Four Lithuanian sports federations have informed the country’s highest institutions about the decision of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LNOC) illegally discriminated against organizations by not allocating funding. The LNOC violated not only its statutes, but also the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania. According to the heads of the federations, the LNOC, which cherishes Olympic values, is causing invaluable damage to Lithuania’s image on the international stage. The letter also draws attention to the fact that the LNOC has recently been actively involved in the processes regarding changes in the sports system, although such activities are not compatible with the provisions of the Olympic Charter. Therefore, the appeal asks to prevent possible discriminatory practices in the future and to ensure confidence in the management of the sports system.
The heads of the Lithuanian Tennis Union, Lithuanian Athletics, Lithuanian Cycling and Lithuanian Biathlon Federations sent an appeal to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the Speaker of the Seimas, the Government, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, the Education and Science Committee, the Committee on Law and Order, the Commission on Youth and Sports Affairs and the Anti-Corruption Commission. The LNOC also received a letter from these federations. It calls for the implementation of the CAS decision as soon as possible – the return of 40 thousand euros each. To pay most of the court costs and more than a thousand euros each as litigation compensation.
LNOC decisions are illegal and discriminatory
2025 In February, the LNOC Executive Committee unanimously decided to issue warnings to four organizations allegedly acting against the LNOC: the Lithuanian Biathlon Federation, the Lithuanian Cycling Federation, the Lithuanian Athletics Federation and the Lithuanian Tennis Union. Less than two weeks later, the LNOC General Assembly dealt another blow to the aforementioned federations – 46 out of 60 LNOC members voted not to allocate the amount of 40 thousand euros each from the LNOC budget to these organizations. After this outburst, the federations turned to the highest sports dispute settlement institution in the world – CAS. After almost two years of litigation, the federations are celebrating their victory as the CAS has overturned the decisions made by the LNOC Executive Committee and the General Assembly.
“The National Olympic Committee has committed discriminatory, criminal and retaliatory offences, grossly violating its statutes, Lithuanian laws and the Olympic Charter. The LNOC will have to compensate for the grants that we lost illegally. This organization does not talk to its community, divides it, so we had to go in a legal way, thus forcing the LNOC to behave democratically and legally. I hope that this decision of the CAS will make the LNOC think, because, although justice has been restored, the reputational damage to Lithuania has been very great,” says Eimantas Skrabulis, President of the Lithuanian Athletics Federation.
The CAS stated that the warning of the LNOC Executive Committee was without legal basis and illegal, as the LNOC had not proved any specific damage or violation caused by the federations. The CAS also emphasized that by deducting 40 thousand euros each. Illegal discrimination was applied to them. The deprivation of funding was assessed as a criminal and retaliatory measure directed against LNOC members. The LNOC’s argument that the majority of LNOC members voted for the non-allocation of funds has also been disarmed – the CAS conclusions state that the LNOC statutes prohibit any discrimination. The Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania also prohibits majority decisions directed against specific members regarding the expression of their legitimate opinion on issues of public interest.
The CAS rejected the only request of the federations – to oblige the LNOC to convene a new meeting of the General Assembly for the approval of the 2025 budget, as such an obligation would exceed the competence of the CAS.
Confiscated funds are also a blow to athletes
Last week, the winning federations sent a call to the LNOC to implement the CAS decision as soon as possible. In its appeal, the federations emphasized that they are ready to cooperate and seek to eliminate the consequences of the dispute through a peaceful agreement.
“The decision of the General Assembly itself was a decision that did not fit into the limits of logical reason. It is a pity for my colleagues, the heads of other federations who voted, but the smaller federations are simply intimidated and afraid to raise uncomfortable questions. We have heard arguments that these deprived funds are not intended for athletes, but for the administration, this is another bluff of the Olympic Committee. These funds directly contribute to the preparation of athletes. The pre-Olympic years were difficult and those funds were really lacking. Of course, the athletes also suffered as a result – we had to shorten the training camps and choose more modest conditions,” says Arūnas Daugirdas, President of the Lithuanian Biathlon Federation.
According to the CAS decision, the LNOC should also cover the majority of the arbitration costs – 80 percent. The rest will be paid by the federations. The exact amount is not yet clear and will be communicated to both parties at a later date. In addition, the LNOC will have to pay each federation one thousand Swiss francs in compensation for litigation costs.
Last week, the LNOC Executive Committee decided to propose to the General Assembly to consider an adjusted budget for 2025, which would include operational support for four sports federations (EUR 40 thousand each). EUR 160 thousand in total). The General Assembly will take place on 6 March.
Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
