
The seeming impossibility of triple back-flips and impeccably synchronised dives may impress and inspire, but have you ever tried to breach the legal safeguards surrounding the five Olympics rings?
Writing in this week’s NLJ, Athelstane Aamodt, group legal advisor, Associated Newspapers, explains: ‘What is clear is that when it comes to rights protection, the Olympic Games comes top of the podium.’
Also in this week’s issue, Dr Ian Blackshaw hails the work of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is poised to deal with any dispute or controversy entirely free of charge and within 24 hours. The Olympics aside, sports disputes are on the increase, particularly in the financially high-stakes arena of football.
Blackshaw writes: ‘Over the years, CAS has grown in influence and gained the trust of the international sporting community. Even the powerful world governing body of football, FIFA, has joined its ranks.’