SLAM 6th Edition

The winners of the Sport Law Arbitration Moot 2025 are Janie Tan & Lai Chee Yuen from Singapore Management University (Singapore).

A big congratulations to not only our winner but also to:

The finalists and runners up: Spencer Lee & Jay Love from University of Chicago (USA);
Semi-finalists: Akanksha Oak and Dhruv Mehta from O.P. Jindal Global University (India) and Athina Bakopoulou & Aliha Butt from University Sorbonne Paris Nord-Kollegio IDEF (Greece).
Quarter-Finalists: Joe Zhang & Thomas Lin from University of Chicago (USA); Alexander Kirov & Emely Sáenz from O Rei Sports Law University (Spain); Rachel Tay and James Liu from Singapore Management University (Singapore); and Lucas Vanlerberghe & Robert Duytschaever from Ghent University (Belgium).

The offices at the Court of Arbitration for Sport played host to this event, with significant talent and ambition on show from all participants.

Across the two days, 8 teams from 6 different countries battled it out in front of 15 CAS Arbitrators for the right to be crowned SLAM 2025 Winners and receive their share of £2,500 prize money. The winners of SLAM receive £1,500 as prize money and the runners-up receive £1,000 as prize money.

All teams qualifying for the Quarter-Finals of SLAM are also granted free Plus membership to LawInSport for one year.

The Quarter Finals & Semi-Finals both took place on Thursday 10th April 2025. On Friday 11th April 2025, the Finals took place alongside our inaugural International Dispute Resolution in Sport Conference.

International Dispute Resolution in Sport Conference

The day began with a welcome address from Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder, LawInSport, Matthieu Reeb, Director General, Court of Arbitration for Sport (via video), and William Sternheimer, Manager for Training and Education, Court of Arbitration for Sport, before we moved into our first panel.

Mediation in Sport: Alternative Pathways to Dispute Resolution

The expert panel discussed the growing trend of mediation in sport, the challenges facing mediation and the future of using mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism in sport to arbitration.

The panel involved:

Anthony Lo Surdo SC, Barrister, CAS Arbitrator & Mediator
Kelly Skeggs, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Omnisports
Jeffrey Benz, Arbitrator and Mediator, JAMS and 4 New Square, London
Zachary Calo, Of Counsel and Head of Sports Law, Schelstraete Equine Law (moderator)

The Effectiveness of Procedural Rules in Sports Arbitration

We then moved onto our second panel discussing the Effectiveness of Procedural Rules in Sports Arbitration. The panel explored the various procedural rules in sports arbitration including in proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Australian National Sports Tribunal and the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber. The panel also discussed the developments that have been made in improving the procedural processes and the potential improvements that can be made.

The panel consisted of the following speakers:

Frans De Weger, Partner, BMDW Advocaten, Chairman of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) & CAS Arbitrator
Michelle Gallen, CEO, Australian National Sports Tribunal
Marianne Saroli, Senior Legal Counsel, FIA & CAS Arbitrator
William Sternheimer, Manager for Training and Education, Court of Arbitration for Sport
Rustam Sethna, Senior Associate, Mills & Reeve (Moderator)

Athlete’s Lawyer Perspective on 2027 World Anti-Doping Code

Following these panels, after some lunch & networking, we heard from Matthew Graham, Head of UNI World Players Association. Matthew presented an athlete lawyer’s perspective on the proposed changes to the 2027 edition of the World Anti-Doping Code.

Athlete Experience in Dispute Resolutions

We then moved on to the third panel of the day on Athlete Experience in Dispute Resolutions, where our panel of speakers discussed challenges faced by athletes in dispute resolution processes and recommendations for improving athlete representation and support.

