What is the disciplinary jurisdiction of a sports federation? A review of Vitaly Mutko v IOC

The Russian doping scandal has been in the headlines since 2014 when German television channel, RTL, broadcast a documentary (the RTL Documentary) concerning the alleged existence of a doping regime within the All-Russia Athletics Federation. Over the last few years, details of the sophisticated nature of the scheme have emerged following various investigations having been conducted, new witnesses coming forward, and numerous proceedings being brought before a variety of dispute resolution bodies.

CAS Arbitration 2017/A/5498 Mutko v International Olympic Committee is an important victory for a senior Russian politician, Mr Vitaly Mutko, who successfully overturned his permanent ban on attending the Olympics for his alleged involvement in the doping regime. The case has been referred to in Russia as “the most significant CAS case ever”¹ not only because the case files included approximately 100,000 pages of documents, but also because Mr Mutko is such a high-profile figure in Russia in politics, given that he currently holds the office of Deputy Chairman of the Russian government.

This article reviews Mr Mutko’s case, examining within its context the question of who falls within the disciplinary remit of a sports federation.