LAW5635 Contemporary issues in international sports law

International sport has always been a source of social capital and national pride. Over the last few decades it also has evolved into a significant commercial industry and vehicle for international diplomacy. As international sports' social, cultural, economic and political importance has grown and evolved, so too have the points at which it intersects with the law, with the result that legal issues concerning doping and drugs; match fixing and corruption; competition and anti-discrimination; and athlete health, safety and welfare, are as likely to occupy the attention of the world's press as are the achievements of the athletes themselves.

This Unit engages students in critical discussion, analysis and debate about these important contemporary legal issues. Applying a comparative law perspective - and employing case studies drawn primarily from Australia, Europe and the United States - students will explore how different societies' perception of sport and legal traditions influence the development and application of law to sport. Students also will examine how international sporting issues expose the limitations of national regulatory regimes, and have led to the creation of transnational regulatory bodies and international dispute resolution mechanisms that themselves have become a source of controversy and scandal - leading to an examination and analysis of these institutions and the manner and extent to which they are held accountable.