QASF Commences Its Operations
The Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation (QSAF) has officially announced the commencement of its operation after the QSAF’s General Assembly approved the appointment of the Chairmen of its judicial departments and approved the decision of its board of directors to include arbitrators and mediators in its Lists. The General Assembly was chaired by Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Al Mohannadi, President of Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation, in the presence of the General Assembly’s members Mr. Salman Ahmed Al Ansari, the Vice-President and the Secretary-General of the Foundation, Mr. Hani Blan, Representative of Qatar Stars League, Mr. Saeed Almas and Mr. Mohammad Al Othmani representatives of Qatar Players Association and Mr. Fahed Al-Muraikhi representative of Qatar Olympic Committee.
During its meeting, the General Assembly has adopted the appointment of Dr. Talal Al Emadi as Chairman of the Mediation Division, Mr. Stuart McLaren as Chairman of the Ordinary Arbitration Division and Dr. Abdullah Al Hayyan as Chairman of the Appeal Arbitration Division. It has also adopted the decision of the Board of Directors to establish the lists of the arbitrators and the mediators, which has included 30 arbitrators and a mediator in its first stage, most of whom are from the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) list of approved Arbitrators.
The Foundation has also launched its website which includes all the information related to the mechanism of its work, the relevant rules and the models necessary to initiate the Arbitration and the Mediation Proceedings as well as the requirements to act as an Arbitrator or Mediator at QSAF.
In his statement, Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Al-Mohannadi, President of Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation, said: “This step comes after the team of Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation, led by Mr. Salman Ahmed Al-Ansari, has completed all the legal and logistical arrangements to ensure that the work of the Foundation and its bodies runs smoothly.”
He added that “The foundation will work through a transparent mechanism to ensure neutrality for all concerned parties, and in cooperation with existing training institutes, the Foundation will also announce training programs that allow everyone who has the desire to work in the field of Sports Arbitration to get the necessary training”. Mr. Al Mohannadi added that “QSAF has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre to host the arbitration and mediation sessions until QSAF’s headquarter is ready.”
As for the lists of the Arbitrators and Mediators, Al-Mohannadi said: “The focus has been mainly on the Arbitrators accredited and certified with the Court of Arbitration for sports (CAS) as a preliminary stage, but the Foundation will continually update these lists to include a larger base and wider expertise. ”
Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Al Mohannadi has also announced the launching of the website of the Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation and on this subject he said: ” we made sure that the website is comprehensive so that it provides all the required information for any Party who would like to lodge a claim to QSAF’s bodies through Arbitration or Mediation. The website also includes all the necessary information for anyone interested to join the Foundation as an Arbitrator or Mediator as well as the details of the training courses which will be organized by our partners.
Al-Mohannadi concluded his statement by saying: “The sports structure is completed today by the activation of an independent institution working to resolve sports disputes independently, a matter which reflects the practical implementation of the directives of His Highness the Emir of Qatar to create a legal environment that facilitates and accelerates the procedures for settling disputes.”
To visit the web site, please click on the following link: www.qsaf.qa.