Court of Arbitration for Sport: John Coates (AUS), president since 2010, resigns due to health reasons

Australian John Coates, born on 07/05/1950, a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) since 1994 and president of both bodies since 2010, "has announced his decision to step down as president of ICAS and CAS with immediate effect for health reasons," announced the CAS on 29/09/2025.

Coates who was re-elected unopposed in 2015, 2019 and 2023 is stepping down from his position as he states that his state of health "does not allow for international travel". In accordance with the ICAS statutes - which manage the CAS financially and administratively - vice-president Michael Lenard (USA) will become acting president until the next election in May 2027, "unless ICAS decides to hold one earlier."

"Mr Coates has overseen ICAS and CAS through a period of impressive growth. Since he took his function as president, CAS has tripled the number of procedures registered per year (304 in 2010, 917 in 2024) and its number of employees at the CAS Court office (18 in 2010 and 61 in 2024). The ICAS budget has increased by CHF20m (CHF4m…