CAS dismisses Karim Ibrahim's appeal on ouster from IAAF Council

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Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday dismissed Karim Ibrahim's appeal against the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) decision to remove him from the IAAF Council.

The IAAF Vetting Panel had, in August last year, found Ibrahim ineligible within the meaning of the IAAF Constitution and IAAF Vetting Rules to hold office as a Council Member.

In dismissing Ibrahim's appeal, the CAS Sole Arbitrator Murray Rosen QC found that "the Vetting Panel was fully entitled to find that Mr Ibrahim was not eligible and there was nothing unfair about the process and result of its investigation to that effect."

"The Appellant failed to satisfy the Integrity Check and also failed to meet his disclosure obligations," Rosen further determined.

CAS ruled that Ibrahim should pay the costs of the appeal process and further ordered him to pay CHF 4000 (four thousand Swiss Francs) to the IAAF as a contribution toward its legal and other costs incurred in connection with the case.

New Zealander Don Mackinnon was appointed as chairman of the Vetting Panel at the IAAF Council in December, after serving as acting chairman from November 2018. Mackinnon is managing partner of a boutique law practice in New Zealand and has extensive experience working in the governance of different sports, including rugby union, rugby league, cricket and netball. He currently chairs a number of appointment panels in sport and was recently appointed Chair of the professional rugby union club, The Blues.

Namibia's Esi Schimming-Chase has recently been appointed to the panel, joining original members Mackinnon and Professor Mark Pieth, founder and Chair of the Basel Institute on Governance.

Schimming-Chase is a Senior Counsel of the High Court of Namibia who specialises in constitutional litigation, arbitration and mediation. The first female Advocate in her country to be appointed as Acting Judge of the High Court, Schimming-Chase is the Chair of the Council of the Namibian University of Science and Technology and has been a Council Member of the Law Society of Namibia since 2005.

Founded in 2017, the Vetting Panel is an independent group of experts appointed to oversee and assess the eligibility of new and existing officials being put forward for IAAF roles.