Announcement from RWY

RWY on Google Map!

To visit RWY, you may find us on Google Map. 

Asian Legal Business || Malaysia Law Awards 2016

RWY is pleased to announce that the firm is nominated for 2 awards by the Asian Legal Business, namely :-

1. Malaysia Boutique Law Firm of the Year.

2. Malaysia Litigation Law Firm of the Year. 

The nominations have inspired Team RWY to continue to bridge the gap between legal complications and solutions. 

Here is a link to ALB:-
http://www.legalbusinessonline.com/awards/Malaysia-law-awards-2016

Keynote Speech by YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth & Sports

Keynote Speech by YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth & Sports 

at RWY Sports Law Conference 2015

Opening Speech by the Minister of Youth and Sports

at the RWY Sports Law Conference 2015

3 December 2015

  

    1.   I would like to express my thanks to Messrs Richard Wee & Yip for inviting me to give this speech at their annual Sports Law Conference. I understand this is the third edition of this event. I recall in 2013, Messrs. Richard Wee & Yip did invite me to officiate the first ever RWY Sports Law Conference but I was unable to make it as I had a prior engagement. The Ministry was well represented by the Deputy Secretary-General, Dato’ Harun Bin Che Su. I was informed that the inaugural conference was very well received by members of industry.

    2.     I am happy to attend such a unique and timely conference. The conferences that I usually attend as Minister of Youth & Sports tend to general youth issues, or more rarely around the improvement of high-performance sports. I understand that the primary purpose of organising and hosting this Conference is to create awareness of the importance of Sports Law in the Sports industry, but that this conference in part isn’t restricted to that. With the range of matters that will be discussed today, I think that this Conference will go beyond that and try to come up with answers to some of the most pressing issues in sport, both in this country and beyond.

    3.     I understand that Sports Law isn’t restricted to the Sports Development Act, but I’ll start on that first, before moving on to touch on the policies that my Ministry have put in place for sports development and how sports law can play a role in this. The particular act that governs sports development in this country is the Sports Development Act 1997, as I’m sure all of you know. The aim of this Act is to promote and to facilitate the development and administration of sports in Malaysia. It spells out the roles of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Sports Commissioner and the Sports Advisory Panel.  It also defines the role of the Minister, in deciding on international sports events, in the case of disputes, sports science, and a slew of other things. In 1997, the Sports Development Act was a fantastic piece of legislation in an attempt to streamline sports in Malaysia. Over the years, it has helped to put us on decent footing as we aimed to develop sports through agencies under the Ministry and sports associations through the Olympic Council of Malaysia.

    4.     However, there are parts of it that require amendments in keeping with issues we’ve identified, and how the nature of sport has changed over the years. For example, there are sports associations in this country that haven’t changed their constitution since Independence, despite being asked repeatedly to do so by the Sports Commissioner’s Office. There are associations that bid for international events, win it, and then come to the government asking for money. In many cases we are forced to help out for national interests and to ensure the country does not lose face. There are associations that can’t be investigated and enforced by us in the event of non-performance, internal problems or even corruption.

     5.     Some of the more specific issues follow. The Sports Development Act was established to take over the Registrar of Societies role on Registration and Governence of Sports Bodies in Malaysia. When sports bodies transfered their registration to the Sports Commissioner, within 6 months all Sports Bodies should have changed their old constitution to the new constitution based on the guideline issued by the Sports Commissioner. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Many sports bodies have archaic constitutions which lead to many disputes and governance issues. The Sports Development Act does not give power to the Sports Commissioner’s Office to order sports bodies to change their constitution.

    6.     The Sports Development Act does not give the Sports Commissioner’s Office the power to audit governance and financial statements of sports associations. If the office bearers of that association approve financial misconduct or malfeasance, there are no powers invested in the Commissioner to do anything about it. There have been several cases of that in just the last few years alone.

     7.     Too may sports associations are being created at the moment which hampers sports development because it stretches our limited resources with too many layers within the associations. Many associations have the National-State-District-Club-Individual structure, which in many cases infeasible because of the number of layers required. Many district associations are not active, and this hampers sports development thru associations. The Sports Development Act also currently caters for too wide a range of sports under the First Schedule of the Act; Martial Arts and ‘Recreational’ being an example.

   8.     We spoke to a range of government agencies, academic experts, sports lawyers, former athletes, sports associations and others in coming up with amendments to the Act. These are the more obvious reasons why amendments to the Act have to be made. Notwithstanding reasons above, there are few less apparent ones.

