Aug 8, 2021 2 min read

Daily Combine: Olympics end but legal issues persist

After 16 days of battle in the sporting fields and stadiums and 'courtrooms' of Tokyo, the Olympic Games have come to an end. However, the legal issues facing the International Olympic Committee ('IOC') and its partners are far from over.

Whilst the Court of Arbitration for Sport ('CAS') and their Ad-Hoc and Anti-Doping divisions set-up in Tokyo cease having jurisdiction after the Closing Ceremony. The Ad-Hoc division, in particular, had no shortage of work and for the first time dealing exclusively with video hearings. Despite the Olympics ending, there is no doubt going to be flow-on effects in arbitrated matters before the CAS in the near future.

The delayed games also mean the next Olympic cycle has been fast-tracked, and the IOC will already be looking ahead at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022 and the next Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.

However, both events will have particular legal and regulatory concerns, in addition to the logistical ones, before their Games can begin.

The IOC is facing increasing external pressures for allowing Beijing to host the winter edition given the Chinese Government's alleged severe human rights abuses, particularly those against minority Uyghur populations in parts of China.

IOC President Mr Thomas Bach again declined to answer questions on this issue at the concluding press conference, In Tokyo, on Friday. Many groups have criticised the IOC for failing to condemn the human rights violations and for the lack of a human rights strategy. The issue, including potential boycotts of the Games if the IOC takes no action, is likely to intensify the closer the Games get with Tokyo nearly in the rearview mirror.

For Paris 2024, organisers will hope the effects of the pandemic will not continue to plague their preparations to host the Games in the same manner as Tokyo. The IOC's power over host cities and the national federations will also provide Paris with much to ponder.

On Saturday, the IOC announced that it is proposing changes to the Olympic Charter that would bolster the IOC Executive Board's decision making power at the expense of the IOC Session. One fundamental change to the Charter proposed was providing full authority to the IOC Executive Board to "suspend a sport, event or discipline from the programme of the Olympic Games," where they "tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement."

Due to failings and corruption concerns of those sports' international federations, Boxing and Weightlifting are the two core sports most at threat of exclusion. However, it is expected challenges will come if one or both of those sports is excluded.

It has been a pleasure for us at Sports Law Combine to bring you the legal developments arising from the Olympic Games and the greater sporting landscape over these past 16 days.

We will be back in the near future to bring you the latest in sports law industry-specific articles from across the globe, and please stay tuned for updates.