Sports Law

International federations (IFs) of sports govern universal sports regulation based on very detailed and often controversial provisions, based on, among others, Olympic Charter, WADA World Anti-Doping Code etc. The sports law project is focused on the issue to what extent it is possible to accept specific autonomous sports regulation of IFs, in view of considerable social importance of sport, in the light of economic and fundamental freedoms of athletes and other stakeholders in sport according to the EU law (free movement of persons/services and competition law) and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The added value of this project consists in showing how economic and human rights (which originally emerged as tools protecting an individual against State) are applied to conduct of IFs, which are non-state actors. IFs possess de facto power, which reminds the relationship between an individual and the State. So called European model of sport is functioning based on the pyramid and on the top of it there are the IFs in the monopoly position in governance of sport. Their decisions and regulations are binding for all within this pyramid and enforceable in disciplinary proceedings, resp. in the compulsory sports arbitration.

Researcher: JUDr. Pavel Hamerník, Ph.D.