In this Statute, the following terms and phrases shall have the meanings assigned thereto, unless the context requires otherwise

• Kingdom: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SOPC Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

• SSAC: Saudi Sport Arbitration Center. Statute: SSAC’s Statute.

• Procedural Rules: SSAC’s Procedural Rules.

• Board: SSAC’s Board of Directors.

• Chairman: Chairman of the Board.

• CEO: SSAC’s Chief Executive Officer.

• Dispute: Any dispute to be decided by SSAC.

• Arbitration Tribunal: A panel of arbitrators or a sole arbitrator commissioned to hear and decide a dispute.

• Chamber: The competent arbitration or mediation chamber (as the case may be).

• President of the Chamber: President of the competent arbitration or mediation chamber (as the case may be).

• Sports Bodies: Saudi sports bodies, including the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee (SOPC), national sports federations, associations, national sports clubs, and sports academies and centers.

The Saudi Sport Arbitration Center (SSAC) shall be the supreme and exclusive authority to decide sports and sports-related disputes via arbitration or mediation. It shall be considered an independent and impartial entity and shall have a legal personality and financial and administrative autonomy. SSAC shall be represented by the Chairman or his designee.

1. This Statute, the Rules of Procedure, and the regulations and decisions issued by the Board and amendments thereof shall be deemed the legal basis for SSAC’s engagement in sports arbitration and mediation and for the rendering of arbitration awards on all sports and sports-related disputes.

2. Without prejudice to public laws in force in the Kingdom, the provisions of the Statute of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and its Rules shall apply to all matters for which no special provision is made in this Statute.

3. In the absence of a provision in CAS’s Statute and Rules, the provisions of the Saudi Arbitration Law and its Implementing Regulations shall apply.

1. SSAC shall be headquartered in Riyadh, and the Board may establish permanent or temporary branches elsewhere in the Kingdom.

2. An arbitral tribunal may initiate dispute resolution procedures by appearing in person or via electronic means, whether inside or outside SSAC’s headquarters.

3. If an arbitration award is rendered outside SSAC’s headquarters, it shall be deemed to have been rendered at said headquarters.

SSAC shall conduct its businesses in accordance with the following principles:

• 1. Independence and impartiality;

• 2. Procedural fairness; and

• 3. Equality in dealing with the parties to a dispute.

SSAC aims to achieve the following objectives:

• 1. Adhering to justice, fairness and speedy resolution of sports disputes;

• 2. Protecting the rights of the parties to a dispute;

• 3. Disseminating a culture of arbitration and mediation among sports professionals in the Kingdom;

• 4. Strengthening relations with arbitration entities within the Kingdom and abroad, and encouraging and promoting cooperation and partnership therewith; and

• 5. Participating in sports forums and events related to arbitration and mediation within the Kingdom and abroad.

1. Supervising arbitration and mediation services and any form of alternative methods for resolving sports disputes in accordance with this Statute and the Rules of Procedure;

2. Preparing and publishing lists of the names of experienced and efficient arbitrators, mediators, and experts in sports and sports-related disputes;

3. Holding conferences, seminars, workshops and training courses, and issuing publications on arbitration and mediation issues;

4. Raising awareness of SSAC’s activities and disseminating a culture of sports arbitration;

5. Publishing arbitration awards rendered by SSAC;

6. Developing and enhancing cooperation between SSAC, sports bodies, and specialized arbitration centers at both the local and international levels;

7. Conducting studies and research related to SSAC’s competencies, and cooperating with research centers and specialized consulting firms at both the local and international levels;

8. Drawing up projects and executive plans to develop SSAC; and

9. Undertaking any other roles or powers required to achieve SSAC’s objectives

1. SSAC shall have the jurisdiction to decide sports and sports-related disputes, including, but not limited to, the following:

• a. disputes arising between the Olympic Committee and/or sports federations; sports clubs; sports associations and/or academies; sports centers and/or their board members and/or their general assembly members; sportsmen (including players, referees, administrative staff, coaches, registered media professionals, and mediators); organizers of sports events; sponsors; and/or television or radio broadcast stations and others;

• b. disputes related to the use of doping substances; and

• c. international sports disputes (involving foreign players, coaches, and the like) in the event that the contract concluded between the parties to the dispute, or a subsequent written agreement therebetween, provides for referring the dispute to SSAC.

2. SSAC shall not have the jurisdiction to decide the following disputes:

• a. criminal disputes or lawsuits, whether or not they arise from a sports dispute;

• b. disputes pertaining to decisions made on the technical laws of a game;

• c. sports disputes that have not yet exhausted domestic remedies stipulated in the laws and regulations of sports bodies concerned with the dispute; and

• d. decisions deemed to be unappealable before SSAC pursuant to the laws of sports bodies.