Speakers included:

Alexander Engelhard, Counsel, ASD Law & Secretary General, EuroLeague Players Association
Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Former Olympic, World & Commonwealth 400m Champion
Kacie Wallace, Athlete Ombuds, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Paul Greene, Attorney/Founder, Global Sports Advocates
Lydia Banerjee, Barrister, Littleton Chambers (moderator)

The Impact of the Seraing case and other recent European Court Decisions on Sport

Our final panel finished off the conference for the day. It discussed the Advocate General’s recent opinion on forced arbitration in the Seraing case (also known as the Diarra case) along with the other recent decisions by the Court of Justice of the European Union in the SuperLeague case and the International Skating Union case.

The panel consisted of:

Despina Mavromati, Of Counsel, Valfor & CAS Arbitrator
Michele Bernasconi, Partner, Bär & Karrer & CAS Arbitrator
Viktoria Tsvetanova, Senior Associate, Dentons; Director of Badminton Europe & former international Badminton Player
Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder, LawInSport (moderator)

SLAM Grand Finals

The SLAM Grand Finals then took place, with some extremely talented individuals going head to head. A huge congratulations again to all participants.

Keynote Speech: Ethics in Sports Law

Post the finals, The Honourable Michael J Beloff KC gave a keynote speech where he explored ethics in sports law.

Awards & Reception

To finish off the day, all participants in the Grand Finals were handed plaques to commemorate their achievements. The winners of the SLAM competition receive £1,500 and the runners-up receive £1,000 as prize money. All the 8 teams involved in the SLAM 2025 Quarter-Finals will also receive a complimentary Annual Plus membership to LawInSport.

We thank everyone involved in this year's, and previous editions of the Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM), including the judges, teams, speakers and guests, for their time and support which has enabled us to provide opportunities to hundreds of students, regardless of their background or location, across the world to:

Develop and showcase their legal and advocacy skills before the world’s leading arbitrators and practitioners;
Gain real world experience of international sports arbitration under the leading procedural rules;
Receive training on writing submissions and advocacy from some of the world’s leading advocates and arbitrators in world sport.

We are deeply grateful to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and especially CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb, for his continued support and for opening the doors of CAS to our finalists — a career-defining experience for many.

Special thanks also to William Sternheimer, Manager for Training and Education at CAS, for his support this year, and to Björn Hessert, former CAS Counsel, for helping organise the Grand Finals of the 4th and 5th SLAM editions.

List of Participating Universities

The following universities have registered teams (with some having multiple teams) for the 6th Edition of SLAM:

AL Mustansiriyah University, Iraq
Cavendish University, Zambia
Christ & University School of Law and Legal Studies, GGSIPU, India
European University Cyprus, Cyprus
Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ghent University, Belgium
Imo State University, Nigeria
Islamia Law College Peshawar & Frontier Law College Peshawar, Pakistan
Kenya School of Law, Kenya
KU Leuven, Belgium
Leiden University, Netherlands
Marquette University Law School, USA
Moi University, Kenya
National University of Juridical Science Kolkata, India
O REI Sports Law Institute, Spain
P. Jindal Global University, India
Pepperdine University, USA
Singapore Management University, Singapore
Symbiosis Law School, India
Universidad del Pacífico, Peru
University Paris XIII-Kollegio IDEF, Greece
University of Baltimore School of Law, USA
University of Chicago, USA
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
University of Lagos, Nigeria
University of Lusaka, Zambia
University of Manchester, UK
University of Miami School of Law, USA
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law, Croatia
University of South Africa, South Africa
University of Western Ontario, Canada
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), Nigeria

We would like to extend our gratitude to all our judges for taking time out of their busy schedule to assist in judging the competition:

Grand Finals Judges

André Brantjes, Managing Partner, BrantjesAdvocaten
Anthony Lo Surdo SC, Barrister, Arbitrator & Mediator, 8 Wentworth Chambers
Despina Mavromati, Of Counsel, Valfor
Frans De Weger, Partner, BMDW Advocaten
James Drake KC, Barrister, 7 King's Bench Walk
Jeffrey Benz, SLAM Judging Director & Arbitrator and Mediator, JAMS and 4 New Square, London
Kwadjo Adjepong, CAS Arbitrator
Marianne Saroli, Senior Legal Counsel, FIA
Martin Schimke, Of Counsel, Bird & Bird
Michael Beloff KC, Barrister, Blackstone Chambers
Michele Bernasconi, Partner, Bär & Karrer
Patrice Brunet, Founder, Patrice Brunet Avocats
Petra Pocrnic Perica, Arbitrator & Of Counsel, No.9 Sports Law and Consulting
Raphaëlle Favre Schnyder, Independent Arbitrator, Favre Arbitration
Stephen Townley, Chair, Active Rights Management Ltd

Regional Oral Finals Judges

Alain Zahlan de Cayetti, Founding Partner, DeCayetti
Anna Bourdigova, Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport
Blondel Thompson, Barrister, St Philips Chambers
Daniel Cravo Souza, Partner, Cravo, Pastl and Balbuena Associated Attorneys
Daniel Visoiu, Founding Partner, Visoiu Law Firm
Dr Jakub Laskowski, Director of Legal & Sport Administration, Legia Warszawa
Elle Nikou Madalin, CAS Arbitrator & Barrister
Espen Auberg, Partner, Advokatfirmaet Nova DA
Jonathan Hall, General Counsel & Company Secretary, International Cricket Council
Jordi López Batet, Partner, Statim Legal
Laura Abrahamson, Mediator, Arbitrator and Referee/Special Master, JAMS
Leanne O'Leary, CAS Arbitrator
Janie Soublière, Principal, Soubliere Sports Law
Jens Evald, Professor, dr.jur., Aarhus University
Maciej Balazinski, Owner, Kancelaria Prawna Maciej Bałaziński I Współpracownicy
Martin Schimke, Of Counsel, Bird & Bird
Namrata Chatterjee, League Secretary, Indian Super League
Ricardo de Buen, Founder & Managing Partner, de Buen Rodríguez Abogados, S.C
Simon Bai, Managing partner of Grandall Law Firm
Takuya Yamazki, Founder & Managing Partner, Field-R Law
Thi My Dung Nguyen, Deputy Director General, PVF Football Academy
Vladimir Novak, Antitrust & FDI Associate, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Yoshihisa Hayakawa, Professor of Law, Rikkyo University

