As the year comes to an end, the Acting President of ICAS Michael Lenard has paid tribute to Mr John Coates, former President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following his decision to step down after 15 years of distinguished leadership. Mr Coates, a founding member of ICAS, was recognised for the significant role he played in shaping and strengthening both institutions. The Acting President expressed pride in continuing to build on the strong foundations and success achieved under Mr Coates’ tenure.
The statement reaffirmed that ICAS and CAS remain fully committed to serving the international sports community by promoting harmonised sports governance and delivering timely, independent and expert dispute resolution worldwide. To support this mission, more than 300 arbitrators took part in CAS training sessions during the year under a new format designed to ensure expertise remains aligned with the evolving landscape of sports law and CAS jurisprudence.
In line with its commitment to transparency and accessibility, CAS recently published a list of arbitrators and clerks appointed in non-confidential appeals procedures since 2022. This was followed by the launch of a redesigned CAS website, featuring an enhanced public database of case law and improved search functions to facilitate access to CAS jurisprudence.
The Acting President also highlighted the continued growth of CAS, which has expanded significantly since handling just 100 cases in its first decade prior to the creation of ICAS in 1994. This month marked a major milestone with the registration of CAS’s 12,000th procedure, reflecting a caseload that now spans a wide range of Olympic and non-Olympic sports.
Looking ahead to 2026, ICAS and CAS reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to the global sports community and to the provision of independent, high-quality dispute resolution services.
