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Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter - Where do we stand?

Note: this blog post is intended as legal information only, and not legal advice. If you have further questions, please contact sportssolution@athletescan.com .  To be an athlete today is to be a public figure, whose voice will inspire change. History provides us with some examples of athletes bravely taking a public stand to voice their displeasure of current issues. The Olympics are no stranger to public demonstrations. Professional athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their fists on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, for which they were both subsequently expelled from the competition. [1] Colin Kaepernick and the Los Angeles Clippers have used their public forum to voice their displeasure with a state of affairs. Athletes are role models and heroes in today’s society. We are in a new era of athlete activism. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been hesitant to allow athletes to speak freely without limitation and has not yet fully adapt
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The Year-Long Suspension of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics - What Athletes Need to Know About COVID-19 And The Competition

Note: This blog post is intended as legal information only, and not legal advice. If you have further questions, please contact sportssolution@athletescan.com . For a complete list of the guidelines, visit the Playbook here .  The Olympics are an exciting, but stressful time for high-performance athletes. Particularly this year, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many uncertainties for participants. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have published a Playbook to help athletes and officials prepare for the competition in light of these uncertainties. The Playbook outlines a series of rules for the competition so that athletes and officials can ensure they are well-briefed in Tokyo’s and the Olympic Committee’s COVID-19 protocols, and that they plan their experience to be as safe as possible. The rules of the Playbook apply 14 days before you travel, during the journey, throughout your time in Japan, and until you arrive h
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Athlete’s Marketing Rights: Part 1 - The Amendment of Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter

    Athletes have value. They are obviously hard-working, determined and incredibly talented individuals, but that’s not what I’m referring to here. Many Canadian National Athletes also possess immense value in marketing themselves. It is no secret that Athletes, even those fortunate enough to be carded, rely on sponsorship and advertising agreements to pay the bills. For our top-level Athletes, their value in leveraging these agreements is at its peak during the Olympic Games. However, there has historically been what is referred to as a “blackout period” of approximately five weeks where the Athletes were not allowed to take advantage of the spotlight they earned by way of promoting personal sponsors. [1]   The home of the rules surrounding Athlete’s marketing rights is the Olympic Charter . [2] Bye-law 3 to Rule 40 (the Rule that prohibited personal advertising during the blackout period) was amended in June of 2019. Olympic Athletes may now market their ow
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Addressing Harassment and Abuse in Sport – Part II: What Mechanisms Can Be Used to Perpetuate Harassment and Abuse?

  Introduction:   Athletes should be provided with a safe and healthy environment to train and perform. This includes an environment which is free from harassment, discrimination, and mental and/or physical abuse. Although Government organizations have implemented a number of mechanisms to address harassment in sport, this can often be a difficult issue for Athletes to navigate. This is part two (2) of a five (5) part series. The purpose of these posts is to educate Athletes on recognizing harassment and abuse in sport, as well as to outline their rights and remedies available.   Warning: This post contains information about psychological, physical, and sexual harassment and abuse which may be triggering for some readers.     What Mechanisms Can Be Used Harass and Abuse?   In Part I of Addressing Harassment and Abuse in Sport, the International Olympic Committee’s five (5) definitions of harassment and abuse in sport were identified. This post will an
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Addressing Harassment and Abuse in Sport – Part I: What is Harassment and Abuse?

  Introduction:   Athletes should be provided with a safe and healthy environment to train and perform. This includes an environment which is free from harassment, discrimination, and mental and/or physical abuse. Although Government organizations have implemented a number of mechanisms to address harassment in sport, this can often be a difficult issue for Athletes to navigate. This is part one (1) of a five (5) post series. The purpose of these posts is to educate Athletes on recognizing harassment and abuse in sport, as well as to outline their rights and remedies available.   Warning: This post contains information about psychological, physical, and sexual harassment and abuse which may be triggering for some readers.     What is Harassment and Abuse?   The International Olympic Committee has created five (5) main definitions of harassment and abuse: psychological, physical, neglect, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse.   1. Psychological hara
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