     9.     Firstly, the Paralympic Association of Malaysia is not currently given recognition under the Act. Paralympics and the development of sports for the physically challenged is an area that we’ve really looked at the last few years. One of my first acts as Minister of Youth and Sports was to ensure that physically challenged athletes got the same incentive bonus for winning medals at international events as normal athletes. We’ve also set up the Inspire programme to find and train physically challenged athletes at the grassroots level. The ASEAN Para Games starts today in Singapore, and I’ll be there over the weekend. The Paralympic Association getting equal recognition under the Act is imperative to me in moving forward.

    10.  As you know, doping is currently a hot topic, not only in Malaysian sports but all around the world. In the last year alone, we’ve seen cases involving the world number 1 in badminton, the International Association of Athletics Federation, the Champions League, the Tour de France, just to name a few. This is a worldwide issue. We’re taking this very, very seriously. We have adopted a culture of zero tolerance in this. We’re acting in a few ways. Firstly, we want to strengthen the relevant agency, ADAMAS (Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia) to ensure that they’re able to test more athletes, when they’re training and just before they go to international competition. We will recognise ADAMAS officially as a body that is in charge of anti-doping through the Sports Development Act. We will also move towards ADAMAS having their own Parliamentary Act to strengthen it even further as an independent agency. Earlier this year, sports associations signed the Acceptance of ADAMAS Anti-Doping Rules and we want to ensure this is enforced.

    11.  It would also be amiss to not mention the Kuala Lumpur Centre for Regional Arbitration, with the Director Datuk Sundra Rajoo here. The KLRCA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Court of Arbitration for Sports in 2012. The Malaysian Sports Arbitration Tribunal is also to be formed, with it being an option if both parties in dispute decide to use it. We’re also in the midst of looking to form an internal tribunal for sports association disputes that will allow the Minister to send cases their way, in case the Tribunal under the KLRCA is prohibitively expensive. This tribunal will be chaired by an ex-judge, and will include two other people who are experts in their field. That proposal is currently with the Sports Advisory Panel, and we’re looking to put this in to the Sports Development Act amendments.

    12.  I also want to touch on other policies that we’re looking into, that will have further spillover effects on Sports Law. Last year, my Ministry launched a new campaign called FitMalaysia. We’ve done 15 events in that time. We've covered the length and breadth of Malaysia, and have seen hundreds of thousands of Malaysians come out to run, ride, practice martial arts, take part in our physical challenges, get nutrition advice, eat healthy food, or just dance. 
We've also seen the inaugural Hari Sukan Negara take place this year, that saw more than five million Malaysians take part in more than 17,000 activities all around the country. Malaysians of all stripes, from all walks of life. The aim of these campaigns are to create awareness for the need of a healthy lifestyle. We want Malaysians to keep fit and be active.

     13.  But there’s also a very important secondary effect to what we’re doing. More Malaysian involved in sports and physical activities means more Malaysians thinking about sports as a career. Professional sports itself is a huge industry around the world. Just look at the prices the best footballers in the world command when they’re bought. Manchester United is worth $3.5 billion. Michael Jordan is worth a billion dollars.

    14.  Our nascent sports industry is currently worth around RM5 billion, or around 0.5% of our GDP. But all you need to do is look at the number of sports shops there are around, and the number of rides and runs happening every week. I myself almost take part in some run or ride on a weekly basis. We’re seeing incredible growth here. Therefore, it is imperative that the sports industry is properly and accurately managed. This is where services such as sports marketing, auditing and a strong legal framework can be components to ensure the sports industry is transparent and accountable.

     15.  Sports Law is the term used to describe the application of law in the world of sports - a combination of corporate and contract law, tax and real estate planning, intellectual property law, insurance, labour law and alternative dispute resolution. In some occasions, the law of tort also comes into play. The ever-growing interaction between sports and the law gives rise to the need for a special and greater understanding of the sports industry and those related to it. Legal compliance with existing legislation and rules has also become more important in this day of technological advancement and commercialization in sports. Conferences like this play a role in making sure that these discussions come to the forefront. For that, I applaud Messrs Richard Wee & Yip.

     16.  I also understand that Messrs Richard Wee & Yip wish to launch a Malaysian Sports Law Association. I applaud their effort and I believe this is something the sports industry will receive warmly. With the formation of such an association, parties involved in sports and lawyers who practice sports law would have a platform to share views, collaborate and hopefully push Malaysia into becoming a sports law hub in this region. I believe we have the legal expertise to offer sports law services not only in Malaysia but also to the sporting community in ASEAN.

