CAS says 'no jurisdiction' to hear Uhlaender appeal over skeleton qualifying

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 2 : The Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Monday that its ad-hoc panel has no jurisdiction to hear an appeal by U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender and consequently she will not be added to the Winter Olympic roster.

Uhlaender had asked CAS to award her ranking points from a race last month after the late withdrawal of four Canadian athletes meant she received reduced points for winning, ending her hopes of qualifying for her sixth Olympics.

However, CAS said in a statement that its Olympic ad-hoc panel was entitled to hear appeals relating only to events within 10 days of the Games' opening ceremony on February 6.

That meant the race on 11 January and the subsequent judgment by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) on January 23 that cleared Canada of wrongdoing took place before the January 27 cut-off.

The decision should end what has been an emotional and controversial issue between athletes, coaches and officials of the neighbouring countries.

It began when the late Canadian withdrawals from the development race in Lake Placid last month meant the field dropped to a size that reduced the number of ranking points available, ending two-time world champion Uhlaender's hopes of getting to Cortina.

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) was cleared of any wrongdoing two weeks ago by the IBSF's Integrity Unit after an investigation, saying they were under no obligation to give a reason for withdrawing athletes.

They did, however, say "the Canadian coach and the National Federation shall be reminded that, whilst acting within the letter of the IBSF Code of Conduct, it is expected that all parties concerned should also act within the spirit of the Code."

Uhlaender alleged that the