MIES (Switzerland) - It is with deep sadness that the FIBA basketball family note the loss of Dr Dirk-Reiner Martens. Dr Martens passed away suddenly on Monday at the age of 77, in Lausanne, where he was about to take part in a CAS hearing in the morning of November 12, 2019.

Dr Martens, a renowned arbitrator in legal disputes in sport as well as commercial disputes, was a FIBA legal advisor since 1985 and also acted for an interim period as FIBA Deputy Secretary General in the 1990’s, alongside former Secretary General Borislav Stankovic.

In his role as supervising the FIBA Legal department he trained both Patrick Baumann and Andreas Zagklis, respectively FIBA’s third and fourth Secretary General’s, during their time as FIBA lawyers.  

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said: "This is a very sad day for the international basketball family. Dr Martens was an exceptional person and jurist who devoted his practice to sports, and particularly his favorite sport of basketball, for more than 30 years. His loyalty and commitment to FIBA was second to none. On a personal level, losing your mentor is like losing a member of your family. Our thoughts are with his wife Ina."

Dr Martens played an integral part in the negotiations with the NBA in the late 80’s for the FIBA-NBA agreement which gave all basketball players the right to play for their national teams. He was also the principal draftsperson of the FIBA General Statutes and Internal Regulations for more than 30 years.

In 2007, Dr Martens was the central figure behind FIBA´s establishing the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT), the innovative system of resolving financial disputes in basketball that has grown to become the second biggest arbitral tribunal in the Olympic Movement.

In 2010, he received the FIBA Order of Merit at the FIBA Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. 

His love for basketball stemmed from his playing years in the junior national team of Germany where he captained the U18 German team at the very first Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 1960. 

As a leading Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arbitrator and one of the founding fathers of German sports law, with numerous publications, Dr Martens will be greatly missed. FIBA convey their sincere condolences to Mrs Martens, to their families and friends, and to Mr Martens’ colleagues.    

FIBA