Claudia Pechstein Case Settled!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The long-running dispute between the German Olympic speed skater, Claudia Pechstein, and the International Skating Union (ISU) relating to an alleged doping, which occurred in the special medical situation of Pechstein, who claimed to have an inherited blood disease causing the alleged blood doping, and who took her dispute all the way, on appeal, through the German Courts, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, has now been settled extra-judicially through Mediation.
As a result, the ISU has issued the following Statement to the Media:
ISU MEDIA STATEMENT
At the hearing of the Court of Appeal Munich on 24 October 2024 relating to the dispute between Claudia Pechstein and ISU, the President of the Court encouraged the Parties to discuss an amicable settlement.
The Parties met subsequent to the hearing in Berlin. Following the meeting, Ms. Pechstein and her father underwent ektacytometry tests at a Swiss hospital where it was determined that Ms. Pechstein has a “mild form of dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis (DHS)”.
The Parties have mutually agreed to settle their litigation in a spirit of conciliation, allowing them to focus on the sport's future development.
The ISU recognizes the sporting achievements of Ms. Pechstein and welcomes her future contribution to the development of athletes and the sport of speed skating.
Neither party will make any further comment concerning the settlement.
In line with the confidential nature of Mediation, no financial or other details of the settlement have been published.
This is another example of the success of Mediation, as an alternative to Court Proceedings, for settling sports disputes, which, where appropriate, offers a win-win situation for the parties in dispute.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
