Anna Smirnova posted an article entitled, “How Neutral is Autonomy of Sport?” on September 10, 2026 on LinkedIn. Ms. Smirnova has significant subject matter expertise in sport. In this article, she examines the tension between sporting autonomy and the regulation of athletes’ political conduct, focusing
Rick Westhead, a seasoned sports journalist, published an article entitled, “A hockey dad’s sexual assault conviction raises difficult safeguarding question for son’s team” on September 2, 2026 on CTV’s website. In his article, Mr. Westhead examines the difficult balance between protecting young athletes and ensuring
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a central part of how modern sports are officiated. From football’s semi-automated offside systems to tennis’s Hawk-Eye line calling and experimental AI-driven decision tools in basketball and baseball, leagues around the world are increasingly relying on technology to assist—or in
The rapid expansion of legalized sports betting has transformed the sports landscape. What was once largely confined to casinos and offshore websites is now integrated into broadcasts, mobile applications, and professional sports partnerships. While sports betting has generated substantial revenue and increased fan engagement, it
The following articled called “The Role of Adjudicators: Fairness, Equity and the Courage to Decide” is a thought-provoking article written by Antoine Collins. It was published on December 5, 2025 on the Ontario Bar Association's website of justmag.ca. His discussion of the role of a
A shocking case of abuse and misconduct has emerged from a youth hockey team in Stoney Creek, Ont., exposing serious failures in player protection and oversight. The incident has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability within Canadian amateur sports. Rick Westhead discusses the allegations and
On July 30, 2025, World Athletics issued the following press release stating that the organization has introduced a SRY gene test for athletes wishing to compete in the female category: The World Athletics Council has approved new regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female
In Spinney v. Fowlie, 2025 ONSC 2632, the Ontario Superior Court set aside an arbitration award issued by Arbitrator, Richard W. Pound. The applicants, wrestling coaches David Spinney and Ahmed Shamiyah, had been found to have harassed a former Wrestling Canada official, Dr. Frank Fowlie,
Gowling WLG published this article entitled: “Top 10 Canadian Arbitration Cases of 2024: Key lessons for in-house counsel” on January 21, 2025. It was written by a four Gowling lawyers: Todd J. Burke, Mark W. Crane, Thomas Yates and James Plotkin. As a busy arbitrator, I
Elizabeth Bingham of Rubin Thomlison LLP published this article called: "Who is impartial? Reflections on Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association v. Toronto Metropolitan University" on December 18, 2024. For any lawyer who also acts as an investigator, I highly recommend that you read this article and
Dr. Despina Mavromati, founder of Sportlegis and fellow member of Women in Sports Law, wrote an informative article called, "International sports-related disputes from 2024 and what to expect in 2025." She writes about certain notable decisions issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and
I dealt with a complicated matter of jurisdiction whereby two of the affected parties (the Affected Parties) sought the removal of the arbitrator appointed to hear the merits of this matter (the Appointed Arbitrator) on the grounds of a reasonable apprehension of bias. This challenge
I cannot take credit for the below article. It was written and posted on November 4, 2024, by Global Safeguarding, a specialist agency, providing safeguarding consultancy, services and support. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when people with limited knowledge or skills in a
The Future of Sport in Canada Commission has announced its schedule for its cross-country hearings. The Commission will consult with victims and survivors of maltreatment in sport, as well as subject-matter experts, academics, advocates, stakeholders, sport participants (including athletes, parents, coaches, administrators and other support
We live in challenging and intellectually interesting times, especially in sport. Controversy at the Paris Olympics began on August 1, 2024, when Italian boxer, Angela Carini, after taking two blows to the head and fearing a broken nose, gave up after 46 seconds against her
The allegations against the Canadian men’s and women’s national soccer teams for filming their opponents' closed-door training sessions are deeply concerning. As a Canadian, I am deeply disappointed by these revelations. The claims suggest a pattern of such behaviour dating back several years and implicate
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on July 23, 2024 that it has entered into a new era with the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. The IOC Executive Board unanimously endorsed the proposal at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris. The IOC has partnered
FIFA recently launched the second edition of its integrity handbook called "Protect the Integrity of Football". The purpose of this handbook is to assist FIFA's member associations and stakeholders in the fight against match manipulation. This second edition provides guidance on how to: appoint an integrity
Mr. Dennis Koolaard (Chair), Mr. Stefan Fabien and I were the Panel who heard the matter of World Athletics v. Issamade Asinga, SR/099/2024. On 18 July 2023, Mr. Asinga, a student at Texas A&M University and a sprinter of Surinamese nationality, provided a urine Sample Out-of-Competition
The article called “Phygital Sports – bridging the physical and digital worlds” published by Top End Sports introduces the concept of “phygital” in sports, a fusion of physical and digital elements shaping the sporting landscape. It first illustrates how athletes benefit from advanced technology to
Horse Sport reported on February 5, 2024 that Olympian Cesar Parra, a member of the U.S. dressage team at the 2011 Pan Am Games, has been provisionally suspended by the FEI following the emergence of videos depicting abusive training practices, including whipping horses, use of
On January 4, 2024, Leonid Shmatenko published a fascinating article called "The Imperative Of Anti-Doping Programs in eSports". Given the incredible growth of eSports, he discusses that now is the time to consider the need for anti-doping measures to protect athletes. In the first paragraph,
