Athlete Welfare - LawInSport

Sport, Safety & Participation – Annual Review 2024/25

Welcome to the Safety and Participation chapter of the LawInSport Annual Review 2024/25. Over the last 40 years, both amateur and professional athletes have been able to use…

How the UK’s rugby and football concussion litigation is impacting the sports insurance market

In recent years, high profile cases and developments in technology and scientific research have shone a spotlight on the risks associated with concussion and sports-related head injuries. This is an issue which has captured the public’s attention du…

Preventing abuse in sport: An overview of the safeguarding regimes in the US, UK & Canada

Addressing athlete maltreatment and abuse continues to be a hot-button issue in the sports world. Due to increasing global attention and scrutiny on this topic, governments and organizations are bolstering their existing processes to ensure athlete…

The ‘duty to prevent’ sexual harassment: How the UK Worker Protection Act impacts sports organisations and employees

The interest in women’s sport has increased exponentially over recent years, especially after the Lionesses’ success at the 2022 European Championships. As a result of their increased success and improved public profiles, female athletes’ prominence…

Childhood sexual abuse claims: How proposed reforms to UK limitation periods could impact sports organisations

Until now, all personal injury claims, including those for childhood sexual abuse, have been subject to a three-year limitation period.[1] The clock starts on a complainant’s 18th birthday and expires when they are 21, although they can take on the…

Takeaways from Ankura & LawInSport's Sports Governance, Compliance, and Investigations Workshop & Seminar - 3rd Edition

The Ankura Sports practice held its third Sports Governance, Compliance and Investigations Conference supported by LawInSport at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne on 29 January 2025. The event was preceded by two workshops, held on 28 January. This in…

Beyond the peloton: reimagining concussion safety in professional cycling through legal innovation

Every time a rider crashes on the Tours de France[1], a convoy of vehicles sweeps past him or her. Cars from other teams, commissaires, neutral service vehicles, all leave a rider there, chasing on after the peloton. If they did this outside of the…

Dressing for diversity: an overview of religious clothing policies in sport

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in France have generally been lauded by the media as a success and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that the Olympic Games were “younger, more inclusive, more urban and more sustain…

Future-proofing esports: a look ahead to the key legal issues facing the esports industry

The evolving ecosystem of esports is not only a hub for groundbreaking technology and entertainment, but also a burgeoning field fraught with intricate legal and regulatory challenges. As the industry accelerates towards a projected value of USD11.9…

The Swiss Federal Tribunal’s key sports law judgments of 2024

This article summarises key judgments from the Swiss Federal Tribunal in 2024 in the field of sports law. The main principles examined relate to: Decision to reduce a contractual penalty in a football-related dispute and right to be heard…

Does cricket need a more comprehensive approach to tackling racism? Analysis of Cricket Regulator v Essex CCC

Sporting clubs and associations, both amateur and professional, are no strangers to disciplinary actions. On-field penalties are routinely handed out for various infractions. However, in recent years, misconduct outside the arena has increasingly le…

A review of how Paris 2024 Olympic Games aimed to address gender equality

With the Olympics and Paralympics ending earlier this summer, it provides an opportune time to examine the impact that the hosting of major sporting events (“MSEs”) can bring. A particularly big theme that was noticeable in the Paris 2024 Olympic G…

The impact of the Diarra case on the football transfer system – Key takeaways

LawInSport, along with the Asser Instituut and the Association for the Study of Sport and the EU (Sport & EU), hosted a joint webinar on 18th October 2024 to bring together experts to unpack and provide clarity on the complex legal, regulat…

How sports can improve mental health support for elite athletes

A roundtable discussion at HealthAccord 2024, which took place earlier this year alongside the SportAccord conference in Birmingham, UK, considered recent mental health developments in sport. This article reflects on key findings from the panel and…

‘Nobody asks the players’: Why FIFPRO are challenging FIFA’s international match calendar and expanded Club World Cup

On 16 September, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker expressed his opinion[1] – one he says is widely held by players – that the top-tier professional fixture calendar is now far too congested and that it’s affecting the ability of players to perfor…

How to deal with UK pension assets if divorcing abroad: A guide for international athletes

It is increasingly common for families involved in international sports to live and work abroad. One issue that this gives rise to is: what happens to pension assets accrued abroad on divorce? Pensions can make up a significant proportion of family…

Expanding maternity rights in football: Analyzing FIFA's 2024 regulations for female players

This article analyses the expanded maternity related rights included by FIFA in the 2024 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and looks at any potential changes that can be implemented in future editions of the regul…

What steps can sports organisations take to protect officials & athletes from online abuse?

