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Singapore Management University wins SLAM 2026, LawInSport’s 7th Sports Law Arbitration Moot at the CAS

Winners of the 7th Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM 2026) receiving trophy

The 7th edition of SLAM brought eight teams from six countries to the Court of Arbitration for Sport  in Lausanne, alongside LawInSport’s 2nd International Dispute Resolution in Sport Conference.

LAUSANNE, 27 April 2026 — Samantha Chong Wei En & Ameerul Putra Bin Abdul Wahab from Singapore Management University were crowned winners of the Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM) 2026 on Friday 24 April, taking the title at the offices of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The runners-up were Lisa Elizabeth Strouken & Blaž Bukovec from University of Maribor (Slovenia). 

We were honoured to have the awards presented to all participants by Michael Lenard OLY, President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) and Matthieu Reeb, Director General of CAS, following a keynote interview with both conducted by Sean Cottrell, CEO of LawInSport.

Now in its seventh edition, LawInSport’s SLAM competition with Presenting Partners Kellerhals Carrard, concluded on 24 April 2026 with the Grand Finals running alongside the 2nd International Dispute Resolution in Sport Conference. Eight teams from six countries had advanced from a starting field of 77 entrants through written rounds and regional oral finals to compete in person, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals heard on 23 April before a panel of fifteen CAS arbitrators. The Grand Final itself was judged by CAS arbitrators:

  • Martina Spreitzer-Kropiunik, President, St. Pölten Regional Court (Panel President)
  • James Drake KC, Barrister, 7 King's Bench Walk
  • Martin Schimke, Of Counsel, Bird & Bird

We would like to congratulate all the finalists on their performances, they acquitted themselves well, and can be very proud of their performances:

Semi-finalists:

  • Charlotte Henderson & Tatiana Valenta from Pepperdine University (USA); and
  • Jay Love & Joshua Lopez from University of Chicago (USA)

Quarter-Finalists:

○      Joe Zhang & Santiago Galan from University of Chicago (USA);

○      Romana Halgašová & Samuel Jehlár from Trnava University (Slovakia);

○      Rio Chaves Widdowson & Masbal Mohamed Mohamed A. Ibrahim from Queen Mary University of London (UK); and

○      Aanya Arora & Akriti Lamba from The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (India).

Mooting at CAS gives finalists a working understanding of international arbitration practice that few academic programmes can replicate.

The winning team received £1,500 in prize money, with £1,000 going to the runners-up. The winners also receive the opportunity to attend one of LawInSport’s renowned conferences (such as the Football Law and Global Summit) in the coming year, and all eight quarter-finalist teams have been awarded a complimentary annual Plus membership of LawInSport.

The conference programme (See program below) on 24 April covered a range of contemporary topics including:

  •       Integrity challenges in sport,
  •       Arbitrators’ perspectives on practical issues in sports disputes,
  •       Commonly contested clauses in commercial contracts,
  •       Industry trends in sports disputes including the European Court of Justice’s Seraing and Diarra rulings, class action lawsuits and the rise in sports insurance claims.


8th Edition of SLAM - Registration of Interest:

Registration of interest for the 8th Edition of SLAM are open, with interested university teams invited to register your interest here. Further details on the 2027 competition, including key dates and procedural rules, will be published by LawInSport in due course.

Photo (from left to right) Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder of LawInSport & SLAM Organising Committee Member, Michael Lenard OLY, President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), Samantha Chong Wei En & Ameerul Putra Bin Abdul Wahab, Singapore Management University, Matthieu Reeb, Director General of CAS, Manan Agrawal, Deputy Director of Content, LawInSport & Director of SLAM.

ENDS

About LawInSport

LawInSport is the world's leading sports law knowledge hub and global community that provides practically focused expert analysis and commentary on the latest legal developments in sport. 

LawInSport collaborates with our community of over 30,000 lawyers, sports executives, sports administrators, athletes, coaches, academics and students, and their organisations, to help them ‘understand the rules of the game’™ through:

  • Growing knowledge and understanding of law in sport;
  • Learning the practical application of law in sport;
  • Improving governance and professional standards;
  • Building meaningful relationships and networks across the world; and,
  • Becoming informed and sophisticated purchasers of legal services.

Media contact

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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 Sponsor:

  • JAMS

Silver Sponsor:

  • Secretariat
  • Wordley Partnership

Supporting Sponsor:

  • 39 Essex Chambers
  • 4 New Square Chambers
  • Anthony Lo Surdo SC
  • BCLP
  • Blackstone Chambers
  • Bird & Bird
  • BMDW Advocaten
  • Brantjes Advocaten
  • Despina Mavromati (Sport Legis)
  • Global Sports Advocates
  • Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs
  • Lombardi Associates
  • Matrix Chambers
  • Muñoz & Arias Sports Lawyers
  • Statim

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).

