SportAccord Convention & LawAccord: "A Must-Attend for Any Lawyer Involved in the Legal Business of Sport"

SportAccord Convention, the most influential sports business summit and global gathering for the sporting community, is delighted to share an overview of the #SAC2018 LawAccord conference program set to take place on Wednesday, 18 April 2018. SportAccord Convention is attended by all international federations (IFs) and the LawAccord sessions will be of particular interest to IFs, cities and regions, event hosts, as well as lawyers and sports administrators.

The conference will be led by Stephen Townley, Chair of LawAccord and Michael Lenard, the Vice President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) who commented:

"The LawAccord (1:50) conference is a crucial part of the (GAISF) SportAccord agenda. Here at SportAccord Convention, we have all the international federations present and they are an important stakeholder, like the NOCs, like the IOC, and like the athletes. So for us, it’s a prime moment to have conversations with them and provide education to them." Lenard went on to say, "This year’s focus on the legal aspects of hosting major sports events is particularly relevant for stakeholders, as well as cities and legal teams."

The legal business of awarding and hosting major events has changed significantly in recent years becoming ever more complex. International federations and cities are having to find new ways to work and collaborate, as well as satisfy all the legal requirements that come into play.

The LawAccord Conference program will set-out to identify the legal risks for international federations and cities and what this means for legal teams and sports administrators. Topics will include: identifying and analyzing areas of potential conflict in host city agreements; common disputes and challenges with hosting major events; and whether the host country may impact risk disputes at ‘local’ level.

Session topics will also cover the key drafting issues for lawyers and who should take the risk; the increasing impact of criminal law and anti-corruption regimes and how this affects awarding major sports events; anti-doping programs and responsibilities; and how to mitigate against litigation risks including the role of insurance, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and CAS ad hoc panels.

Registration for #SAC2018 is now open. Commenting on the benefits of attending the SAC2017 LawAccord conference and SportAccord Convention in Aarhus, Denmark, delegate Alain Zahlan De Cayetti, Managing Partner of CVML (Dubai) and Arbitrator with TAS-CAS, commented:

"This was my first SportAccord Convention. As a TAS-CAS Arbitrator, the LawAccord Conference gave me compelling enough reason to register, however, on arrival, it didn’t take long to realise that I should have scheduled to attend the entire week of the Convention. With all the international federations present and in particular, Mrs. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris attending for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Dubai Sports Council’s team, not to mention governing sports bodies and many industry leaders, the Convention gave me unique access to connect with many of the key people in sport. The Convention is a must-attend for any lawyer, legal team or practice involved in the business of sport if you want to quickly take advantage of a whole of host of opportunities in a short space of time."

Details of the the LawAccord Conference Programme can be found here. Watch sessions and highlights from the SAC2017 LawAccord conference including an insightful panel discussion on eSports and virtual reality games with distinguished guests, Christian Sørenson, Head of Customer Experience at F.C. Copenhagen and Jakob Larsen, Director of the Danish Athletic Federation.

For more information, please contact:

Jenny Edmondson

Media Relations Officer

Email: jenny.edmondson@sportaccordconvention.com

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