Hong Kong aims to become referee in sports disputes with new scheme
Department of Justice is seeking proposals from interested parties to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute resolution
Hong Kong authorities are seeking proposals from interested parties to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute resolution, a move experts have said is a key step in establishing a neutral third-party intervention mechanism for the growing sector.
Observers said on Monday that such a programme would enhance the city’s reputation as a leading legal and dispute mediation and arbitration hub, providing a specialised avenue for increasingly complex commercial disagreements within the global sports industry.
The Department of Justice said it had prepared the invitation for proposals to identify a suitable administering body and a technology provider for the pilot scheme, with these two parties needing to submit a joint proposal by July 31.
“The appointed dispute resolution institution will administer the pilot scheme and provide institutional support for the conduct of mediation and arbitration,” a department spokesman said.
“To promote wider use of lawtech and online dispute resolution, the administering body shall partner with an online dispute resolution institution as a technology provider to provide the technological infrastructure and support required for the operation of the pilot scheme.”
Lawtech, or law technology, refers to the use of technology to improve or replace traditional legal processes and services.