Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2024 in association with Winston & Strawn LLP

EVENT OF THE YEAR FOR LAW AND SPORT PROFESSIONALS

Sport Resolutions' 9th Annual Conference will take place on Thursday 2nd May 2024 at the five-star Leonardo Royal London St Paul's Hotel, in London.

As in previous years, the event will bring together an esteemed panel of sports professionals and industry experts to discuss and debate the latest news and ideas in the areas of anti-doping, athlete welfare, good governance and integrity. 

EVENT PRESENTER

This year's event will be moderated by TV presenter and reporter Eilidh Barbour. 

2024 SESSIONS

The conference will have five sessions, which includes three sessions in the morning followed by a buffet lunch and further two sessions in the afternoon. Session topics will be announced in due course on our website and via newsletter. Once announced, the details of each session will also be available in the 'Topics' section on this page.

This year we will be covering the following topics:

• WISLaw Breakfast | A Legal Battle Against Gender Discrimination in Skeleton. For more information please click here. 
• Session 1 | Sports' Overlooked Blind Spot: Addressing Abuse Against Match Officials. For more information please click here. 
• Session 2 | Waving the REDs Flag. For more information please click here. 
• Session 3 | International Investigations in Sport: Catching Wrongdoers. For more information please click here.
• Session 4 | Rise, Fall, and Redemption: The Dwain Chambers Story. For more information please click here.
• Session 5 | One Day in December: The Future Competitive Landscape in Sport. For more information please click here. 

CPD Members will collect 4.5 CPD Points for their attendance at our 2024 Annual Conference.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

The full agenda is now available here.

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Every year we host over 200 legal and sport professionals at our event. These conferences provide many opportunities for our attendees to network. We serve breakfast (hot drinks and pastries) during the registration period where attendees get an early opportunity to meet other professionals as well as during the two coffee breaks and the open buffet lunch. 

We also host a separate breakfast between 8am and 9am in association with Women in Sports Law (WISLaw), to encourage female profesionals to meet and share views (please note that the WISLaw breakfast is also open to male professionals if they wish to join).

And finally after the conference we will host a networking drinks reception in the hotel's bar on the ground floor. 

TICKETS

Early Bird Tickets  are priced at £330.00 exc. of VAT and are available until 23:59 on Monday 18 March 2024.

Standard Tickets are priced at £395.00 exc. of VAT.

Please click the on the 'Tickets' tab at top of this page to view other ticket types. 

Please read our event T&C's before registering.

FAQs

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No, there will be a registration desk on the day where you will need to sign in but this doesn't require your printed ticket.

What is the refund policy?
If cancellation is notified to Sport Resolutions more than 30 days before the date of an event or, seminar, a full refund will be given. If the booking is cancelled less than 30 days in advance no refunds will be made. Delegates can transfer their ticket to a colleague at no cost.

Will there be catering provided?
Yes. Arrival tea, coffee and pastries.Mid-morning tea, coffee, juice, cakes and biscuits. Hot buffet lunch. There will also be a drinks reception in the hotel's bar at the close of the conference which is a great opportunity for networking and for further discussion. For special dietary requirements please let us know at the time of booking.

Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Call the Sport Resolutions team on 020 7036 1966 or email us at resolve@sportresolutions.com

Topics

International Investigations in Sport: Catching Wrongdoers

During the UEFA European Football Championships, hundreds of specialised officers across 28 countries were targeting organised crime groups looking to earn millions from illegal gambling and related money laundering activities.

INTERPOL announced in 2021 that their Operation SOGA VIII (short for soccer gambling) led to thousands of raids and the arrest of some 1,400 suspects across Asia and Europe.  Authorities seized USD 7.9 million in cash, as well as computers and mobile phones connected to nearly USD 465 million in bets.

More recently from November 2022 to January 2023 in relation to the World Cup in Qatar, Operation SOGA IX resulted in 1,200 arrests and significant seizures, including USD 2 million in confiscated funds and USD 76 million in digital betting records.

International federations (IFs) have to be constantly vigilant about a broad range of threats, including match-fixing, doping and safeguarding concerns, and must work collaboratively with a variety of bodies and organisations to investigate and collate information about allegations of wrongdoing.

How do IFs go about this process and from where do they get their intelligence and information? How do they address data protection issues? How do they overcome geographical constraints and geo-political realities, particularly in the current climate with the war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.

This session will focus on the challenges faced by international federations when conducting their inquiries and the steps they take to overcome difficulties to gather evidence and conclude investigations.

Nigel Mawer (WPBSA Vice Chairman and Head of Integrity) will give a presentation on how WPBSA approaches investigations in Snooker, followed by a panel discussion with Karen Moorhouse (CEO of International Tennis Integrity Agency) and Brett Clothier (CEO of the Athletics Integrity Unit).

Rise, Fall, and Redemption: The Dwain Chambers Story

In 1997, Dwain Chambers broke the world junior record, becoming the fastest junior globally. He gained sponsorships and celebrity status but faced disappointment with a 4th place at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Seeking answers, he joined an elite sprint group in the US, led by Remi Korchemny and supported by Victor Conte, inadvertently involving himself in the 'BALCO Scandal' and serving a doping suspension in 2003.