     17.  In 2017, Malaysia will host the SEA Games 2017 with Malaysia celebrating her 60^th year of independence. The SEA Games will be a good way to unite our people in our chase for glory. I also hope that our hosting of the SEA Games is used as an opportunity to develop sports law. Hopefully, when 2017 comes around, we will be champions of the SEA Games, and leaders in sports law in South East Asia.

      18.  I wish to congratulate Messrs Richard Wee & Yip again for successfully hosting the 3^rd Sports Law Conference. I wish all of you a good conference ahead.

Thank you.

Khairy Jamaluddin

Minister of Youth & Sports

3rd Dec 2015

Conference Programme || RWY Sports Law Conference 2015

The RWY Sports Conference 2015, Conference Programme. This year, featuring a special address by the Minister of Youth & Sports, YB Khairy Jamaluddin and the Keynote Address by HRH Tunku Imran, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia. 

RWY ranked by Legal 500 : 2016

RWY is pleased to announce that Legal500 continue to rank RWY as a 'Other Recommended Law firm" in Malaysia, for dispute resolutions. 

We wish to thank Legal500 for this continued acknowledgement. This is the 3rd consecutive year RWY is ranked by Legal500. RWY remain committed to provide value for our service. 

Meditation Training

Our HW Yip recently assisted the Bar, conducting training on Mediation at the Judicial & Legal Training Institute of Malaysia (ILKAP) at Bangi.

Mediation is a form of Dispute Resolution and HW Yip is a qualified Mediator of the Malaysian Bar's Malaysian Mediation Centre (MMC) and Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC). Mediation is known to be quick and cost-effective to help disputing parties to resolve issues. It is usually a pre-trial process and is popular in Australia, Singapore & New Zealand. 

Dispute Resolution in Sports @THAC

Our Richard Wee was recently invited to speak at the Thai Arbitration Centre (THAC) at their inaugural Sports Law Seminar on Dispute resolutions in Sports. About 39 Delegates signed up to attend and the bi-lingual Seminar was well received. 

Mr Vira Kommee, an experience Attorney based in Bangkok, and advisor to the Thai Football Association, was a fellow speaker at the Seminar. 

We look forward to a long relationship with THAC as we assist THAC to develop Sports Dispute Resolution. 

RWY Sports Law Conference 2015 || RAISE THE GAME

RWY will be hosting our 3rd edition of the RWY Sports Law Conference 2015. Amongst the invited speakers are leaders from the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Sports arbitrators and Legal Directors of international Sports Associations. 

Relevant information :-

Date : 3rd December 2015

Time : 830am to 5pm

Location : Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre of Arbitration @Bangunan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur (opposite Majestic Hotel/KTM Headquarters)

We invite all of you to attend, but do register to reserve your seats. In 2013, over 75 delegates registered and in 2014, more than 120 delegates attended the 2nd edition of the Conference. As places are limited, we invite you to register as early as you can. 

Do contact Ms Lesley Lim at lesley@rwy.com.my or call us at 03-77273800. 

More information will be released from time to time. 

See you in December!

YouTube : RWY Sports Law Conference 2014

 Visit RWY's YouTube page to listen in to RWY Sports Law Conference 2014

Happy New Year 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM TEAM RWY

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM RWY

My internship experience at RWY - Vynny Wong

Before I finished my year one, I successfully applied to RWY to work as an attachment student during my summer break. Despite the fact that some of my friends told me that an internship was a waste of time, as the firm would not appreciate your existence and, as a law student who has yet to graduate, you would not learn much throughout the internship period, I had my doubts and did not believe what was told to me. I preferred to experience it myself.

In the 3 months of my internship, I learnt to work with other senior lawyers and attachment students as a team. This ensured that everyone knew what was happening and we could easily come out with a solution through discussion. A task to do some research on the Federal Constitution was given to me and other attachment students to work on as a team. To be honest, as a Malaysian, I had never read or even wanted to know what the content of our Federal Constitution actually was. Ironically, there is a chapter known as “British Constitution” in my constitutional law year one textbook. This presented me with very good opportunity to know more about my own country which I took up wholeheartedly.

