Founded in Paris in 1920, Gide is a leading international law firm with 12 offices spread throughout the world.
Gide is physically present in six regions of the world, with 11 offices, enabling it to act on cases globally.
12 November 2019
Gide Warsaw | Dispute Resolution | Sports
Gide’s Warsaw office has been representing Mr Rafał Sonik, the Polish quad (ATV) rider, multiple World Cup winner (including in 2019) and 2015 Dakar Rally winner, in arbitration proceedings before the arbitration bodies of the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) regarding the results of the 2017 Oilibya Rally of Morocco.
During the Rally, Mr Sonik encountered serious navigation problems due to errors in the provided road book. After a lengthy trial, the TIA (International Tribunal of Appeal) found that Mr Sonik accurately proved the amount of time lost and ordered an adjustment of his result. Mr Sonik was then declared the winner of the 2017 Oilibya Rally of Morocco, thereby securing second place in the 2017 World Cup classification.
Gide's team advising Rafal Sonik on this arbitration was led by counsel Krzysztof Ciepliński. Krzysztof has been counsel to Mr Rafał Sonik since 2012, advising Mr Sonik on an ongoing basis regarding legal aspects of sporting competitions, and representing Mr Sonik before international arbitration tribunals of all instances. These include a successful challenge before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS) in 2013, against a decision disqualifying Mr Sonik from the official classification of the 2012 Dakar Rally due to an alleged violation of technical regulations. The CAS cancelled Mr Sonik's disqualification and ordered that he be officially classified in fourth place.
