Explainer: How Foreign Immunity Shields Sports Federations from Accountability
When a civil lawsuit was filed in Florida against the French Federation of Ice Sports (FFSG)—accusing the organization of mishandling sexual abuse allegations involving former French pairs skater Morgan Ciprès—one of the biggest hurdles wasn’t about facts or evidence. It was about jurisdiction.
At the center of that question is a little-known U.S. law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).
What is the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act?
Passed in 1976, the FSIA determines when a foreign state or government entity can be sued in U.S. courts. In most cases, it can’t. The law gives foreign governments—and organizations that are closely tied to them—immunity from lawsuits in the United States.
There are a few narrow exceptions, such as when a foreign entity is involved in commercial activity in the U.S. or or when a foreign entity’s actions cause personal injury or property damage within the United States. But unless a case clearly fits one of those exceptions, courts must dismiss it.
An example of How the FSIA Has Been Used:
One of the more infamous instances of the FSIA being used was in relation to a series of lawsuits against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia related to the September 11 attacks. Families of 9/11 victims spent years fighting Saudi Arabia’s claim which invoked the FSIA to argue its immunity. Ultimately, in that instance, U.S. Congress passed a special law allowing those cases to move forward.
Why It Matters for Skating and Other Sports
In the FFSG case, the French federation has argued that, as a governmental sports body, it qualifies as an “instrumentality of a foreign state.” As such, it has claimed protection under the FSIA and asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit entirely. The court initially ruled in their favor, but the case is currently under appeal.
The final ruling could set a precedent with broad implications for other international sports federations— whose athletes, coaches, or officials train in the U.S.
The U.S. has several popular training centers that draw international skaters. Currently, Canadian Gabrielle Daleman is training in Colorado Springs. Italian Dance team Noemi Tali and Noah Lafornara train part time in Newington, Connecticut. Sofia Samodelkina from Kazakhstan trains at least part time in Los Angeles, California.
France’s Kevin Aymoz moved to Florida in 2017 to train at the same rink as Morgan Ciprès trained. He still trains there part time.
The Bigger Picture
The FSIA was designed to preserve diplomatic balance, not to protect institutions from scrutiny. But in practice, it has become a powerful legal barrier—one that can prevent victims from pursuing justice and can keep governing bodies insulated from accountability beyond their borders.
As global sports become increasingly interconnected—with athletes crossing National lines to train, compete, and live—the reach of the FSIA raises pressing questions about whether foreign sports federations should benefit from sovereign immunity when they operate in the United States and if so, who ensures accountability when something goes wrong?