Anti-doping experts from around the globe will address Tackling Doping in Sport, a unique event organised by World Sports Law Report and Hammonds, taking place on 24 February at Hammonds’ London offices. Key speakers include Pat McQuaid, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale; Travis Tygart, Chief Executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency; Andy Parkinson, Chief Executive of UK Anti-Doping; Françoise Dagouret, Manager of the Doping Free Sport Unit for SportAccord; Mike Earl, Doping Control Programme Manager for England’s Football Association; Simon Bowden, Anti-Doping Officer for England’s Rugby Football Union and more, listed here.

The conference is designed to address recent developments in the fight against doping, such as the use of athlete biological passports and whether blood profiling alone can be used to convict an athlete of doping, such as in the case of Claudia Pechstein. The conference will also discuss the use of intelligence in the fight against doping, such as the recent alliance between Canadian border police and the International Olympic Committee for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Doping and privacy will also be another major topic, especially the World Anti-Doping Agency’s regulations which equate three failures to report your whereabouts with a doping violation.

London’s 2012 anti-doping strategy will be debated, as will whether a distinction needs to be made within anti-doping regulations between performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. For a full programme, click here.

As might be expected, delegate spaces for such a detailed programme are selling out fast. For more information on attending, contact Erika Joyce on +44 (0)20 7012 1383.

Lord Moynihan will shortly introduce a Bill into Parliament that, if passed, will criminalise the supply of performance-enhancing drugs to sport. It will also allow police to obtain a warrant from a court to search London 2012 athlete rooms if they believe doping is taking place.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The UK government's plan to require all overseas-based gambling operators to be licensed by the Gambling Commission could affect sports sponsorship and advertising, as it will require European gambling advertisers to obtain a licence and contribute towards regulatory costs.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) will appeal against the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance's (TGI) decision to annul the FIA's life ban on Renault Formula One (F1) team principal Flavio Briatore. 'The President of the FIA has consulted the FIA Senate and the FIA's lawyers about the decision of the [TGI] of Paris of 5 January', read an 11 January statement. 'It was unanimously agreed that an appeal would be prepared'.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

Sport is often said to be the most beautiful pastime in the world and betting on events adds an even greater thrill to the sporting experience. The majority of those who place bets do so because of their enjoyment of sport and simply wish to chance their luck. However, there is a minority who misappropriate sport and this has hugely damaging consequences.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

A number of ex-athletes have recently made claims about how they flouted their sport's regulations while they were competing. Simon Grove and Joseph Parks, of IPS Law LLP, examine the ability of sporting bodies to sanction ex-athletes and explore how the ability of national associations and international federations to sanction ex-athletes can often differ.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport recently overturned a two-year ban imposed on the trainer of an athlete for being negligent in his coaching duties due to lack of evidence of involvement in any doping violation, after the athlete was found to have committed a doping violation. Adam Finlay, a Solicitor with McCann FitzGerald Solicitors, examines how the World Anti-Doping Code applies to athlete support personnel and discusses the ambiguity over the degree of fault necessary on the part of athlete support personnel to constitute a doping violation.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will introduce new procedural rules and a new Code of Sports-related Arbitration from 1 January 2010. Ian Blackshaw, a member of the CAS, explains the changes introduced by the new rules.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The High Court recently ruled that Etihad had waived its contractual right to terminate its sponsorship of the Force India Formula One team, due to continued ignorance of breaches of the agreement. Patrick Rennie, a Trainee Solicitor with Bird & Bird LLP, examines the reasons behind the decision and the lessons it holds for contracting parties.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

Harlequins has been fined and its coach, Dean Richards, suspended for feigning a blood injury in order to allow a specialist drop-kicker to return to the field of play during the final few minutes of a Heineken Cup rugby union quarter-final. Stuart Cutting, Head of the sports law unit at Wright Hassall Solicitors, examines the action taken by rugby union authorities, the implications for the game and for wider sport.

To read the full article in the January edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has refused to approve London 2012's plans to move badminton across London from Greenwich to Wembley Arena, and has asked the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) for more information. Paragraph 34 of the Host City Contract for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012 requires 'the prior written approval of the IOC [International Olympic Committee], in consultation with the relevant IF [International Federation]' for venue changes.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

Anti-doping experts from bodies such as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), SportAccord, London 2012 and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) will address Tackling Doping in Sport 2010, a World Sports Law Report and Hammonds LLP event taking place on 24 February at the London offices of Hammonds.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has suspended a FIFA ban on Chelsea conducting player transfers until it hears the case next year, after FIFA found the club guilty of inducing Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens. Richard Williams, a member of the sports law group at Denton Wilde Sapte LLP, examines which FIFA Regulations Chelsea has breached, possible avenues of appeal open to Chelsea under EC and domestic law, and the impact that recent and pending cases could have on Chelsea's chosen method of appeal.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

The Hero Global Football Fund has recently announced proposals to loan money to football clubs. Simon Thorp, a Partner with Onside Law, comments on how the Football Association's, Premier League's and Football League's guidelines on third-party investors apply to the Hero Global Football Fund.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

A recent ruling by Ofcom that BSkyB has breached the Broadcasting Code by allowing Specsavers to sponsor the 'Hawkeye' graphical system has highlighted that there can be a fine line between advertising that is part of a sporting broadcast (prohibited) and programme-related advertising (permitted). Tim Taylor and James Hennigan, of Hammonds' sports and media law group, examine the current rules under the Code, Ofcom's reasons for rejecting Specsavers' sponsorship and proposed changes to the Code following the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

Rule 7.1 of the Broadcasting Code, which obliges broadcasters to treat individuals fairly, recently came under scrutiny in a sporting context during a case involving a handler who had been shown apparently mistreating a horse. Angus Bujalski and Eleanor Steyn, Associates with Michael Simkins LLP, examine how although At The Races' (ATR) coverage failed to take into account earlier incidents - such as the hospitalisation of a groom - it was judged to be fair by Ofcom, as ATR could not have known about the earlier incidents.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.

FIFA recently introduced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans to help prevent the fielding of over-age players competing in the 2009 U17 World Cup. Adam Wilkes, a Solicitor with Field Seymour Parkes, examines why FIFA took the decision to use MRI, its reliability in determining age to the accuracy required for tournament eligibility, and the potential for its adoption by other sports.

To read the full article in the December edition of World Sports Law Report, click here.