Regional Oral Finals CAS Arbitrator Judges

Teams in Round of 16

  • Faculty of Law, University of Maribor (Slovenia)
  • Ghent University (Belgium)
  • Kollegio IDEF-Athens - Université Paris Nord Sorbonne (Greece/France)
  • Kollegio IDEF-Athens - Université Paris Nord Sorbonne (Greece/France)
  • Lincoln's Inn (UK)
  • Manchester Metropolitan University (UK)
  • O.P Jindal Global University (India)
  • Pepperdine University (USA)
  • Queen Mary, University of London (UK)
  • Singapore Management University (Singapore)
  • Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
  • The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (India)
  • Trnava University (Slovakia)
  • University of Baltimore School of Law (USA)
  • University of Chicago (USA)
  • University of Chicago (USA)

Qualifying Round Judges

We extend our gratitude to all 77 participating teams and the distinguished panel of judges who provided valuable feedback throughout the competition including:

Oral Qualifying Round Judges

Arbitrators

Advocates

Participating Universities

Thank you to all the teams that entered the competition from:

  •     Al-Azhar University, Egypt
  •     Allameh Tabatabaei University, Iran
  •     Bishop Stuart University, Uganda
  •     Cavendish University Uganda, Uganda
  •     Charles University, Czech Republic
  •     City St George's University of London, UK
  •     City University of London, UK
  •     Department of Legal Studies and Research, Barkatullah University, India
  •     Faculty of Law University of Maribor, Slovenia
  •     Faculty of Law University of Zagreb, Croatia
  •     Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  •     Frontier Law College Peshawar, Pakistan
  •     Ghent University, Belgium
  •     Gujarat National Law University, India
  •     IMO State University, Nigeria
  •     ISDE, Spain
  •     Islamia Law College Peshawar, Pakistan
  •     Kampala International University, Uganda
  •     Kharazmi University, Iran
  •     King's College London, UK
  •     Kollegio IDEF-Athens, Greece
  •     Lincoln's Inn, UK
  •     Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
  •     Metropolitan International University, Uganda
  •     National Law School of India University, India
  •     NMIMS School of Law, India
  •     Northwestern Law, USA
  •     O.P. Jindal Global University, India
  •     Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary
  •     Pepperdine University, USA
  •     Queen Mary University of London, UK
  •     Singapore Management University, Singapore
  •     Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
  •     Thakur Ramnarayan College of Law, India
  •     The University of Law, UK
  •     Thompson Rivers University, Canada
  •     Trnava University, Slovakia
  •     Université Paris Nord Sorbonne, France
  •     University of Baltimore School of Law, USA
  •     University of Benin, Nigeria
  •     University of Cambridge, UK
  •     University of Chicago, USA
  •     University of Lagos, Nigeria
  •     University of Lusaka, Zambia
  •     University of Mumbai Law Academy, India
  •     University of Nairobi, Kenya
  •     University of Rijeka - Faculty of Law, Croatia
  •     University of Technology Sydney, Australia
  •     University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
  •     West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, India

Industry Exposure

All participants receive a complimentary entry to LawInSport’s International Dispute Resolution in Sport Conference, held alongside the Grand Finals on April 24, 2026. This unique networking opportunity connects emerging talent with leading practitioners, arbitrators, and sports executives.

 Acknowledgments

The competition's success relies on dedicated professionals who volunteer their expertise. Special recognition goes to our qualification round coordinators:

2nd International Dispute Resolution In Sport Conference Program

Panel 1 - Addressing Integrity Challenges in Sport

  • Catherine Pitre, Senior Counsel, World Athletics
  • Matthew Kaiser, Counsel, Dispute Resolution Unit at United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
  • Emmanuel Strahm, Founder & CEO, Fair Science For Sport & Senior Scientist
  • Giovanni Maria Fares, Executive Director, Gymastics Ethics Foundation
  • Prof. Jack Anderson, Professor, Melbourne Law School

Panel 2 - Arbitrators' Perspectives on Practical Issues in Sports Disputes

  • Petra Pocrnic Perica, Founding Partner, No9 Sports Law & Consulting
  • Martina Spreitzer-Kropiunik, President, St. Pölten Regional Court
  • Martin Schimke, Of Counsel, Bird & Bird
  • Mark Hovell, Partner, Mills & Reeve
  • Takuya Yamazaki, Founder & Managing Partner, Field-R Law Offices

Panel 3 - Examining Commonly Disputed Clauses in Commercial Contracts 

  • Riccardo Coppa, Senior Associate, Kellerhals Carrard 
  • Sara Maria Moreno Sanchez, Senior Legal Advisor, FIM
  • Serena Bertinetto, Senior Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs, Volleyball World
  • Sean Cottrell, CEO, LawInSport (Moderator)

Panel 4 - Industry Trends in Sports Disputes - Insurance, Litigation Funding/Class Action, European Court Decisions

  • Graham Denny, Partner, Wordley Partnership
  • Mario Flores Chemor, Attorney-at-Law, Kellerhals Carrard
  • William Sternheimer, Manager for Training and Education, Court of Arbitration for Sport
  • Sarah Hartley, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Moderator)

Session - SLAM Grand Finals

Final Session -  Keynote Interview

  • Michael Lenard OLY, President, International Council of Arbitration for Sport, Court of Arbitration for Sport
  • Matthieu Reeb, Director General, Court of Arbitration for Sport
  • Sean Cottrell, CEO, LawInSport (Moderator)

Awards Ceremony

Monday, 27 April 2026

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