The German Court of
Arbitration for Sport, a private and independent entity, devoted to
sports-related disputes, was incorporated in 2008 as a result of an initiative
of the DIS Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit e.V. (German
Arbitration Institute), on the one side, and the NADA Nationale Anti-Doping
Agentur Deutschland, on the other side. It has become an integral pillar in the
anti-doping fight in Germany and generally in the resolution of sports-related
disputes.
Recently, DIS
published the new DIS Sport Arbitration Rules applicable to the German Court of
Arbitration for Sport, which entered into force on January 1, 2025,
substituting the former Rules from 2016.
This article describes
the most relevant amendments which aim to harmonise the Sport Arbitration Rules
with the DIS Arbitration Rules 2018 for commercial disputes, to promote
procedural efficiency, to streamline the proceedings, to increase transparency
and to improve the position of athletes as parties in arbitration proceedings.
In addition, an Annex
to the Rules defines the functions and competences of different bodies engaged
within the DIS in the administration of arbitration proceedings in the field of
sport.