The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle sports-related disputes through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sydney, and Lausanne. Temporary courts are established in current Olympic host cities.

In recent times, CAS has come under criticism for various reasons ranging from lack of transparency to incompetency in handling various issues. From an African perspective, however, the challenge has always been a perceived disadvantage in accessing CAS, owing to lack of competence, proximity challenges and the expenses involved.

The idea of a sports tribunal for Africa has been discussed in recent years, with beelines made towards CAS for it to host a regional office on the continent. However, is there a need at this stage for a sports court in Africa, and if so, how will it manifest itself; what should its jurisdiction be, where would it be held and what level of enforcement it could genuinely seek?

Two experienced experts in the legal field, Dr Donald Rukare, current President of the Uganda Olympic Committee and Michael Murphy, Legal Counsel at Premier Soccer League (PSL), South Africa, will unpack the subject for us. DKP, Principal Director at PARMARS, will moderate the session.