Thauli Sports Law is honoured and proud to partner with the IFAM for its second annual football (soccer) competition. Given the growing demand for sports law professionals, the IFAM’s founders and head organisers, Alessandro Carlini and Botond Pintér, developed this football moot to give law
Congratulations to Team Canada's Eventers! The CBC's article of October 29, 2023, entitled "Canada wins Pan Am Games equestrian gold, qualifies eventing team for Paris Olympics" discusses the Canadian eventing team's gold medal win at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile on October 29,
At the 11th Olympic Summit held on December 9, 2022, the leaders of all Olympic Movement stakeholder groups had requested the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to explore how athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport could return to international competition as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” Olympic
In a recent op-ed entitled “What did Qatar actually get out of the billions spent on the World Cup,” economics professor from the College of the Holy Cross, Victor Matheson, speculates on the potential returns of Qatar’s estimated $300-400 billion investment in preparing for the
In an article recently published by the Globe and Mail, entitled “MPs demand secret board minutes of sporting bodies as probe into safe sport intensifies,” author Marie Woolf discusses the unanimous vote by the House of Commons heritage committee demanding all private and public meeting
In early November 2022, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced its new website, HIWU.org. HIWU is the independent agency that will be enforcing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. This program applies to Thoroughbred racing and
In a recent article entitled, “Report: Hockey Canada had a second fund for Handling sexual assault claims,” Sportsnet shares recent findings by a House of Commons investigatory committee that Hockey Canada had a second, undisclosed fund to handle claims that are not otherwise covered by
In an article published by CBC Canada, “Hockey culture suffers from a ‘systemic problem’ of sexual violence, minister says,” author, Ashley Burke shares the federal government's response to recent developments in an investigation of Hockey Canada. With emerging information regarding at least 15 group sexual
In a CNN article entitled “Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina on a ‘mission to help war-torn country,” author Ben Church shares the efforts of Ukrainian professional tennis player, Elina Svitolina to raise awareness of the current state of her home country. Taking a break from
In an article entitled, “World Cup 2022: Denmark to wear ‘toned down’ jerseys in protest at hosts Qatar,” BBC Sport shares steps taken by Denmark’s national soccer team to shed light on Qatar’s history of human rights violations and emerging information about their treatment of
In a recently published article entitled “UEFA confirms it does not allow concussion subs after confusion over Beth Mead head injury,” BBC Sport shares news that the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) is not allowing substitutes in the case of head injury or concussion,
Inside the Games posted this article entitled “De Vos says riding in modern pentathlon must align with FEI standards” on June 6, 2022. In it, the author, Patrick Burke, shares an exclusive interview with the Fédération Équestre Internationale's (FEI) President, Ingmar De Vos, on the
BBC Sport published this article entitled “Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini found not guilty following fraud trial” on July 8, 2022, discussing a recent verdict of Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court (the Court) that cleared former Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) executives, Michel Platini and
Horse & Hound published Becky Murray’s article entitled “Court upholds bans for pair that abused horse by using hind boots containing nails” on July 7, 2022. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recently upheld a decision of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) Tribunal. CAS
The second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic games, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are upon us. To ensure fair and equitable competition for the event, Sports Resolutions, a London-based not-for-profit dispute resolution body, is taking the lead in administering the CGF Federation Court, an
This article entitled, “FINA votes to restrict transgender participation in elite women’s competition,” was published by CBC and written by Ciaran Fahey. In its new “gender inclusion policy,” the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) introduced guidelines prohibiting the participation of swimmers who have undergone gender
Abuse-Free Sport is a newly instated national program that will prevent and address harassment and discrimination in Canadian sports. Developed by the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian government, Abuse Free Sport addresses alleged violations of the Universal Code of
This article entitled “Figure skating minimum age raised to ‘historic’ decision ahead of 2026 Olympics,” published by NBC News via Reuters on June 7, 2022, covers the intentions behind the new International Skating Union (ISU) legislation. In response to the recent controversy surrounding Kamila Valieva
The Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its decision declining to impose a provisional suspension on Kamila Valieva, the Russian Figure Skater. The below reproduces the Court of Arbitration for Sports media release of February 14, 2022 in Beijing. Beijing, 14
Thauli Sports Law sends a heartfelt congratulations to all of our Canadian Athletes who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. You made us proud to be Canadian! Canada forged a new medal record with 7 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 11 bronze medals. Team
The following article entitled "FEI Endurance Horse Abuse Case Overturned" was written by Christa Christa Lesté-Lasserre and posted on "the Horse - Your Guide to Equine Health Care" on May 7, 2021. Of particular note are the statements of Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) issued the following media update on April 22, 2021 on Andrew Kocher's suspension of 10 years for using electric spurs on horses. The FEI Tribunal has suspended US Jumping athlete Andrew Kocher for 10 years and disqualified him from eight events between June