Despite backlash and exclusion from lucrative events, Chambers returned, achieving remarkable feats: 3rd fastest time in history for 60m, World Champion in 2010, and multiple British titles. A CAS decision overturned his exclusion from the 2012 Olympics.

Dwain is the only athlete to break 10 seconds for 100m in three decades, compete nationally for four decades, break the over 45’s 60m world record, and now aims to break the over 45’s 100m world record.

In this session, we delve into Chambers' journey in athletics, his involvement with BALCO, the 2005 interview, and the consequential battle he has had to continue to compete in athletics.

Waving the REDs Flag

In this session, we will delve into Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), explaining and detailing the short and long-term health and performance implications associated with this condition. We will explore the prevalence of REDs across various sports and suggest that this physiological imbalance arises from a combination of bio-psycho-social factors.

Dr. Emma Ross will present data on the prevalence of REDs within sports, emphasising the significant risk it poses to our duty of care towards athletes. She will also provide insights into the current status of screening and diagnosis for REDs.

Emma will be joined by Maddie Dunn (Sports Director at the IFSC) who will share her experiences in dealing with REDs in practice at the International Federation of Sport Climbing which has become the first International Federation to introduce comprehensive regulations related to REDs. Additionally Bobby Clay, a former international athlete whose career in athletics was cut short- after she was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 19 will also be part of the panel. 

Sports' Overlooked Blind Spot: Addressing Abuse Against Match Officials

Allegations of serious offences and abuse against referees is on the rise in both professional and grassroots football, and reportedly in some other sports such as rugby and tennis. Whilst the culture of abuse may stem from societal behaviours, referees are expected to simply accept this as part of their job.

Some may believe that referees operating at the elite level have a degree of protection from aggression and intimidation because of the proliferation of cameras and media coverage. Even if that is the case, referees at grassroots level do not have those same protections.

New FA data shows that allegations of serious offences against referees are on the rise in the grassroots game. Does the problem originate from the lower age groups where children witness aggression from their parents towards referees? Or could it be that the younger age groups mimic what they see professionals do at the elite level?

This behaviour is of course not limited to players but also extends to managers and sometimes even club owners.  

Without referees and match officials there would be no sport. If that is so, what are governing bodies doing to protect officials and punish those who behave badly? Recently Steven Reid was fined £5000 and given a touchline ban for abusing a match referee in a Premier League game. The club was also fined £75,000. Is this enough given the riches of that league. Should the punishment be greater, or different?

In this session we will hear from leading referees and officials to hear their experiences on the field of play and learn of the vitriol and abuse they receive through social media and other channels. We will review steps taken to address this issue and explore what further measures should be implemented to improve what appears to many to be a deteriorating situation.  

One Day in December: The Future Competitive Landscape in Sport

On 21 December 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered on the same day preliminary rulings on pivotal cases involving the European Super League, the International Skating Union, and the 'Home-Grown Players' rule.

Across multiple legal principles including competition law, freedom of movement, anti-discrimination, and arbitration, these rulings have profound implications for the regulation of supranational sporting competitions, disciplinary actions, and dispute resolution.

Domestically in the UK, last year also saw competition law and restraint of trade principles considered in the PGA European Tour and the FIFA agents regulations challenge, the latter following the Court of Arbitration for Sport considering the same challenge but finding the other way.

For the existing sporting regulatory framework, these rulings provide invaluable guidance for maintaining the status quo. Conversely, for emerging rival sporting competitions and their investors, the legal battleground is set to challenge protectionist practices.

This session aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of recent landmark decisions in sports law. We will examine these rulings in detail, distill their outcomes, and pinpoint the critical factors shaping the future competitive landscape of both domestic and international sport.     

Ticket Information

Early Bird Tickets  are priced at £330.00 exc. of VAT and are available until 23:59 on Monday 18 March 2024.

Standard Tickets are priced at £395.00 exc. of VAT.

Students in full-time education have the opportunity to attend the conference for the discounted price of £90.00 exc. of VAT with our Academic Ticket (student ID or email address required).

Our Group Ticket permits three tickets to be purchased for the price of two standard price tickets (which works out as £263.33 exc. of VAT per ticket). Please note that this offer is only applicable to standard ticket prices and all three attendees must be from the same organisation. Further discounts are also available should an organisation wish to purchase more than 3 tickets. To find out more about our group bookings please email us at: resolve@sportresolutions.com 

We also provide a limited number of Athlete Tickets to those on the World Class Programme (WCP), which are available at the price of £145 + VAT. Should you wish to attend the conference please contact SR team at resolve@sportresolutions.com with a copy of your licence and/or document proving your athlete status in order to receive your promotional code for the discounted ticket.

Related Documents

Useful Information for Conference Attendees

Hotels, Trains, Tubes

SR Events

Terms & Conditions

Conference 2024 Delegate List

Attendee List

SR Annual Conference 2024 Programme