Sports

Sports is a unique industry, which involves multi-parties such as fans, athletes, team owners, sponsors, media/broadcasters, venue/facilities providers and sports governing bodies and associations. The law touches on every aspect from tournament rules to stadium management as well as image rights and sporting disputes. We have a dedicated team advising clients and stakeholders on any sports-related matters and was recently awarded the Sports Law Firm of the Year Award by Asian Legal Business in 2018 and 2019. As part of Sports Law practice, sports contracts are the usual by-product which will capture the understanding and agreement of all parties into a contract. We have vast experience and expertise in drafting Sports service contracts for both sporting goods and services, sporting projects, events and contracts with athletes.

Our Services

Our services and support include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Governance, Integrity, Regulation
• Doping
• Sports Liabilities (Tort Issues)
• Image Rights (Intellectual Property)
• Commercialisation and Sponsorship
• Sports Dispute Resolution
• Providing contract drafting services
• Reviewing and advising on the interpretation of contracts
• Managing and appraising sports clients of their respective obligations under the contract
• Our scope of work can encompass the entire exercise from the commencement of the negotiations to the final execution of the agreements
  

Our Experience

• Drafted a Naming Rights Agreement for the first corporate-named stadium in Malaysia
• Acting on behalf of the nation’s premier sports science institute for on-going lawsuits related to deselected athletes as well as former staff members
• Represented a local body building icon to lodge an appeal to the Minister of Youth and Sports against the body building association’s decision to suspend the athlete after the athlete failed an anti-doping test
• Provided a legal opinion to an international football federation regarding the position of law in Malaysia in relation to a cross-border dispute
• Assisted a sports supporters club with the registration of its society
• Advised sports bodies, sports administrators, sports real estate owners, sports personalities and sports-based companies of their legal rights and obligations and enforcement of sports rules and regulations
• Advising athletes with regards to their image rights and internal disputes with their respective associations
• Our team members are frequently invited as speakers all across Malaysia and have spoken numerous times on BFM Radio as well as colleges, universities and State Bars
• Conducted a Seminar on Anti-Doping for our international client, Persijap Football Club, which was attended by players, managers, coaches and employees of the club
• Drafting and reviewing contracts related to the sponsorships and collaborations of sponsors/partners with stadiums
• Contract management – appraising sports clients of their obligations under the contract after the execution of the contract
• The appointed solicitors who managed the contractual aspects of a dedicated national elite athlete preparation program involving high performance athletes – reviewed and drafted the relevant sports contracts for the athletes, coaches and special campaigns
• Lawyers for the selection and deselection process for the abovementioned program where we provided legal input and advised on the legalities of the selection and deselection process
• Drafting Master Licensing and Merchandising Agreement for the sale, license, brand and manufacture of merchandise for a national sporting event.

Related Service

• Esports
  

Reviews & Testimonials

• “The MWKA team is very proficient, especially in the field of sports. They were very understanding and helped us to draft a contract within a short time for a reasonable price. Lesley Lim displayed excellent listening skills, and the ability to understand our requirements and suggested appropriate solutions. Well done and thank you for the excellent service.” – Vector Motorsports Club, Penang
• “We have been very pleased with the way the firm has handled our case, with Lesley Lim in charge of a complicated case. Everything was handled smoothly with great communication and interaction. We definitely recommend this firm.” – Raphael Sachetat, CEO Badmintonphoto
• “Ms Cassandra Thomazios and Mr Tommy Wong assisted us with lengthy negotiations and helped us to achieve a good outcome in the end. Thank you MWKA.” – Syahida Nafisa Jasmon, Sports Johor Sdn Bhd
• “My organisation (an international sport governing body) has engaged MWKA for ongoing corporate and commercial matters in sports. Strong experience in the sports industry is not very common in this part of the world and we are glad to have the capable assistance of Lesley Lim, Cassandra Thomazios and Tommy Wong in our matters, ranging from contract drafting and review to advising on potential disputes.” – Dylan Mah, International Table Tennis Federation, Singapore
• “With the advent of the Malaysian “pro athlete” comes the equal need for professionals versed in legality in relation to sports. It is then of little surprise that when the Institute was seeking legal representation in our sports legal issues, the first name we thought of was Mr Richard Wee. Mr Wee and his long-time colleague Ms Lesley Lim are noted for their good work spanning years in raising the quality of Malaysian sports jurisprudence; efforts which continue to this day. The Institute is most happy with the services rendered by MWKA and their sports law team. They have consistently exceeded our expectations and we have no reservations in bearing testimony to their professional conduct.” – Rohan Ganason, Head of Corporate Affairs, National Sports Institute of Malaysia

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