Reynolds v. Int’l Amateur Athl. Fed’n, 505 U.S. 1301 (1992)

Reynolds v. International Amateur Athletic Federation


No. A-954


Decided June 20, 1992
505 U.S. 1301

ON APPLICATION FOR STAY

Syllabus

The request of applicant Reynolds is granted to stay a Court of Appeals’ order staying a preliminary injunction which barred The Athletic Congress of the U.S.A., Inc., and the International Amateur Athletic Federation from impeding or interfering with Reynolds’ ability to compete in the 1992 United States Olympic Trials. The District Court’s opinion on the issue whether Reynolds has established a probability of success on the merits is persuasive. With respect to whether the availability of a damages remedy precludes a finding of irreparable harm, a decent respect for the incomparable importance of winning an Olympic gold medal demonstrates that a pecuniary award is not an adequate substitute for the intangible values for which the world’s greatest athletes compete.