Terceira BOA dispute in the hands of CAS
An ongoing dispute between Olympic equestrian Jillian Terceira and the Bermuda Olympic Association has spilt over into the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Details over the dispute remain unclear, but it is understood that Terceira, who represented Bermuda at the 2008 and 2012 Games in Beijing and London respectively, is seeking to have disciplinary action taken against her by the BOA overturned.
Terceira has filed a case with the CAS against the BOA, its Appeal Panel and Disciplinary Committee, which was scheduled to be heard last December. CAS hearings are not open to the public.
“I am aware of an ongoing case but have no particular comment in that regard,” Ian Truran, the Bermuda Equestrian Federation president, told The Royal Gazette.
“I think it’s inappropriate, based on the confidentiality around the issue, for the Bermuda Equestrian Federation to comment.”
Stan Douglas, the BOA secretary-general, declined to comment.
Terceira, who also represented Bermuda at the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games, is based in Belgium and competes in equestrian events across Europe.
The CAS, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is an institution independent of any sports organisation that provides services to facilitate the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation by means of procedural rules adapted to the specific needs of the sports world.
It was created in 1984 and is placed under the administrative and financial authority of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport, headed by Australian John Coates, who is a former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.
The CAS sets up non-permanent tribunals, which it does for the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and similar major events. To take into account the circumstances of such events, special procedural rules are established on each occasion.
Any disputes directly or indirectly linked to sport may be submitted to the CAS. These may be disputes of a commercial nature — eg, a sponsorship contract — or of a disciplinary nature following a decision by a sports organisation — eg, a doping case.
Any individual or legal entity with capacity to act may have recourse to the services of the CAS.
These include athletes, clubs, sports federations, organisers of sports events, sponsors or television companies.
