Overview
The law restricts the types of issues that eligible parties can bring to us. The dispute must fall under one of the categories listed below.
In some cases, the CEO may allow a dispute that does not clearly fall into one of these categories.
Types of disputes we handle
We can consider the following types of dispute.
| Dispute type | NST division | Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-doping rule violations | Anti-doping and Appeals | Arbitration |
| Disciplinary | General and Appeals | Arbitration, case appraisal, mediation, conciliation |
| Selection and eligibility | General and Appeals | Arbitration, case appraisal, mediation, conciliation |
| Bullying, harassment and discrimination | General | Case appraisal, mediation, conciliation |
| Other (CEO approved) disputes | General and Appeals | Arbitration, case appraisal, mediation, conciliation |
Types of disputes we do not handle
We cannot deal with the following types of dispute:
- contractual or remuneration disputes, unless in connection with an alleged breach of the disciplinary rules of the sport
- employment (industrial) matters, unless in connection with an alleged breach of the disciplinary rules of the sport
- where one party wants the NST to order another party to pay damages in arbitration (money to compensate for a breach of contract or loss)
- disputes occurring ‘in the field of play’ or the equivalent context in a particular sport.
Time limit for making applications
There are specific time limits for applications:
- Anti-Doping Division – within the time period specified in your sporting body’s anti-doping policy or 21 days after the day the athlete or athlete support person receives the rule violation notice from the sporting body
- General Division – within the time period specified in your sporting body’s rules or a reasonable period after the event that caused the dispute. If the rules of the sport do not define the ‘reasonable period’, our CEO must consider the timing reasonable
- Appeals Division – following a decision or determination, the application to appeal must be made within:
- the time period specified in your sporting body’s anti-doping policy or 21 days for anti-doping matters
- 30 days for any other type of dispute.