Kingston, Jamaica — A special division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Monday it will rule on a dispute regarding national hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis’ qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Clunis was excluded from Jamaica’s athletics team for the upcoming summer Olympics after the Jamaica Athletics Association (JAAA) admitted to an error in submitting an updated list to World Athletics, which omitted Clunis’ name. The JAAA attributed the mistake to power and internet outages caused by Hurricane Beryl.
After not receiving any updates from the JAAA by July 7, Clunis filed an appeal with CAS on Wednesday. The CAS special division heard the dispute on Saturday and initially promised a decision by Sunday. However, the panel required an extension and assured a ruling would be delivered by 5 a.m. Monday, Jamaica time.
Key Parties Involved:
- JAAA Representation: Ben Cisneros
- Jamaica Olympic Association Representation: Ian Wilkinson of the King’s Council
- World Athletics Representation: Catherine Pitre
- International Olympic Committee Representation: Antonio Ligozzi
- Clunis’ Legal Team: Dr. Emir Crowne, Mr. Matthew Gayle, and Mr. Sayeed Bernard
Clunis, aiming to compete in her first Olympic Games, hopes to secure a spot in Jamaica’s team for the first time since the Rio 2016 Games. The decision by CAS will determine if Clunis can fulfill her Olympic dream.
