On 2 May 2019 Sport Resolutions held their 5th Annual Conference at St Paul’s in central London. The successful event brought together sports and law industry professionals to discuss and debate integrity within sports.
The day was hosted by BBC's much respected sports broadcaster Jason Mohammad who eloquently sat with expert panellists throughout the day to discuss and question integral issues prominent in the sports world in front of over 200 attendees.
Maggie Alphonsi MBE began the day off with an inspirational keynote presentation on her sports journey which was followed by three topical sessions and an array of world-class speakers.
The first session consisted of Jeffrey Kessler, co-executive chairman at Winston & Strawn LLP, Ex-Paralympian athlete Victoria Aggar from the British Athletes Association, William Bock III from US Anti-Doping Agency and Jonathan Taylor QC from Bird&Bird. The panellists brought varied perspectives and debated on the contemporary issue: Is WADA in control of global doping or is the aim of a unified code slipping way as a forlorn hope?
The second session Sport & Gambling – Happy bedfellows or a toxic mix?, saw Jason sit with Paul Darling OBE QC from 39 Essex Chambers, Heather Wardle, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and ex-footballers Tony Adams MBE and John Hartson to discuss the relationship between Sport and Gambling. All panellists brought their relevant and expert experience to create an informative and thought-provoking discussion.
The final session questioned – Is sport welcoming to all or does it depend on who you are? The diverse panel comprised of Andrew Smith from Matrix Chambers, Femina Makkar from Kick It Out, along with standout athletes, rugby league player Keegan Hirst, former international hockey player Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE and former footballer Viv Anderson MBE. The session brought to attention why as an industry we are still seeing issues such as racism and homophobia in sport and what organisations should be doing about it.
The Sport Resolutions team would like to give a special thank you to our standout speakers, event sponsors and of course 200+ attendees who were present throughout the day. We hope the conference provided insightful perspectives and stimulating sessions aiming to create a better and more unified sport landscape for all.