CAS Arbitrators

Alain Zahlan de Cayetti, Founding Partner, DeCayetti
Alex McLin, Director, Gymnastics Ethics Foundation; Independent Arbitrator and Sports Governance Expert
An Shouzhi, Managing Partner, Anjie Broad Law Firm Xiamen Office
André Brantjes, Managing Partner, BrantjesAdvocaten
Andrea Carska-Sheppard, General Counsel, Workplace Options LLC
Anna Bourdigova, Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport
Anna Peniche, Legal Director, Liga MX
Anthony Lo Surdo SC, Barrister, Arbitrator & Mediator, 8 Wentworth Chambers
Barbara Shycoff, CAS Arbitrator & Public Policy Advocate
Barry Sanders, Former International Corporate Lawyer
Benoît Pasquier, Founder & Attorney, BP Sports Law
Blondel Thompson, Barrister, St Philips Chambers
Carol L. Roberts, Mediator and Arbitrator, Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada
Daniel Brent, Arbitrator/Mediator, Daniel F. Brent
David Benck, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Hibbett Sports
Daniel Cravo Souza, Partner, Cravo, Pastl and Balbuena Associated Attorneys
Dan Visoiu, Founding Partner, Visoiu Law Firm
David Wu, Partner, Llinks Law Offices
Despina Mavromati, Attorney-at-law, Valfor Attorneys-at-Law
Diego Ferrari, Partner, Cambiaso & Ferrari
Dr Jakub Laskowski, Director of Legal & Sport Administration, Legia Warszawa
Dr János Katona, Partner, Kende, Molnár-Bíró Katona
Mehrdad Mohamadi, CAS Arbitrator
Elle Nikou Madalin, CAS Arbitrator & Barrister
Ercus Stewart, Senior Counsel and Arbitrator, Bar of Ireland
Espen Auberg, Partner, Advokatfirmaet Nova DA
Fabio Iudica, Professor, Milano-Bicocca University
Francesco Macrì, Senior Partner, Taini Gardi Macrì Law Firm
Frans De Weger, Chairman, FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber & Partner/Founder, BMDW Advocaten
Hugh Fraser, Arbitrator and Mediator, JAMS
Jacopo Tognon, Lecturer, University of Padua
Janie Soublière, Principal, Soubliere Sports Law
Jens Evald, Professor, dr.jur., Aarhus University
Jiahe Liu, Counsel, East & Concord Partners
John Wendt, Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Business Law Department, University of St. Thomas
Jonathan Hall, General Counsel & Company Secretary, International Cricket Council
Jonathan Rennie, Partner, Level
Jordi López Batet, Partner, Statim Legal
Joshua Gordon, Faculty Athletics Representative, University of Oregon
Juan Pablo Arriagada, Partner, Arriagada y Cia.
Kwadjo Adjepong, CAS Arbitrator
Lars Hilliger, Partner/Founder, Advice Advokatfirma
Leanne O'Leary, CAS Arbitrator
Luigi Fumagalli, Professor, Università degli Studi
Maciej Balazinski, Owner, Kancelaria Prawna Maciej Bałaziński I Współpracownicy
Maidie E. Oliveau, Counsel, Arent Fox
Malcolm Holmes, Chartered Arbitrator, Eleven Wentworth Chambers
Marco Balmelli, Partner, Kellerhals Carrard
Mark Hovell, Partner, Mills & Reeve LLP
Martin Schimke, Of Counsel, Bird & Bird
Michele Bernasconi, Partner, Bär & Karrer
Namrata Chatterjee, League Secretary, Indian Super League
Nir Inbar, Lecturer, Reichman University
Patrice Brunet, Founder & Managing Director, patrice.brunet.avocats
Patrick Grandjean, CAS Arbitrator & Head of the department "Taxation of individuals", Administration cantonale des impôts (ACI)
Petra Pocrnic Perica, Of Counsel, No.9 Sports Law and Consulting
Raphaelle Favre, Partner, Barandun AG & Alternate Judge at Appellate Court of Valais/Wallis
Ricardo de Buen, Founder & Managing Partner, de Buen Rodríguez Abogados, S.C
Roberto Barraco, Legal Researcher, FIFA
Rui Bottica Santos, Partner, Coelho Ribeiro e Associados
Russ Sauer, Retired Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Simon Bai, Managing partner of Grandall Law Firm
Steve Bainbridge, Partner, Greenberg Traurig
Sylvia Schenk, Consultant, Herbert Smith Freehills
Takuya Yamazki, Founder & Managing Partner, Field-R Law
Thi My Dung Nguyen, Deputy Director General, PVF Football Academy
Ulrich Haas, Professor of Civil Procedure and Civil Law, University of Zurich
Vladimir Novak, Antitrust & FDI Associate, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Wouter Lambrecht, Former Attorney-at-law, FC Barcelona
Yoshihisa Hayakawa, Professor of Law, Rikkyo University

