Date: 15 January 2027 (Friday) Time: 2:30pm–5:45pm Language: English Level: Elementary
Speaker: Stephen Gallagher, Professor of Practice in Law, Associate Dean (Academic & Student Affairs), the Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lawyer CPD / ACCA CPD / SFC CPT / Insurers’ CPD Pts: 3 points Fee: HK$1,800
Highlights:
This 3-hour seminar offers a comprehensive introduction to the dynamic intersection of sports and law in Hong Kong. Designed for both new and experienced practitioners, the seminar explores the legal frameworks governing amateur and professional sports. Although the seminar will consider issues from around the world, there is a particular focus on Hong Kong’s unique sporting landscape and possible developments in sports and law in Hong Kong.
The seminar will consider the regulatory structures, governance models, and dispute resolution mechanisms that shape the sports industry. The course will examine key legal issues such as athlete contracts, sponsorship agreements, intellectual property rights, anti-doping regulations, and liability in sports injuries.
Special attention will be given to Hong Kong-specific institutions, including the influential role of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The course will also explore the governance of sports bodies such as the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which oversees public sports facilities and programs.
The seminar will address the present role of arbitration in sports disputes, including the role of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and emerging trends in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) within the sports sector. Case studies will illustrate how arbitration is increasingly used to resolve disciplinary, contractual, and eligibility disputes in both local and international disputes.
Hong Kong is positioning itself as a regional hub for sports arbitration. Recent local disputes, such as athlete exclusions due to registration issues and governance conflicts within federations, highlight the urgent need for a centralized, fair, and transparent mechanism. The government-led pilot scheme, set to launch in the second half of 2025, should introduce a dedicated dispute resolution framework tailored to the sports sector and expected to complement CAS by handling domestic disputes and offering a pathway for escalation when necessary. The seminar will consider the possible future of arbitration in sports disputes under a Hong Kong arbitration framework.
Some of the topics considered in this seminar will be:
- The key legal challenges in amateur and professional sports;
- Sportspersons’ and employers’ rights and obligations under sports contracts;
- Sportspersons’ and employers’ rights and responsibilities for accidental and deliberate harm: who should have been accountable for Eric Cantona’s karate kick?
- Consent to harm: volenti non fit injuria;
- Sports and crime- bribery, corruption, illegal betting, and money laundering;
- Governing bodies and financial fair play: who cares about Crystal Palace Football Club?
- Intellectual property rights and sports- can you own a sports move, e.g. a scorpion kick?
- Sports, technology and the law including the legal issues that may arise with eSports, artificial intelligence and sports, and robot sports;
- Offensive sports team names, logos and behaviour;
- Responsibility for fan behaviour and liability for fan injury;
- The legal principles underpinning sports governance in Hong Kong;
- The roles of major Hong Kong sports institutions and their legal implications;
- The present and future use of arbitration and ADR in resolving sports-related disputes.
Target Audience:
Legal practitioners, in-house counsel, sports administrators, and professionals interested in the legal dimensions of sports in Hong Kong.
