23 October 2013
Conference Highlights Growing Importance of Law in Sport
Professor Jack Anderson, Keith McGarry LLM Sports Law and Practice, Partner
with Conn and Fenton Solicitors Lisburn and Andrew Nixon and Paul O’Dowd from Sheridan’s,London
We have already witnessed some fantastic sporting moments in 2013 but it has also been the year of growth of stories and incidents surrounding the playing, administering, sponsoring and following of sports around the world.
From corruption to match fixing, from sports stars using drugs to on field physical, mental and verbal assaults, to the singing 2013 has not been without incident.
With these incidents there has been a parallel growth in the involvement of the law both to safeguard and uphold the individual sport but also as a means of punishment.
Now in its second year the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s ‘Sports Law Conference’ in association with Sports Forum Northern Ireland was held at Law Society House in Belfast.
Themes discussed at the conference included, corruption in sport and protecting children.These issues and many more were discussed against their ethical, regulatory and legal background.
Those attending had an opportunity to hear from experts from the Law Society, Queens University, Sport Resolutions UK, the leading body of its kind in the UK and one that is used frequently by bodies such as the FA, IFA and other leading UK sports bodies.
Speaking after the conference the President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, Michael Robinson said
“The Law Society is delighted to be working with the Northern Ireland Sports Forum to highlight the growing issues surrounding sports law and how it impacts on the day to day lives of athletes, sports clubs and commercial organisations”.
ENDS