Advocates

Adam Taylor, Barrister, Kellerhals Carrard
Aine Power, Deputy Legal Director, Fédération Equestre Internationale
Alistair McHenry, Partner and Head of Sport, Tyr
Andrew Moroney, Senior Associate in Greenberg Traurig
Barbora Šnáblová, Partner, Barbora Šnáblová Attorneys
Ben Rutherford, Senior Director, Legal, International Tennis Integrity Agency
Beth French, Senior Consultant, FIFA
Brianna Quinn, Partner, Bird & Bird
Chris Anderson, Head of Regulatory Affairs, City Football Group
Christopher Stoner KC, Barrister, Serle Court
Claude Ramoni, Founding Partner, Libra Law
Cliodhna Guy, Head of Governance & Legal (Legal Counsel) at the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board CLG
Daniel McDonagh, Associate, Charles Russell Speechlys
Danira Mustafic, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
David Sharpe KC, Barrister, 12 King’s Bench Walk & The Bar of Ireland
Farai Razano, Partner, Razano Attorneys
Federico Venturi Ferriolo, Partner and Head of Sport, LCA Studio Legale
Felipe Augusto Loschi Crisafull, Partner, Ambiel, Belfiore & Hanna Advogados
Hannah Kent, Associate, Onside Law
Hayes Rule, Associate, Blalock Walters
Howard Jacobs, Attorney, Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs
Ian Laing, Counsel, Lombardi Associates
Jaime Camembreleng, Partner, Cavaliero & Cambreleng
Jiří Janák, Attorney-at-law, KSD Legal
Jodi Balsam, Professor of Clinical Law/Director of Externship Programs, Brooklyn Law School
Joel Wallace, Barrister, Littleton Chambers
John Shea, Senior Associate, Lewis Silkin
Josep Vandellos, Partner, UNO ONE LEGAL PARTNERS SLP
Josh Charalambous, Partner, RPC
Kate Scallion, Associate, Jones Emery LLP
Kendrah Potts, Barrister, 4 New Square
Luka Krsljanin, Barrister, Blackstone Chambers
Lydia Banerjee, Barrister, Littleton Chambers
Manuel Illanes Boguszewski, Associate, Parmars
Marcel Belfiore, SócioSócio, Ambiel, Belfiore, Hanna Advogados
Marc Cavaliero, Partner, Cavaliero & Cambreleng
Marie Anne Lindhardt, Partner & Head of Sports Group, MAQS
Matthew Kaiser, Associate, Global Sports Advocates LLC
Nan Sato, Partner, Fisher Phillips & Attorney, Field-R Law Offices
Paolo Lombardi, Managing Director, Lombardi Associates
Paul Greene, Founder, Global Sports Advocates
Pedro Henrique Mendonça, Sports Law Consultant, CSMV Advogados
Peter Turchick, Director of International Law, Lockheed Martin
Rasoul Bakhtar, Chief Legal Officer, Bam Khatoon Women's Football Club
Richard Bush, Partner, Bird & Bird LLP
Richard Liddel, Barrister, 4 New Square
Rustam Sethna, Senior Associate, Mills & Reeve
Ryan Gauthier, Associate Professor, TRU Law
Saksham Samarth, Associate, Vandellos Sports Law
Sam Fellows, Lecturer, University of Waikato
Sarah Hartley, Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Siddharth Gosain, Lawyer, Muñoz y Arias Sports Lawyers
Siniša Petrović, Professor, University of Zagreb
Sohail Ali, Director, DLA Piper
Steve Smith, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Steven Flynn, Barrister, Kings Chambers & 2 Temple Gardens
Suzanne Crespo, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Sven Demeulemeester, Partner, ALTIUS' Employment and Sports Law Department
Thomas Horton, Barrister, 3 Hare Court Chambers
Tiago Gomez, Partner, Souto Correa Advogados
Tim Naylor, Director of Integrity and Regulation, British Horseracing Authority
Tim O'Connor, Barrister, The Law Library
Tiran Gunawardena, Principal Associate, Mills & Reeve LLP
Vidushpat Singhania, Managing Partner, Krida Legal
Professor Zachary Calo, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Supporters

We would also like to thank our supporters for their support and commitment to the competition to help develop the next generation of sports lawyers:

Presenting Partner:

Kellerhals Carrard

Gold Sponsors:

JAMS

Silver Sponsors:

Schelstraete Advocaten
Secretariat

Organising Committee

SLAM is organised by:

Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder, LawInSport
Manan Agrawal, Director of SLAM, LawInSport
Jeffrey Benz, Judging Director of SLAM
Blaz Bolcar, Co-founder of SLAM

All organisers and judges give up their time freely and do not receive any financial remuneration from their roles in the Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM).