Hong Kong SAR, combining its status as a premier international arbitration and mediation centre with Hong Kongers’ love for sports, is establishing itself as a hub for sports-related dispute resolution in Asia Pacific.

As disputes within the booming sports industry increase, the need for dedicated mechanisms designed to resolve those disputes efficiently and cost-effectively, utilising expertise at the intersection between sports, regulation, and business, is clear. Hong Kong SAR’s Department of Justice, supported by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, has launched a pilot scheme to provide the sports sector with a fair, efficient, and convenient mechanism for resolving international sports disputes through mediation and arbitration.

AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre will administer the pilot scheme and provide institutional support for the conduct of mediation and arbitration, while eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre will provide the technological infrastructure and support required for its operation, with a view to promoting a wider use of law tech and online dispute resolution services.

Hogan Lovells’ Hong Kong SAR-based International Arbitration Partner, Byron Phillips, has been appointed to both the Sports Arbitrators Panel and the Sports Mediators Panel under the pilot scheme.

Our team leverages its deep bench of experience as a trusted advisor in handling sports and esports-related disputes to achieve success for our clients, from commercial arbitration, litigation, and regulatory disputes for sports individuals, clubs, and bodies, to intellectual property and image rights disputes, and handling disciplinary and anti-doping matters for governing bodies.