Chapter 17 - Final Settlement of Disputes at the Court of Arbitration for Sport

17.1.	Nothwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in this Statute, FIDE hereby subscribes to the final settlement of any dispute directly or indirectly related to chess in its whole or partial practice, be it commercial or relating to the practice and development of chess or a dispute following a decision by FIDE, to be sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne without recourse to any other court or tribunal, as earlier subscribed to by FIDE on 11 October 1995.
17.2.	For all practical purposes, the practise of the game of chess in all its ramifications is fully recognised as sport by the International Olympic Committee at the IOC session in Seoul, Korea in June 1999 and therefore any form of practice of the game of chess and any decision thereon by FIDE or any form of activity relating thereto either directly or indirectly falls within the definition of sport.
17.3.	The settlement of all disputes under Article 17.1 above shall be applicable to acts performed by : FIDE as an Organisation FIDE Office bearers Member Federations, their clubs and individual players Sponsors Any person or body with whom FIDE has entered into any form of contractual arrangement either directly or indirectly related to Chess
17.4.	The Decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport shall be final and binding on the parties.