Sport’s Leaders Tackle Commercial Issues With Doping & Betting In Sport
Sport’s leaders and partners of sporting organisations will address the threat that doping and betting pose to the commercial success of sport at Integrity In Sport: Doping, Betting & Contractual Risk Management, a World Sports Law Report event, hosted at the London offices of Charles Russell LLP on 21 January.
Sporting leaders including Howard Stupp, Legal Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); Anne Gripper, Anti-Doping Services, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI); John Scott, Director of Drug-Free Sport, UK Sport; will address the full-day briefing. Commercial partners including Guy Le Grew, Senior Legal Advisor, Sky Sports; David O’Reilly, General Counsel, Betfair; will also present their view.
Sport’s audience is attracted by athletes in peak physical condition competing to win on equal terms. Broadcasters and commercial partners pay money to sport because this principle enables sport to hold an audience’s attention for a prolonged period of time. Sport then has money to re-invest in developing better athletes and facilities, which broadcasters and commercial partners will pay more to be associated with.
However, as events during the past year have illustrated, this ‘virtuous circle’ is increasingly being tested by incidents of doping or match fixing, which threaten to undermine the very reason that the audience watches sport in the first place.
Broadcasters ARD and ZDF withdrew TV coverage of the Tour de France, after a German rider was accused of doping. Several teams that competed in the 2007 Tour may no longer be able to do so, after sponsors withdrew support. Tennis Australia has partnered with Victoria Police to investigate match-fixing at the upcoming Australian Open, following accusations made against a number of players last year. Jockey Kieron Fallon was accused of being involved in fixing horse races, while Senator George Mitchell has accused several Major League Baseball players of using steroids. UK Sport has created a new National Anti-Doping Authority (NADO) to tackle doping in the UK.
With advances in new forms of ‘real time’ betting and new doping technology, sport – more than ever before – needs to be able to protect itself against a mass exodus of broadcasters and sponsors if allegations of betting or doping are made. Likewise, broadcasters and sponsors also need to know how to handle the situation to avoid possible litigation from athletes or sporting organisations, if accusations are made.
Our briefing will discuss all of these issues and more. For more information including a full programme, visit http://www.e-comlaw.com/IntegrityinSport/ or call Jit Jaswal on +44 (0)20 7012 1383.
Sporting leaders including Howard Stupp, Legal Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); Anne Gripper, Anti-Doping Services, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI); John Scott, Director of Drug-Free Sport, UK Sport; will address the full-day briefing. Commercial partners including Guy Le Grew, Senior Legal Advisor, Sky Sports; David O’Reilly, General Counsel, Betfair; will also present their view.
Sport’s audience is attracted by athletes in peak physical condition competing to win on equal terms. Broadcasters and commercial partners pay money to sport because this principle enables sport to hold an audience’s attention for a prolonged period of time. Sport then has money to re-invest in developing better athletes and facilities, which broadcasters and commercial partners will pay more to be associated with.
However, as events during the past year have illustrated, this ‘virtuous circle’ is increasingly being tested by incidents of doping or match fixing, which threaten to undermine the very reason that the audience watches sport in the first place.
Broadcasters ARD and ZDF withdrew TV coverage of the Tour de France, after a German rider was accused of doping. Several teams that competed in the 2007 Tour may no longer be able to do so, after sponsors withdrew support. Tennis Australia has partnered with Victoria Police to investigate match-fixing at the upcoming Australian Open, following accusations made against a number of players last year. Jockey Kieron Fallon was accused of being involved in fixing horse races, while Senator George Mitchell has accused several Major League Baseball players of using steroids. UK Sport has created a new National Anti-Doping Authority (NADO) to tackle doping in the UK.
With advances in new forms of ‘real time’ betting and new doping technology, sport – more than ever before – needs to be able to protect itself against a mass exodus of broadcasters and sponsors if allegations of betting or doping are made. Likewise, broadcasters and sponsors also need to know how to handle the situation to avoid possible litigation from athletes or sporting organisations, if accusations are made.
Our briefing will discuss all of these issues and more. For more information including a full programme, visit http://www.e-comlaw.com/IntegrityinSport/ or call Jit Jaswal on +44 (0)20 7012 1383.