MINSK, 31 May (BelTA) – Belarus' National Olympic Committee intends to file a lawsuit against the International Canoe Federation (ICF) demanding the compensation of all the expenses and moral damages over the ban of Belarus' senior men's canoe and kayak teams from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BelTA learned from the Belarusian NOC.
Earlier, the National Olympic Committee applied to the International Canoe Federation for the compensation of the expenses and moral damages. However, on 30 May insidethegames.biz reported that the ICF is not planning to pay out the compensation to the Belarusian athletes.
“We will go to court if they do not agree to a peaceful settlement. The lawsuit will be prepared quickly,” NOC Secretary Genera Anatoly Kotov said.
The National Olympic Committee is set to seek compensation for the prize money the Belarusian team could have won in case of victory and also the expenses spent on the four-year training of the team for the Olympics. This sum is estimated at $400,000-500,000.
BelTA reported earlier that in January the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the one-year suspension imposed on Belarus' senior men's canoe and kayak teams by the ICF Executive Committee due to alleged multiple anti-doping rule violations.