An investigation into the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) by University of Western Ontario law professor, Richard McLaren found the IWF was plagued by decades of corruption, doping coverups, favourtism, and financial mismanagement orchestrated by the IWF’s former president, Dr. Tamás Aján. The McLaren Report detailed the
On December 17, 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued its decision in the arbitration between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). CAS reduced the Russian doping ban from four years to two years in its decision. Russian
The following article entitled, "Strongest Sanctions in FEI history imposed in fatal Endurance case" was published on June 9, 2020 on horsetalk.co.nz. The final decision can be found here. Sh Abdul Aziz Bin Faisal Al Qasimi has appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration
Pippa Cuckson wrote the following article entitled, "Level 4 Jumping Judge Demoted After Failing FEI's New Exam", which was published on April 15, 2020 on HorseSport.com. João Manuel Vieira de Moura, one of Portugal’s top-ranked FEI jumping judges, has unsuccessfully appealed against his demotion after failing
NSF International’s Certified for Sport program was created to meet the growing demands of athletes, coaches and all others concerned about banned substances in sports supplements. The scientists screen sports supplements for more than 270 banned or prohibited substances, including: narcotics, steroids, stimulants, hormones, and
Despite being legal in some parts of the world, cannabis continues to be listed as a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and a positive test may result in a sanction. It's important to differentiate between THC, which is the strain in cannabis
The International Association of Athletics Federations (the IAAF) issued new DSD (Differences in Sexual Development) Regulations in April 2018. They govern eight races from distances of 400 metres to one mile and exclusively cover female athletes with "46 XY DSD", that is, women like Caster
On July 15, 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published its latest draft versions of the 2021 Code and International Standards. This summary outlines that the proposed changes will place an increased emphasis on health as a rationale for the Code. Substantial changes are also
On May 28, 2019, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced entering into a collaboration agreement intended to optimize their respective anti-doping programs through test planning, coordination, sample collection and information sharing, including intelligence and investigations. This partnership
On 30 April 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivered an Award on the challenges brought by Caster Semenya and Athletics South Africa (ASA) to the validity of the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) eligibility regulations on athletes with “differences of sexual
On May 7, 2019, AthletesCAN, in partnership with University of Toronto, released a detailed study called, The Prevalence of Maltreatment among Current and Former National Team Athletes. Maltreatment is an umbrella term that refers to: all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence
On April 25, 2019, the FEI Tribunal issued its final decision in Human Anti-Doping Case 2018/01 Paulo Sergio Mateo Santana Filho, Final Tribunal Decision dated 25 April 2019. The El Salvadoran athlete, Paulo Sergio Mateo Santana Filho was selected for in-competition testing on June 9, 2018
On March 13, 2019, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) announced the launch of a national toll-free sport helpline to offer assistance to victims or witnesses of harassment, abuse or discrimination. This anonymous, confidential and independent service will allow victims to share and
Kieran Paulson’s article called, FEI Suspends UAE Endurance Rider was published on March 7, 2019. Her article discusses the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Tribunal’s finding after the British journalist Pippa Cuckson lodged a protest for horse abuse against Ali Mohammed Ali Al Hosani for striking
This article summarizes the changes have been made to the FEI Veterinary Regulations for 2019. It's important as riders to keep informed of all the changes to the FEI rules and regulations.
The FEI produced this Athlete's Guide to help athletes understand the key provisions of the Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations. Since legal rules can be technical and confusing for non-lawyers, this Guide explains in plain English and without any legal jargon what athletes really
It’s official! I was elected on November 21, 2017 as the first Canadian to sit on the FEI Tribunal. The Tribunal decides on all cases related to sport rules, statutes, and general regulations. Congratulations also to Mark Samuels of Mississauga, Ontario who was unanimously elected as the
On September 1, 2015, the FEI issued the following press release from the FEI's President about the importance of the FEI Clean Sport campaign and the coming into force of the FEI's global Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Programme on January 1, 2016. FEI President Ingmar
Horse & Country posted this article called "FEI cancels endurance events in UAE" by Charlotte Ricca-Smith on February 27, 2015. It discusses the FEI's withdrawal from endurance races in the United Arab Emirates from its 2015 calendar. I am personally very pleased with the FEI's decision.
I will never understand how anyone can inflict pain and suffering or commit deliberate violence on a defenceless animal. Lately there has been several high profile dog abuse cases reported in the news, which got me thinking about and then researching cases involving horses. I
On July 3, 2013, I wrote about the importance of legal Waivers and how a stable owner or instructor can effectively minimize their risk by using them. In this article, I’ll cover some actual court cases that illustrate when the courts have and have not
There seems to be a general misunderstanding in the equine industry about the importance of legal Waivers and how they can protect you from costly liability claims. In my experience, most are poorly written and not enforceable in court, so even if you have a