The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Ad hoc Division has ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to consider an appeal submitted by the Irish Luge Federation (ILF) against the International Luge Federation (FIL). The appeal concerned a 2026 Olympic Winter Games qualification place for Irish athlete Elsa Desmond.
The ILF lodged the appeal on 29 January 2026, challenging the FIL’s decision to allocate a qualification spot to an athlete with Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) status. The ILF argued that this decision unlawfully denied Ireland a quota place for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The FIL and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) maintained that the CAS Ad hoc Division did not have authority to hear the appeal.
The CAS arbitrator explained that the Ad hoc Division for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games is only competent to hear disputes that arise during the Games or within ten days before the Opening Ceremony, which takes place on 6 February 2026. Therefore, any dispute must have emerged no later than 27 January 2026 to fall under its jurisdiction.
The arbitrator reviewed the events in detail. The FIL allocated the contested qualification place to AIN athlete Daria Olesik during the FIL World Cup event in Oberhof, Germany, held from 16 to 18 January 2026. The ILF challenged this decision in a letter to the FIL on 22 January 2026. The arbitrator concluded that the dispute arose prior to the jurisdiction period of the CAS Ad hoc Division, confirming that the appeal was filed outside the division’s authority.
As a result, the appeal by the ILF could not be considered by the CAS Ad hoc Division Milano Cortina 2026.
