Elections, Integrity and Whistleblowers: An analysis of  Garcia v World Triathlon CAS Award

On 24 June 2025, the Court of Arbitration for Sport partially granted the appeal of Mr Liber Garcia against a decision of World Triathlon.  World Triathlon had imposed on Mr Garcia a one-year suspension from all World Triathlon activity as a result of his activities during the World Triathlon Presidential and Executive Board elections. However, the CAS Panel (the “Panel”) still found that he had breached the World Triathlon Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy when read together with the Code of Ethics and the Code of Conduct.

This case provides an interesting insight into the nature of discussions that go on as part of the build-up to international federation elections. In particular, it highlights the attempts to try and have defined processes that limit interference by participants into a fair electoral process.  Importantly the case also focuses on the ability of whistleblowers to highlight actions that potentially breach the sport’s rules and the protection they receive from those rules.

The Award can be found here^[1].

Article Outline

• Background
  • The WhatsApp Exchange
  • The Complaint
• The Regulatory Framework
  • World Triathlon Code of Ethics
  • Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Policy
• The World Triathlon Tribunal Decision
• Proceedings Before the CAS Panel
  • Did Mr Garcia commit a disciplinary violation?
  • The Sanction
  • Mr Garcia’s Complaint against Ms Cooper
• Conclusion
• Takeaways for future cases and tips for best practice