Court of Appeals Confirms Nullity of Suspensions Imposed by the COD on Sports Federations
Santo Domingo – The First Chamber of the Civil and Commercial Court of Appeal of the National District has upheld the ruling that annuls the suspensions imposed by the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD) on various sports federations. The federations of Fencing, Modern Pentathlon, Surfing, Shooting and Badminton are the beneficiaries of this decision, which rejects the appeal filed by the sports organization. The court ruling ratifies the decision previously issued by Judge Raquel Astacio Mercedes, of the Fourth Chamber of the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the First Instance Court of the National District. The original sentence considered that the sanctions were adopted irregularly, which motivated the COD’s appeal.In addition to confirming the nullity of the suspensions, the Court of Appeals has ordered the Dominican Olympic Committee to pay compensation for damages to the affected federations. This compensation seeks to cover the consequences arising from the irregular suspension of their activities and funding. According to Dr. Ronald Santana, just for the concept of subsidies not received since July 2023, the amount could reach 200 million pesos. Added to this are the resources needed for the preparation of the athletes, especially in view of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Sports Games, which will be held in the country from July 23 to August 8. The sentence also includes the COD’s condemnation to pay the procedural costs, which were set in favor of Dr. Ronald Santana, in his capacity as lawyer for the plaintiff federations. For the jurist, this decision sets an important precedent in sports governance, reaffirming the obligation of governing bodies to act in accordance with the law and due process when imposing disciplinary sanctions.We are celebrating. We receive this ruling with humility, but with approval because justice has been served.
Doctor Ronald Santana, legal representative of the plaintiff federations
With this ruling, the affected federations formally regain their rights, while the Dominican Olympic Committee must abide by the decision of the Court of Appeals of the National District.This is just a reiteration of what the fulfillment of justice should be. We expected nothing less, because it is absurd to think of sanctions applied without any kind of criteria or support.
Luis Ciprián, president of the Dominican Fencing Federation
