The 26th IASL International Congress of Sports Law concludes with success [NKUA, 13-14/12/2024]

Sports Law new Dimension and Perspectives, AI Reforms and Sports Regulations, Athens1992 -2024

The 26^th International Congress of Sports Law opened on 13 December 2024, with the distinctive cultural colour of the cello playing the Hymn to Apollo and the Ode to Joy, thus creating an appropriate ambiance for the occasion. Gracing the ceremony with their presence were the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, and the Ambassador of Cyprus to Greece, Mr Stavros Avgoustides.

Representing the Greek Government was Mr Vasilis Oikonomou, the Greek Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Also in attendance were the Member of the NKUA’s Administration Council, Professor Athanasia Smirniotou, and the MP for the Niki political party, Mr Nikos Papadopoulos, as well as several delegates from various nations.

Addressing the ceremony were: the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, the Vice-President of the Organizing Committee of the Congress, Mr Majed Garoub from Saudi Arabia, the President of the International Association of Sports Law, Professor at NKUA Dimitris Panagiotopoulos, the President of the Athens Bar Association, Dimitrios Vervesos, and—on behalf of the international participants—the President of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Professor Bauoying  GUAN from China.

The 26^th IASL Congress was declared open by the President of the Hellenic Council of State, Professor Michalis Pikramenos.

HE, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the former Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Kostas Karamanlis, whom the President of the Organizing Committee thanked warmly, all wished the Congress success.

During the event, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, received the Apollo Nomius Prize, a prestigious distinction awarded by IASL to prominent figures on the international stage. It was Dimitris Panagiotopoulos, the President of IASL, who delivered the prize to the honouree. Next, the Member of the NKUA’s Administration Council, Professor Athanasia Smirniotou, gave the Greek Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and doctor of the University of the Peloponnese, Mr Vasilis Oikonomou, the Aristeion of Sports Law Science, and the former Chair of the Ethics HOC Commission, Mr George Lenos, bestowed the Award of Sporting Spirit and Agonistic Ethos upon the world champion George Charalampopoulos.

Following the awarding, IASL signed a cooperation agreement with the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre.

https://slpress.gr/epixeiriseis/26o-diethnes-sinedrio-athlitikou-dikaiou/

Immediately afterwards, Professor of Sports Law at NKUA, Dimitris Panagiotopoulos, delivered the keynote speech of the Congress on the topic ‘Sports Law Nowadays: Personal and Economic Freedoms’. In his speech, Professor Panagiotopoulos emphasized the critical need to defend the human rights of athletes, coaches, and participants in athletic events and to guarantee legal certainty and integrity in the sporting realm. That will only be possible by establishing a robust and effective regulatory and legislative framework—an International Constitutional Charter of Sports and a Code of Sports Ethics—responsive to the needs of the time.

Professor Panagiotopoulos continued his speech by emphasizing that the most critical item of all is ethics and sporting values, which are put to the test in a variety of ways, particularly in the context of the Olympic Games, which represent the highest level of international athletic competition and should thus uphold Olympia’s ideals and values.  That is why it is crucial to re-establish the Olympic Truce through an internationally recognized public Institution. To remedy the above situation, a global hub for the financial management and staging of the Olympic Games is necessary. This hub will decide each party’s contribution and will democratically choose the nation to host the next games.  In his conclusion the President of IASL emphasized that the Olympic Games and a world sport would only be appropriate in the new multipolar world that is being fashioned from the viewpoint of an international Amphictyony of states. However, the framework of structures and norms should be fresh, originating in this world and based on an international Amphictyony of free nations. Only then will we have a strong International Sports Law to serve as the legal foundation for the Lex Sportiva and Lex Olympica legislation developed for international sport by the International Sports Federations and the International Olympic Committee.

https://www.sportslawacademy.com/all-pages-26th/program-26th-iasl/photo-gallery/

The conference continued on 14 December with great success at the ‘Alkis Argyriadis’ Amphitheatre of the University of Athens.

The conference’s conclusions and selected papers of high quality will appear in the International Sports Law Review Pandektis, an IASL scientific organ included in significant databases such as Sport Discus.

https://www.sportslawacademy.com/all-pages-26th/program-26th-iasl/