Just like any other type of human activity, sport is also regulated by legislation. Fair play rules (e.g. ban on doping use and rigged games) apply in top sports competitions, the relations between an athlete and the sponsor are governed by a contract, and a lawful agreement must be signed for a player to change clubs. NOVE assists sports organisations, sports event organisers, athletes, coaches, sponsors and other sport-related persons and institutions in all legal matters related to sports. The first-class legal knowledge of the attorneys at NOVE covering the entire legal spectrum from contract preparation to dispute resolution, plus the deep interest of the team in sports and its mechanisms, allow us to offer our clients in sports well-tailored solutions to achieve the desired result in the best possible way for the client.
Among other things, NOVE’s attorneys assist sports clients in the following:
- Drafting various sports contracts: sponsorship, scholarship, player or coach contracts, etc.
- Representing and advising in the negotiation of sports contracts
- Preparing various competition rules and statutes
- Drawing up the statutes of sports clubs, organisations and associations, and other internal procedures
- Representing in sports-related disputes both at Estonian and foreign courts and in various specialised arbitration and appeal committees (FIFA, UEFA, FIBA, CAS, etc.)
- Consulting on designing and protecting athlete brands
Sports Law team:
Mart Parind (team leader and contact person)
Arsi Pavelts
Our portfolio includes:
- Daily counseling of a club belonging to the Estonian Basketball Championship (relations with the governing body of that sport and local government, drafting contracts related to sports activities) and representation in disputes with a competing club both out of court and in the honorary court of the governing body
- Representation of Handball Club Tallinn in two disciplinary disputes in the Estonian Handball Association’s court of arbitration
- Advising and representing an Estonian Olympic athlete in the negotiation of a financial support agreement with the governing body of that sport
- Successful representation of the Olympic athlete Karl Robert Saluri in two court instances in a debt dispute arising from the coach-athlete relationship with a Chinese athlete formerly trained by the client
- Representing a motorboat racer in International Water Motor Sports Union’s (UIM) International Court of Appeal