Sports in the Era of Competition and Law

Abstract

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”-Nelson Mandela   

Sport(s) consists of all form of competitive physical activities which aims at maintaining and improving physical ability and skills through casual or organised participation. It also acts as a means of entertainment. Sports contribute to overall development of a nation, besides being a means of physical well-being and recreational activity. However, in today’s scenario, Sports is not limited to physical activities but has moreover become a source of huge revenues. Thus, Sports Associations are no longer non-profit making institutions but its huge profit making stories have started knocking the doors of the Competition Law.One of the prime issues rocking the Sports sector is restricting the Competition in Sports. This is because we follow Pyramid Structure in Sports where for one Sport and Member State; there is a single National Sport Association that comes under the umbrella of a single Continental/ National Federation. Further this Continental/ National Federation comes under the single Worldwide Federation lying at the top of the structure. Thereby, giving sanctioning power and power to organize events to the designated National Sports Association. Pyramid Structure ensures uniformity in rules and timetable for competitions. This structure also ensures smooth organization of National Championships and selection procedure for players participating in International Competition. Not only this, but also protects the integrity of the Sport and maintain public confidence through enforcement of these rules. A system which ensures some positive aspects, also has some drawbacks and sometimes the drawbacks suppress the positive aspect of its functioning. As the selection process lies in the hands of National Sports Associations, there are clear chances of curtailment of free movements of players and on the other hand the power to organize National Championships can also be misused by discriminating amongst the different leagues and may sometimes result into foreclosure of entries for rival leagues.