“We have gone from a vertical society to a horizontal society where everybody has an opinion about every decision you make, and everybody has an opinion on the Internet straight away.”[1] In 2024, former Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger’s words could…

The battle over the employment status of professional athletes: Amy Pieters v. SD Worx

This article analyses an ongoing case which may have potential to change how relationships between athletes and their teams are construed in the Netherlands. The case of Amy Pieters is a tragic one. Pieters, a celebrated Dutch cyclist with numerous…

Key considerations for athletes for selection disputes

No matter the sport, the vast majority of professional athletes share a version of the same goal: to perform at their best at the highest level. For those at the pinnacle of their sports, that means competing at the biggest events like the Oly…

Navigating the use of image rights for Polish National Football Team Players

Image rights of footballers called up to the national team have been the point of many disputes in recent years, with high-profile examples including Mohamed Salah’s conflict with the Egyptian FA[1], Kylian Mbappé’s strike[2] or the dispute over Alp…

The evolution of a human rights-based approach to participation and gender eligibility in women’s sports

The final round of Caster Semenya’s long series of legal challenges concerning her ability to participate in women’s athletics is currently being heard before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The last five yea…

Tackling liability: Lessons from Elbanna v Clark on negligence in sports injuries

Elbanna v Clarke is the latest in a string of High Court (London) cases determining liability for sporting injuries, which now includes: Tylicki v Gibbons1; Fulham Football Club v Jones2; and most recently Czernuszka v King3. In Elbanna v Clark4, Sw…

What sports leaders need to know about the Sports Safeguarding Culture Programme

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast1”. That’s not to say that an organisation’s safeguarding strategy isn’t incredibly important – but a great strategy in an organisation with an unsafe culture will never fully succeed. At a fundamental level, the…

Legacy of success: The transformative impact of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Australian sport

5 minutes. That’s all it took for the now legendary purple jersey worn by the Australian (Matildas) goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (2023 World Cup) to sell out following its first online release at 12pm on Tuesday…

Women’s football in 2024 - A year of growth and overcoming challenges

“After this FIFA Women’s World Cup women’s football is going to explode in every single one of your countries.” – Dame Sarai Bareman, Chief Women’s Football Officer, FIFA.1 The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup took place between 20 July to 20 August 202…

How will AI and new technology help sport, on and off the pitch: Key Takeaways

This article is a part of a series of articles where the author recaps the discussion at LawInSport’s Global Summit. It examines the discourse in the third panel titled ‘How will AI and new technology help sport, on and off the pitch’. To view a re…

Sports Law from an athlete’s perspective: Key Takeaways

This article is a part of a series of articles where the author recaps the discussion at LawInSport’s Global Summit. It examines the discourse in the third panel titled ‘Athlete Forum - Sports Law from an athlete’s/player’s perspective’. The esteem…

Why it’s time for a centralised safeguarding regulator in UK Sport

Despite numerous independent reviews and extensive public comment, it would appear safeguarding in sport has certainly not got the ear of government in the way football finance has. For context, on the 7 November 2023, the King’s Speech announced t…

Analysing the state of equal pay in German professional football

The media coverage of the Women’s World Football Cup earlier this year brought into focus the controversy surrounding the pay gap between female football players and male football players in the international arena. Status Quo in Germany A gender…

Sports Law In 2024 – Key Issues To Watch In North America

Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2024 in North America from the LawInSport Editorial & Advisory Board. We hope this proves useful not only in identifying specific cases and issues, but also in detecting broader themes when…

Sports Law In 2024 – Key Issues to Watch in Europe

Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2024 in Europe from the LawInSport Editorial and Advisory Board. We hope this proves useful not only in identifying specific cases and issues, but also in detecting broader themes when read in…

ACL injuries in women’s football and the need for insurance cover for players

As part of its commitment to the health and wellbeing of female footballers, and to make the game safer for players, UEFA recently announced that it is going to tackle head-on one of the most damaging injuries players can sustain: the anterior cruci…

The evolution of maternity policies in elite sport (+ drafting tips for clubs & governing bodies)

Once upon a time, the idea of an athlete mother (let alone the concept of a sport-specific maternity policy!) was an alien concept in the world of elite sport. The narrative was that motherhood was somehow fundamentally incompatible with being an el…

Kicking racism to the curb: La Liga’s challenges and initiatives in the fight against discrimination