Besides that, I was also given a chance to draft a Letter of Demand and a Statement of Claim as well as to do some transcribing work and help out in conveyancing matters as well. I discovered that a letter can reflect the professionalism of an associate through the line of words found in the letter. Therefore, one needs to be very detail-oriented and ensure that there are no mistakes before issuing out any letters. In conveyancing, I learnt the important of being precise and particular, as a tiny little error would affect the whole procedure.

By doing some preparation work on a file, I had grasped some idea as to where one should start their research work. This is something I was not thought in law school. I was also trained on how to prioritize my work and how to complete the task given within the time frame given. I was also given an opportunity to attend in court and was able to observe how lawyers handle their cases and were able to speak confidently in front of the Judges. It was a fruitful experience. I was also lucky enough to join in several meetings with clients  which provided me with a good opportunity to witness how the a lawyer ought to deal with a client’s problem as well as how to approach a client and gain their trust.

I would extend my thanks to the all the guidance I had received from all the lawyers, in particular Ms. Lesley, Mr. Luey, Ms. Sarah, Mr. Lim and Ms. Jyh Ling as well as my two bosses, Mr. Richard and Mr. Yip during my three months with RWY. I apologize for any trouble I may have caused and appreciate the patience provided to me. Many thanks as well to Kak Sal, Ms. Penny and Auntie Wee for their guidance in clerical work. The experience I gained through this internship is something that I will treasure and always remember in the future. In addition, my weight had increased throughout my internship period showing that all the good food provided to me at RWY motivated me to work harder. I would like to end my passage with the quote from one of the bosses, Mr. Yip, who impressed upon me that “practice in law is not a sprint, by a marathon”. Thanks to my internship, I will definitely maintain a spirit to succeed in the legal profession and will move forward with to become a lawyer with a deeper passion of the law.

By Wong Poh Yee, Vynny

My Internship experience at RWY - Jackie

My internship experience at RWY

It was my semester break again and this time I decided to do something productive about it since I have plans to study abroad for my final year in the upcoming months.  I immediately went on a search on law firms around my housing area, and with the help of Google, I stumbled upon RWY, a cosy and decent law firm situated not far from my house. After reading up on their website and legal background I’ve decided to send in my resume. Soon after, I was accepted to begin my internship there after an interview with the partners, Mr Yip and Mr Richard, who turned out to be less intimidating than I thought it would be.

During my one month of internship here, my learning experience include transcribing minutes and cases, drafting legalized letters, attending clients’ AGM as a representative lawyer, witnessing Mr Richard and Sarah deliver a speech and the idea of Safer Malaysia to college students, and not to mention day-to-day office work such as basic comb bindings, photostatting documents and paper shredding. Although it may seem insignificant, but without a doubt it is essential to keep the firm organised and running smooth.

Like any other interns, I too had the privilege to tag along with the partners to attend several court hearings and at least one trial which turned out to be extremely valuable as it goes out to show that how much work and preparation has to be done before a lawyer can confidently take on the trial stage in court.  These experiences have taught me more than what I could learn from a class lecture. Apart from that, I am also honoured to be given the opportunity to contribute a Wikipedia page on behalf of the firm!

My one month experience at RWY was definitely priceless. Besides the reasons mentioned above, I was also always blessed with neverending amount of food from the firm! RWY does knows how to treat their staffs in the most appreciative manner = food. I have proudly ended my internship with pride and dignity as well as some extra gains of happy lipids onto my weight!

Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the opportunity to be part of the firm. Even though it was only temporary, the experience I had was nothing short of amazing. So thank you Mr Richard for believing in me, giving me the courage to speak with confidence and act with integrity in hopes of transforming me into a reputable lawyer like him one day. Thank you Mr Yip for sharing his experience and advice on overcoming stage frights and vocal fears, I needed that. Thank you Sarah as well for being so patient with the clumsy me, I really look up to her charisma in handling difficult clients with a cheerful attitude and positive mind set! Also to Lesley, JyhLing and Luey, being able to work under their guidance has given me a glimpse on how to be a mini perfectionist which is definitely essential to a lawyer’s duty apart from striving hard and to be consistently hardworking in order to excel in the legal field. Finally, big thanks to Penny, Kak Sal and Aunty Wee for taking me in as a family, really appreciate their ever willing guidance and patience to my silly questions and mistakes. I am forever grateful and blessed with the invaluable experience I had whilst working at RWY.

By Jackie 

RWY welcomes new Associates

Richard Wee & Yip is pleased to announce the addition of 2 new Associates, from July 2014.

Wong Jyh Ling & Loh Choy Luey; both formerly Pupils at RWY were both retained and embark on their new career as Associate of the firm.

