CAS Rejects Karim IAAF Council Appeal, Doha 2019 Worlds Mascot Unveiled

13th February 2019 - by IAAF

Malaysian official had petitioned top sports court to overturn the decision to remove him from the top decision making organ of the world athletics governing body

Doha 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics Mascot unveiled on Wednesday, February 13, 2019. PHOTO/IAAF

SUMMARY

In a decision last August, the IAAF Vetting Panel found Ibrahim was not eligible (within the meaning of the IAAF Constitution and IAAF Vetting Rules) to hold office as a Council Member
The Vetting Panel's next order of business will be the review of candidates nominated to serve on the Nominations Panel
Falah, an athletic falcon emblazoned in the Qatari flag’s maroon colour, was unveiled as the official mascot of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at a specially-held ceremony at Qatar Foundation’s Awsaj Academy

MONACO, Principality of Monaco- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Malaysian Karim Ibrahim's appeal against the decision last year to remove him from the IAAF Council which is the top decision making organ of the world athletics governing body.

In a decision last August, the IAAF Vetting Panel found Ibrahim was not eligible (within the meaning of the IAAF Constitution and IAAF Vetting Rules) to hold office as a Council Member.

In dismissing Ibrahim’s appeal, the CAS Sole Arbitrator Murray Rosen QC found that: "The Vetting Panel was fully entitled to find that Mr Ibrahim was not Eligible and there was nothing unfair about the process and result of its investigation to that effect."

He further determined: “The Appellant failed to satisfy the Integrity Check and also failed to meet his disclosure obligations”.

The CAS ruled that Ibrahim should pay the costs of the appeal process and further ordered him to pay CHF 4000 (four thousand Swiss Francs) to the IAAF as a contribution toward its legal and other costs incurred in connection with the case.

Vetting Panel update

New Zealander Don Mackinnon was appointed as chairman of the Vetting Panel at the IAAF Council in December, after serving as acting chairman from November 2018.

Mackinnon is managing partner of a boutique law practice in New Zealand and has extensive experience working in the governance of different sports, including rugby union, rugby league, cricket and netball. He currently chairs a number of appointment panels in sport and was recently appointed Chair of the professional rugby union club, The Blues.

Namibia’s Esi Schimming-Chase has recently been appointed to the panel, joining original members Mackinnon and Professor Mark Pieth, founder and Chair of the Basel Institute on Governance.

Schimming-Chase is a Senior Counsel of the High Court of Namibia who specialises in constitutional litigation, arbitration and mediation. The first female Advocate in her country to be appointed as Acting Judge of the High Court, Schimming-Chase is the Chair of the Council of the Namibian University of Science and Technology and has been a Council Member of the Law Society of Namibia since 2005.

Founded in 2017, the Vetting Panel is an independent group of experts appointed to oversee and assess the eligibility of new and existing officials being put forward for IAAF roles.

The Vetting Panel's next order of business will be the review of candidates nominated to serve on the Nominations Panel.

At the same time, following a nationwide competition, the winning design of the mascot for the Middle East’s first-ever World Athletics Championships was announced on the country’s annual National Sports Day.

Falah, an athletic falcon emblazoned in the Qatari flag’s maroon colour, was unveiled as the official mascot of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at a specially-held ceremony at Qatar Foundation’s Awsaj Academy, attended by President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and a host of current and future Team Qatar athletes.

However, the most important guests of the event were the 490 children from a diverse range of local and international schools across Doha, who took part in a series of sports related activities to celebrate the launch of Falah with the help of Team Qatar’s 400m runner Mariam Farid and a group of Aspire Academy’s promising athletes.