Without a shadow of a doubt, racism represents a societal quandary that extends far beyond the confines of football itself. It is an issue of global proportions that transcends national boundaries and people. La Liga, the premier professional footba…

Beyond the policy: Creating a culture of safeguarding in sport in UK

The mention of “safeguarding” has the potential to generate two responses. First, a recognition that it is an issue which needs to be addressed. Second, and invariably, the view that issues of safeguarding arise ‘elsewhere’: in other clubs/teams, ot…

Caster Semenya's victory at the ECHR: A landmark case for athletes' human rights

On 11 July 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (“ECHR”) found that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) and the Swiss Federal Tribunal had violated South African middle-distance track star, Caster Semenya’s human rights in their handling…

Could this be one of the most significant actions by a group of players? The Rubiales - Spanish Women’s World Cup case

The Spanish women’s national football team’s thrilling victory against England in the 2023 World Cup final should have been a moment of triumph for Spanish football, its women’s national team, and women’s sport. However, this was sadly overshadowed…

Peter Bol: A case study in the need for interpretation & transparency in WADA's testing policies

Given the turmoil this year caused by “varying expert opinions” disagreeing as to why World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) accredited laboratories returned different decisions on Peter Bol’s urine sample, it would have been surprising if Bol was able t…

Football Legal Aid Fund: A Step Towards Access to Justice for Players, Clubs & Agents

FIFA and the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (“ICAS”) earlier in the year announced the establishment of a legal aid fund specifically available for parties to football-related disputes before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”…

The Online Safety Bill: Calling full time on online abuse in sport?

The vitriolic online abuse directed towards high-profile athletes in recent years requires no introduction. From the torrent of racist abuse directed at England’s footballers after the Euro 2020 final, to the brutal bullying of Emma Raducanu and the…

The 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport: What's New?

In 1921, the American boxer Jack Dempsey and the French boxer Georges Carpentier squared off in a hastily assembled outdoor arena built on a farm in New Jersey for boxing’s first ever million-dollar gate1. The fight ushered in a ‘golden age’ of boxi…

Legal issues in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup 2023

Key legal issues to look out for at the Rugby World Cup 2023

With the Rugby World Cup 2023 upon us, LawInSport has reached out to a number of legal experts working in the sports sector to share their views on the key issues to look out for around the sport of rugby in the lead up to the World Cup. The contri…

The Battle For Olympic Selection And Coaches Conflict Of Interest - Manika Batra Vs TTFI

Manika Batra (“Manika”) is a top 50 ranked international table tennis player from India. She has been the torchbearer of the resurrection of interest in table tennis in India. As a Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardee in 2020, the 28-year-old has wo…

Balancing stakeholder interest in Women’s football - a commentary on the Carney Review

Women’s football is firmly in the spotlight this summer. Following a record-breaking 2022/23 English domestic season, where viewership and live audiences for the Women’s Super League (“WSL”) hit an all time high, the expanded World Cup format on di…

Pension written in block letters on money

The lifecycle of an international athlete - Important pension considerations

This is the fifth in Penningtons Manches [Cooper]’s series of blogs addressing the key legal issues that international athletes and their advisors should consider before coming to work in the UK. Pensions expert Clare Coley looks at the importance…

Why non-compete clauses have no place in professional football

For the Malta Football Players Association (“MFPA”), it was hard not to hear echoes of a pre-Bosman era, when a Brazilian player sought out their legal help at the end of 2022 to challenge a non-compete clause. In Malta, the transfer fee at the end…

How is sport approaching mental health?

Earlier this year triple Olympic gold medallist, Adam Peaty, withdrew from the British swimming championships, on mental health grounds connected with depression and alcohol problems saying1: “Everyone wants to sit in your seat until they have to s…

5 things football players should consider before signing a playing contract

The 2023 summer transfer window is already in full swing with hundreds of players set once again to move clubs over the next couple of months. Most of those players will have agents representing them during their negotiations with clubs whilst some…

Will women ever get equality in football? Recent initiatives to tackle gender inequalities

With the Women’s World Cup commencing imminently, this article will reflect on the rise in women’s football since the Football Association (“The FA”) lifted its ban on women playing football 50 years ago and explore the different international, regi…

Improving data protection in sport: Human rights, data protection, and sustainability (Part 2)

With the increased importance of data, human rights and sustainability in sport, an important question arises, how can the protection of personal data in sport be improved? There are many challenges to be considered. It is evident that even very com…

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