Welcome aboard Jyh Ling & Luey!

Kong Hee Fatt Choy

Warm wishes from RWY to all Malaysian Chinese celebrating Chinese New Year. The Firm will re-open on the 5th February 2014.

Kong Hee Fatt Choy!

RWY 2014

Presenting the RWY team of Advocates & Solicitors, and Support Staff for 2014.

RWY Sports Law Conference on YouTube

You may see more videos of RWY Sports Law Conference 2013 at this link. Thanks. 

RWY Sports Law Conference 2013

On 26^th November 2013, Richard Wee & Yip in partnership with LexisNexis and in collaboration with the Sports Commissioner’s Office, embarked on a pilot project which would kick start RWY’s very own professional development programme called the RWY Legal Learning Lab. In tandem with exploring the frontiers of Sports Law in Malaysia, the main purpose and objective of the RWY Sports Law Conference (RWYSLC) was to create a platform to generate discussion and exchange views about Sports Law.

This inaugural conference saw 70 delegates in attendance at the Tournament Room of the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC). These delegates spanned from representatives from numerous national sporting associations, officers from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Advocate & Solicitors and those involved in the sports business. The conference even saw an international delegate who flew in from Singapore solely to attend the conference.

As the sun began to rise over the picturesque and prestigious golf course, the Opening Ceremony of the RWY Sports Law Conference began at 9.15am with a short prayer. Mr. Richard Wee then gave the opening word by providing a background story of how the RWY Sports Law Conference was conceptualised and why it was important and timely for us to discuss about the relationship between sports and the law. Apart from that, he also expressed RWY’s gratitude and appreciation to the Sports Commissioner’s Office and to LexisNexis Malaysia for their immense support and guidance since the inception of the idea of the conference.

The Guest of Honour, YBrs Tuan Harus Bin Che Su, Timbalan KSU (Strategik), Kementerian Belia Dan Sukan then took the stage to give the Welcoming Address and officiated the conference on behalf of YBrs Encik Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports, who, unfortunately, was unable to attend the same.

After a short tea break, the conference resumed at 10am. The first session of the conference titled “Sports Contracts.. Starting Block or Finishing Line?” was moderated by Mr. Yip Huen Weng, a Partner at RWY.

Like how it is described in a 100 meter race, is a sports contract a starting block for an athlete to start his career in sports giving the athlete the freedom and liberty to focus only on his/her sporting career? Or would it be an athlete’s finishing line or an end to his/her freedom, where everything the athlete does would be governed by the four corners of his sports contract? Can a happy medium or compromise be found between these two extremes? And what happens in the event a dispute arises from such sports contract? What would be the best way to resolve such a situation with minimum of distraction to an athlete?

To share their views on the topic, RWY had three (3) very distinguished and respected speakers.

The first speaker, Dr. Jady @ Zaidi Hassim, a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), is the foremost academician on Sports Law in Malaysia and author of “An Introduction to Sports Law in Malaysia”. In an attempt to provide the delegates with the historical aspect of Sports Law, Dr. Jady addressed the preliminary question of “What is Sports Law?” by touching on the traditional, moderate and positive view of Lex Sportiva.

Dr. Jady views sports contracts as a finishing line as it defines the terms of the relationship between two parties and it creates specific obligations and duties. According to Dr. Jady, sports contracts are shifting towards collectivism and unionism in that the balance of bargaining power between the club / sports organisations and the player rests with the former. Dr. Jady believes that this is because of the slow process of the legal change itself. The law in its partnership with sports has lagged behind its interaction with other commercial aspects of our society.

It is Dr. Jady’s aspirations that a union organisation and a system of industrial relations law in sports can be established under the Ministry of Youth and Sports and at a federal level. Only then will we see the real starting blocks for athletes who enter into sports contracts in Malaysia.

Up next, Malaysia’s very own Sports Commissioner, Tuan Ahmad Shapawi Bin Ismail, spoke of the challenges and issues faced in the structure of Sports Law in Malaysia. According to Tuan Shapawi, although sports bodies in Malaysia are required to register with the Sports Commissioner’s Office, they remain a free body and are bound by their own respective constitutions. The Sports Commissioner’s Office merely supervises, but does not control the sports bodies. Tuan Shapawi strongly feels that the constitutions of sports bodies, although managed and decided by the body itself, ought to be in line with the Sports Development Act 1997 and Dasar Sukan Negara in order to create a more organized structure across the board for all sports bodies in Malaysia. The duty ultimately lies on the sports bodies to properly and fully understand their functions, roles and responsibilities – and to administer the respective bodies accordingly. In addition, it is important for athletes to comprehend the role of law in their lives, which is strongly entangled with their position as athletes in the world of sports.

