The Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) bared on Thursday that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has not dismissed the two appeals filed by the federation against governing body World Aquatics (WA).
Currently, there are two appeals filed by PSI to CAS.
The first appeal was filed last December with the PSI questioning the WA’s decision to form a ‘Stabilization Committee’ and to remove the federation as a member of the governing body.
The Stabilization Committee was composed of Philippine Sports Commission legal head Atty Wharton Chan, Philippine Olympic Committee Deputy Secretary General Valeriano Floro and Bases Conversion Development Authority Senior Vice President Arrey Perez.
“On 19 January 2023, World Aquatics confirmed categorically that it still recognizes PSI’s membership. Then on 21 February 2023, World Aquatics (without any explanation) abruptly terminated the mandate of the Stabilization Committee. Although World Aquatics has yet to restore its recognition of PSI’s Board of Trustees, the official position of World Aquatics before the CAS is that it has ‘withdrawn’ its December 2022 decisions. Therefore, according to World Aquatics, PSI’s First Appeal should be considered moot,” read PSI’s statement.
“PSI for its part has asked that World Aquatics be ordered to answer for all costs, if the First Appeal is declared moot, considering that by suddenly withdrawing the December 2022 Decisions, World Aquatics essentially waived the white flag and admitted that those decisions lacked merit and should never have been issued in the first place,” it continued.
“These matters are still pending before the CAS; thus, PSI’s First Appeal is still pending and has NOT been dismissed.”
A second appeal by PSI was filed to CAS on March 13, 2023, seeking clarity on the suspension given by WA to PSI last February 22 and the appointment of an ‘Electoral Committee.’
That too has yet to be dismissed.
“On 29 March 2023, the CAS asked World Aquatics to file its Answer to PSI’s Second Appeal within 20 days. The Second Appeal is thus in its initial stages and has therefore also NOT been dismissed,” the statement explained.
With these, the PSI is hoping to clear the air regarding the two cases.
“That said, it must be stressed that both the First and Second Appeals of PSI are STILL very much alive and pending. News reports to the contrary should be disregarded.”
