June 26, 2008

OLYMPIC ARBITRATION 

Unless the involved athlete is already world-famous, arbitrations concerning the various athletic teams that the U.S. Olympic Committee and the various National Governing Bodies (NGBs) select rarely get media attention. Yet, every four years, there is a sharp spike upward in the number of these arbitrations. No surprise, since this is the time in the  "quadrennial" when final selections are made for national teams for the upcoming Olympiad (Summer Games begin August 8, 2008, in Beijing) I have been privileged, as an American Arbitration Association Olympic panelist, to serve as arbitrator on a number of these cases over the past 19 years. They usually have to be heard "yesterday." They are also frequently conducted, in part, by telephone, as the athletes are competing or practicing in some distant locale. "Affected athletes" are also sometimes involved, because, as the Olympiad approaches, one athlete's arbitration win may be a loss for another athlete competing for a spot on the same team. The one constant for me is always wishing I had more time to deliberate.