BASQUE PELOTA: CAS DENIES JURISDICTION TO RESOLVE BASQUE PELOTA APPEAL
Lausanne, 20 January 2026 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has determined that it has no jurisdiction to consider and resolve an appeal concerning basque pelota, also known as pelota vasca. Consequently, the decision taken by the International Federation of Pelota Vasca (FIPV in Spanish) to incorporate the Basque Federation of Pelota Vasca (FPVE in Spanish) as a member could not be reviewed by CAS.
On 28 December 2024, the FIPV held a general assembly where a proposal to amend its statutes and incorporate the FPVE as a member was approved. The FPVE has since been competing at international level.
The Spanish Pelota Federation (FEP in Spanish) subsequently filed an appeal to CAS, together with the Cuban Federation of Pelota Vasca (FCPV in Spanish), against the FIPV and the FPVE and the decisions taken at the general assembly of 28 December 2024. The appeal stated that decisions made by the FIPV can be appealed to CAS, referring to a clause in the FIPV statutes (Art. 65). The FCPV withdrew from the procedure in November 2025.
A CAS Panel cannot examine the merits of a dispute without first determining whether the CAS has jurisdiction to hear an appeal. Following the exchange of written submissions by both Parties and a hearing held virtually on 11 September 2025, they determined by majority that the FIPV statutes do not provide recourse to CAS if a national federation wants to challenge an FIPV decision. The FIPV statutes have no arbitration agreement to challenge decisions made in a general assembly.
This is an unofficial summary for media use.
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