Admin l Monday, 27 June 2022
LAUSANNE – The International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), governing body of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), celebrates today the completion of the new CAS offices at the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne with an official inauguration ceremony.
The ceremony marks the conclusion of the building works that commenced in 2019 following the purchase by ICAS of the south wing of the Palais de Beaulieu in order to provide a permanent home for the CAS.
Since its creation in Lausanne in 1984, CAS has always been a tenant, first near the Olympic Museum, then at the Château de Béthusy, in Lausanne. CAS now benefits for the first time in its history from purpose-built facilities designed to serve its needs.
The facilities include modern offices and meeting spaces for the CAS staff as well as a cafeteria. Three hearing rooms, a mediation room, and a suite of breakout rooms now allow CAS to conduct multiple arbitration hearings simultaneously in state-of-the-art facilities incorporating video-conferencing and simultaneous interpretation equipment. A 92-seat auditorium also allows CAS to organise seminars and workshops on its own premises for the first time.
The cost for the work relating to the construction of the new CAS headquarters was CHF 37’176’629. Despite some minor delays due to the pandemic and global supply chain issues, ICAS is pleased to note that the project was achieved on time and with a saving of CHF 4’823’371 against the initial budget.
CAS registers around 900 arbitration procedures and organises more than 250 hearings each year. It currently has 45 employees and a recruitment campaign is currently in place to hire additional staff.
Speaking on the development, ICAS President, John Coates AC said ICAS is very pleased to give a permanent home to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
“I thank the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud for their continuous support and for their help in making this new construction possible within a reasonable time. These new facilities are outstanding and will give new perspectives to strengthen CAS arbitration throughout the world.”
CAS Director General, Matthieu Reeb said the new CAS headquarters are perfectly designed to facilitate the CAS operations and to satisfy its users. It gives also solid guarantees for the future development of the institution. It is the start of a new chapter in the CAS history.”
