Book Review: ‘The Code of the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Commentary, Cases and Materials’
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The second edition of this important and authoritative work, revised and updated by the original Authors, Despina Mavromati and Matthieu Reeb, has just been published by Wolters Kluwer (www.wolterskluwer.com).
The Authors, a CAS Arbitrator and the CAS Director General respectively, provide a useful in-depth commentary on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Code of Sports-related Arbitration, its historical context, evolving jurisprudence, template documents, as well as copious examples of CAS Awards.
The CAS opened its doors for business in June 1984, and, since then, its workload has increased exponentially as its role has become increasingly and widely accepted by the international sporting community and its stakeholders. In fact, by the first quarter of 2025, the CAS has registered more than eleven thousand cases since its inception. The CAS has certainly fulfilled its founders’ vision as becoming ‘the supreme court of world sport’.
The Law is stated up to the beginning of May 2025 and the Authors acknowledge, in their Preface, that “important developments are expected in the coming months, which could influence not only the jurisprudence of the CAS but also future institutional developments.” A reference, apparently, to the Court of Justice of the European Union Judgement, in the important RFC Seraing case, which was handed down on 1 August 2025 and held that CAS Awards are not immune from scrutiny by the National Courts in the European Union Member (EU) States regarding their compatibility with EU Public Policy.
All in all, the Book is a veritable mine of information in its 857 pages, and, to use the modern jargon, it is ‘a must have and must go to’ resource for anyone engaged or interested in CAS proceedings as parties, legal advisers and counsels, or in any other capacity.
Further information about the Book is available from the Publisher, Wolters Kluwer, by logging onto their website at ‘www.wolterskluwer.com’.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
