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The All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VVF) has filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) demanding compensation in the amount of $76.39 million for the cancellation of the World Championship in Russia, the federation reported on May 12.
The VFV filed a claim with CAS on April 28, 2023. The Arbitration Court notified the defendant of the start of the proceedings on May 3. The court gave the FIVB 20 days to respond to the claim. The interests of the federation are represented by lawyer Luke Pitte from the law firm Walder Wyss, writes RIA News.
The Russian side demands the return of $76.39 million, this amount includes a fee for the right to host the World Cup ($40 million), a fine for terminating the agreement to organize the tournament ($12 million), and reimbursement of the expenses of the federation and the organizing committee for preparing the tournament (about $23 million). At the same time, VFV reserves the right to change the claims.
The world championship was to be held in August-September 2022. 10 Russian cities were preparing to host the championship. However, at the beginning of March 2022, the FIVB announced the postponement of the tournament due to a special operation in Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2022 recommended the removal of athletes from Russia and Belarus from international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. In March 2023, the committee proposed to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in international competitions only as neutral athletes.
The corresponding decision should be made by the international federations, the IOC leadership noted. The International Volleyball Federation told Match TV that recognize recommendations of the Olympic Committee on the admission of athletes.
