On March 17th, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the independent organization that facilitates sports-related disputes, announced it would not hear any cases in-person until at least May 1st because of the work disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
With the May 1st date now in the past, CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb told Inside the Games that in-person hearings would not be held until May 18 at the earliest. At that point, they could be delayed even further, depending on advice from the Swiss government. CAS is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Reeb also said that 14 hearings have been postponed since March 16th, while 8 had taken place via video conference.
As we detailed previously, key outstanding CAS hearings include the case between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). That hearing will decide the fate of many Russian athletes at the 2020 Games and other major events over the next four years.
Another case involves Australian sprinter Shayna Jack, who was handed a 4-year ban by the Australian Anti-Doping Authority, with Jack vowing to appeal her case to CAS.