Legal experts will assess the legal risks of the draft law on sports

Draft Law No. 15169 «On sports» is intended to change the rules for sports clubs, federations, investors, competition organizers, and digital services in this sector. Advocates from the relevant Committees of the UNBA were invited to participate in its finalization.

The draft was discussed during a working meeting between UNBA representatives and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Serhiy Tymofeyev. The legal community was represented by deputy chairman of the Committee on physical culture and sports Elhan Veliev, a member of the Committee Oleksandr Perepelytsia, deputy chairmen of the Committee on business and investor protection Yuriy Shulika and Serhiy Lysenko, chairman of the Committee on legal practice Bogdan Kushnir and chairman of the Committee on intellectual property Yuriy Romanyuk.

Draft No. 15169 proposes to define the rights and obligations of sports organizations and athletes, the framework for sports funding, the principles of managing sports organizations, as well as the procedures for interaction between the state, sports federations, clubs, professional leagues, competition organizers, and other participants in sports relations. It also proposes introducing requirements for the charters and internal rules of sports organizations, transparency in decision-making, financial reporting, internal auditing, prevention of conflicts of interest, and procedures for addressing disciplinary complaints and sports disputes.

During the meeting, representatives of the UNBA drew attention to the practical implications of the proposed changes. In particular, they discussed issues of corporate governance in sports organizations, the protection of the rights of participants in sports relations, the investment attractiveness of the sports sector, and the protection of intellectual property rights.

The bill also provides for the development of the «Digital sports» system. Through this system, organizations can manage membership records, conduct elections for governing bodies, draft minutes, submit applications for budgetary grants, and report on the use of funds. This raises additional questions regarding the processing of personal data, information security, access by private sports services to state electronic systems, and responsibility for data accuracy.

The proposed model for resolving sports disputes also requires a separate legal assessment. The draft provides for the operation of a permanent sports arbitration court under the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, which is to hear disputes in the field of sports, particularly between sports organizations, athletes, and other participants in sports activities.

Following the discussion, representatives of the UNBA were invited to participate in further work on the draft law and to provide their proposals and expert opinions. Such participation will allow for an assessment of the draft’s legal risks even before its potential adoption and practical implementation.