during the Olympics and render decisions within 24 hours. They have jurisdiction over disputes arising from or connected to the Olympics, excluding field-of-play matters.
Ad Hoc Divisions have been organized during all Olympics ever since, being composed of 12 arbitrators (9 for the Winter Games) from different countries and profiles. The Ad Hoc Division has jurisdiction to hear any disputes arising on the occasion or in connection with the Olympics, from 10 days before the opening ceremony and up to the closing ceremony.
Armed with this knowledge, I can relax knowing that any disputes are covered from here until the Olympic torch is extinguished! Go Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky!!