The upcoming Olympic Winter Games™ (6-22 February 2026) and Paralympic Winter Games™ (6-15 March 2026) will be spread across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Alpine landscape of northern Italy (“Milan Cortina” or the “Winter Games”). Over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 195 medals across 16 Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic sports. It … Continue Reading
Introduction Sport and politics have long been considered “uneasy bedfellows”, which might explain why the regulation of sport in this country has traditionally been left in the hands of sports governing bodies (“SGBs”) rather than the UK Government. There has, however, been a gradual shift from strict non-interventionism to a more “involved” approach to sports … Continue Reading
There has been a raft of so-called “disruptor” competitions – backed by private equity – entering the sports and entertainment market in recent years. However, I am not sure that any have been as controversial, polarising and daring as The Enhanced Games (“TEG”), where the use of performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) will be permitted. The organisers … Continue Reading
Sarah Rathke recently published a piece with Cleveland.com about the NCAA’s new “House” settlement. Effective July 1, 2025, this will allow colleges to share revenue with student-athletes, but it leaves unresolved questions about gender equity, especially under Title IX. While Power 5 schools and most Division I programs have opted in, early data shows a … Continue Reading
What is the Field of Play Doctrine? Regardless of the sport or the level of competition, refereeing decisions are inevitably the subject of question and complaint. Players, managers, clubs, fans, commentators, pundits and casual observers may all criticise the merits of officiating decisions – something undoubtedly made all the more prevalent by the multitude of … Continue Reading
The NCAA and student-athletes are expected to settle their long-running name, image, and likeness dispute next month. But the proposed settlement likely will leave several questions about the NIL landscape unanswered. Squire Patton Boggs partner and co-lead of the firm’s US Sports & Entertainment Group Sarah Rathke explains why a proposed NCAA settlement with college … Continue Reading
In Rukhadze and others v Recovery Partners GP Ltd and another [2025] UKSC 10, the Supreme Court had the task of deciding whether a change was needed to the law on equitable obligations and liabilities of fiduciaries. The duty under the microscope was the so-called “profit rule”, i.e. that a fiduciary must account to his principal for any profit derived … Continue Reading
Original article published 30 August 2024 on our French sister blog La Revue. On your marks, get set, go! At the Paralympic Games, athletes were previously required to cover their Olympic rings tattoos or face disqualification. The International Paralympic Committee has decided to lift this ban for the Paris 2024 Games. In this blog we present … Continue Reading
As commented on earlier this week by the Gambling Commission (“GC”) in its blog post, today sees the introduction of the requirement for online gambling operators to introduce what it describes as “light-touch” financial vulnerability checks and also the introduction of a pilot scheme on additional financial risk assessments for the largest online gambling operators. … Continue Reading
Last month, both the English football industry and British horseracing industry published codes of conduct which address sponsorship arrangements between stakeholders in each of those sports and betting companies. These codes of conduct have been prepared following the 2020 Gambling Act 2005 Review, and the subsequent release of the White Paper ‘High Stakes: Gambling Reform … Continue Reading
Having recently examined some of the legal issues that have overshadowed the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, in this article I will consider what could keep contentious/regulatory lawyers (and journalists) busy once the Games formally begin on 26 July 2024. With ten days still to go before the Opening Ceremony, it is … Continue Reading
The cloud of Covid-19 (which loomed so large over Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022) has thankfully dissipated, but the lead up to the 2024 Olympiad in Paris (the “Paris Games”) has nevertheless been punctuated by logistical and legal challenges. Hosting the world’s largest multi-sport international event – attended by thousands of participants, support personnel, officials, … Continue Reading
Former University of Florida (“UF”) recruit Jaden Rashada (“Rashada”) has filed a lawsuit against the University’s head football coach, Director of Player Engagement & NIL, boosters, and the company that partially funded an alleged failed NIL deal. Rashada claims that the UF head football coach, amongst others, defrauded him out of millions of dollars in … Continue Reading
Former Arsenal Manager, Arsène Wenger famously said “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, Wenger’s words could not be more relatable. The internet has many wonderful features. It allows … Continue Reading
As we’re gearing up for an exciting summer of sport, the attention of many football fans will be drawn to the kick-off of the UEFA Euro 2024 Football Championships in Germany. Many businesses will be looking to take advantage of the hype and interest in the tournament, particularly if England can progress deep into the … Continue Reading
On 19 March 2024, Cricket Australia (“CA”) announced its decision to withdraw from their three-match men’s T20 series against Afghanistan because of the ongoing restrictions on women and girls in the country. This will be the third bilateral series that CA have declined to play against Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August … Continue Reading
Introduction and Background In its statement published at the end of last year regarding the disciplinary action taken against Alexey Shyshko, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) pronounced that Shyshko’s actions had “tarnished the reputation of esports as a whole” and “threatened the very foundation of fair competition in esports”.[1] ESIC’s public statement accompanied a lifetime … Continue Reading
Introduction Following a three-day hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 7-9 February 2024, the outcome of Simona Halep’s appeal against her doping suspension is imminent and eagerly awaited. In September 2023, the former world number 1 tennis star was banned for four years by an independent tribunal for breaches of Article 2 … Continue Reading
Women’s sports are on the rise, and so are the conversations regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) in connection with women athletes. NIL activities have created an exciting new area for college athletes, and with that the importance of equity in opportunities and support for women’s teams. The legal framework of NIL is evolving on … Continue Reading
At the start of this year, following his appointment as Chair of the UK’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (“DCMS”), Damian Green MP put sports governance firmly on the agenda. This commitment came after the publication of the Whyte Review in June 2022 (the “Review“), which was an independent report into allegations of mistreatment … Continue Reading
For the first time in 128 years, cricket returns to the Olympics when it will feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (“LA28“). It has been a long leave of absence for the sport, which last featured at the 1900 Olympics in Paris, when Great Britain secured the gold medal against the host nation … Continue Reading
After years in the making, the Online Safety Act (the “OSA”) has come into force after receiving Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 (as discussed in our blog here). Amidst the proliferation of social media use, there has been a worrying increase in the levels of abuse that players, athletes, officials, managers, coaches and other … Continue Reading
It has been over two years since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) lifted its prohibition on college athletes being able to profit from their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). When people traditionally think of NIL, they think of student athletes at the collegiate level receiving payment for their likeness. However, collegiate athletes are not … Continue Reading
Introduction In February 2023, as discussed in a previous blog article, an amateur rugby player was held liable by the English civil courts for injuring an opposition player “without any regard for [their] wellbeing or safety… and intent only on exactly revenge”.[1] Given the nature of the offending ‘tackle’ (which rendered the claimant paraplegic and … Continue Reading
