Photo by Profernity (CC BY 4.0)

On February 8, 2026, the Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) sitting for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games dismissed [3] two applications filed by Italian curler Angela Romei challenging her non-selection to Italy’s women’s Olympic curling team.

The dispute against the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) arose after FISG published its list of selected athletes on January 20, 2026, and subsequently confirmed that it would not reconsider the selection. Romei filed her application with CAS on February 4, 2026 and the matter was heard on an expedited basis pursuant to the CAS Ad Hoc Division Rules applicable during the Olympic Games.

The Sole Arbitrator concluded that jurisdiction was established. On the merits, the Sole Arbitrator reiterated that national sports federations enjoy broad discretion in selecting athletes for Olympic participation, subject to the requirement that such decisions not be arbitrary, unreasonable, or taken in bad faith. The award concluded that Romei failed to demonstrate clear evidence of arbitrariness or improper bias in the selection process. The application against FISG was therefore dismissed.

In the parallel proceedings [4] against World Curling (WCF), the Sole Arbitrator concluded that the international federation did not possess the authority to override or reconsider national team selections and could not grant the relief sought. That application was also dismissed.