Court of Arbitration For Sport Moves Shanghai Hearing Center to New Venue

​The CAS Shanghai Alternative Hearing Centre's new office building. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The Shanghai Alternative Hearing Centre of the Court of Arbitration for Sport has opened its new venue at the Changning campus of East China University of Political Science and Law.

CAS, the world's leading sports arbitration body, resolves disputes related to sport, including doping and player transfers, through arbitration. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the institution handled 917 cases globally in 2024, a 50 percent increase compared with 2019.

The organization has introduced digital tools such as the e-filing 2.0 system and online hearing platforms, while legal aid mechanisms, including the Football Legal Aid Fund, continue to be enhanced.

The CAS Shanghai hearing center, the first international sports organization to establish a presence in the city, has developed over the past decade into a key hub for sports arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region.

The building now housing the center was previously the site of the Chinese Olympic Committee's predecessor, the China National Amateur Athletic Federation, which used the space for meetings and offices as early as 1924.

​A ceremony is held to mark the opening of the new site of the Shanghai Alternative Hearing Centre of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

CAS Director-General Matthieu Reeb said that the Shanghai center will serve as a bridge between the East and the West, providing more efficient and impartial arbitration services for sports disputes in the Asia-Pacific region.

Xiao Kai, president of ECUPL, emphasized that the new center will provide opportunities for faculty and students to engage with world-leading sports law experts.

He added that combining ECUPL's academic strengths with CAS's experience will help explore new models of digital arbitration, promoting fair and efficient solutions in international sports dispute settlement.