KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Bar Council has established the Sports Law Committee, aiming to drive advocacy for the legal rights of athletes and key stakeholders in the local sports industry.
Speaking to Scoop, the chairperson of the Sports Law Committee, Richard Wee, explained that the committee was set up to strengthen the understanding of sports law in Malaysia, particularly among the public.
He further elaborated that the committee will serve as a body to voice issues related to local sports legislation.
Essentially, if athletes or sports officials face legal challenges, the committee is available to offer free legal advice.
The committee, which was established in April this year, is still in its early stages.
“Now that the Bar Council has created a dedicated committee for sports law, including e-sports, we are able to expand knowledge in this area through talks, dialogues, and discussions with the ministry, as well as all sports stakeholders in Malaysia such as the Olympics Council of Malaysia (OCM), National Sports Associations (NSAs), and the National Sports Council (NSC).
“With this committee, the Bar can now offer assistance to the community and help develop the field of sports law, which we didn’t have before,” Richard said.
He added that while lawyers have always offered services in sports law, the creation of the committee gives the Bar the statutory authority, granted by Parliament, to advance the field.
“All lawyers are welcome to join and engage with this committee so we can push the growth of sports law.
“For example, if we want to improve laws around anti-doping or address any issues in sports-related laws, we will be the voice for that.
“It’s important to remember that the Bar is not a club, it’s a statutory body created by Parliament, which means we are speaking on behalf of the country,” said Richard after moderating the Malaysia Sports Law Summit in Bukit Kiara recently.
The summit, the first of its kind organised by the Malaysian Bar Council, featured several prominent panellists from the sports industry, including Andrew Colin Mercer, director of Legal Affairs at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC); Sri Sargunaj Ideraju, president of the Sports Law Association of Malaysia (SLAM); and Michelle Chai, administration director of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). — November 30, 2024