After an insightful talk by Tuan Shapawi, Professor Datuk Sundra Rajoo, the Director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA), discussed about Sports Arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution for sports disputes. According to Datuk Sundra, sports arbitration in the Asian region is rapidly growing due to the nature and requirements of sporting disputes; speed, fairness and neutrality – which are not offered in the traditional courts system. A strong arbitration framework is able to fill this void and provide the necessary services to the athletes, sporting federations and all sporting participants across Malaysia. In fact, arbitration of sporting disputes is already being administered globally with huge success such as by the IOC through temporary arbitral tribunals overseeing the Olympic Games, by CAS which provides a final forum for dispute resolution of sporting disputes worldwide and by the World Anti Doping Authority who administers the Anti Doping Code.

At the RWYSLC, Datuk Sundra also revealed that KLRCA has signed an agreement with Switzerland-based International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) to serve as the official host of an alternative hearing centre for the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). The CAS alternative hearing centre in KLRCA provides sports dispute resolution capabilities through arbitration and mediation according to international sporting rules, including cases pertaining to doping charges, television rights and sponsorship contract issues.

After a coffee break, the conference resumed for the second session, “Sports Chatroom”, which featured three prominent sportspersons: former national squash players Azlan Iskandar and Sharon Wee, and Malaysia’s top national swimmer, Khoo Cai Lin.

A brief background on the speakers of the 2^nd session:

a)               Azlan Iskandar – former World No. 10 squash player, Founder of Azlan Iskandar Squash Academy (AISA), Chief Executive Officer of Sportspin Event & Athlete Management and author of “Basic Rules & Techniques for Squash”;

b)            Sharon Wee – professional squash coach, Founder and Head Coach of Sharon Wee Squash Pro, former World No. 18 squash player, TV presenter and sports commentator for Astro Arena Channel 801; and

c)             Khoo Cai Lin – multiple SEA Games Gold Medallist, Olympian (400m and 800m Freestyle) and member of the Malaysian National Swim Team.

As the moderator, Mr. Richard Wee led this interactive session between the panel of speakers and members of the floor. The speakers gave us insights and opinions on their view of the law and sports, their concerns and challenges as athletes and former athletes, as well as what they would want from the law to assist them. The general consensus was that athletes need to be educated about Sports Law as long gone are the days where a sportsperson can be ignorant about their rights.

Khoo Cai Lin brought up the example of sponsors using an athlete’s image for advertising purposes and not informing or remunerating the said athlete for the same. Azlan advocated that a structure and standard operating procedure must be put in place within the sports industry to counter the many grey areas which are left undefined. Sharon, on the other hand, suggested that sports bodies start thinking like a business entity and perhaps even have a special commercial arm for business development and a marketing department to come up with marketing strategies which will help attract sponsors.

Despite the fact that an athletes’ commission exists in Malaysia, the welfare of athletes are not looked after today. Calls were made for the Sports Commissioner’s Office to look into this alongside the idea of an athletes’ union.  

On that note, the conference concluded with lunch where the noise level in the Golfer’s Terrace reflected the discussions that had spilled over from the sessions.

As a closing word, RWY sees Sports Law as a new and challenging frontier for not only lawyers, but all parties involved in the sports industry. As our country inches towards professionalism in sports, so should all other components of sports; one of which is the law. It is imperative that the legal services march along or, better still, march ahead in the grove of sports to ensure that our sportspersons, sports associations, and sports companies will be serviced accurately and professionally by lawyers.

As such, we hope that the RWY Sports Law Conference was as fruitful and rewarding for the delegates as it was to us. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who participated in the conference. Already, RWY is planning the next Sports Law Forum and Sports Law Conference respectively in 2014.

We strongly believe that the conference is not a finishing block. Conversely, it is the starting line to a greater future for the Malaysian sports industry and we aim to create heightened awareness in the world of Sports Law.

·               Detailed coverage of the RWY Sports Law Conference 2013 - http://storify.com/lesleylimaili/rwy-sports-law-conference-2013

·               Twitter - #RWYSLC and #SportsLaw

·               Videos of the conference – search “RWY Sports Law Conference 2013” on YouTube

by Lesley Lim & Jyh Ling