Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop Promotes Efficient Mediation and Arbitration in Hong Kong's Sports Sector

2026-07-04 14:27 Last Updated At：16:43

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop concludes today

The Efficient Resolution for All: Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop, co-organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ), along with the administering body and the technology provider of the Pilot Scheme on Sports Dispute Resolution, respectively AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre (AALCO-HKRAC) and eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre, as well as the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), concluded today (July 4).

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The Efficient Resolution for All: Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop co-organised by the Department of Justice, AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, concluded today (July 4). Photo shows the Deputy Secretary for Justice and the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Sports Dispute Resolution, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, delivering his welcome remarks at the Workshop. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop concludes today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop concludes today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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The Efficient Resolution for All: Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop co-organised by the Department of Justice, AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, concluded today (July 4). Photo shows the Deputy Secretary for Justice and the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Sports Dispute Resolution, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, delivering his welcome remarks at the Workshop. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop concludes today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop concludes today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Workshop attracted over 120 representatives from the local sports and legal sectors, including representatives from 30 sports organisations.

The Deputy Secretary for Justice and the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Sports Dispute Resolution, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; and Vice President of the SF&OC Mr Kenneth Fok attended and gave welcome remarks at the event.

Addressing the event, Dr Cheung said that with the rapid development of sports and related industries, differences in opinions or disputes are inevitable. However, to settle them by traditional ways, such as internal rulings or adjudication within national sports associations, or litigation in courts, often leads to more complex problems and imposes a burden onto the parties in terms of time, mental energy, and finance. Therefore, establishing an efficient, professional, and credible sports dispute resolution system that handles sports disputes through a "mediation first, arbitration next" approach can resolve disputes for the parties involved more flexibly and effectively. Besides, resolving disputes through arbitration can help parties avoid the lengthy legal procedures and substantial legal fees resulting from litigation.

Dr Cheung also stated that since the launch of the Pilot Scheme's online platform in February this year, it has received a number of inquiries and has begun processing cases, with the first case recently successfully resolved. The successful implementation of the Pilot Scheme confirms that Hong Kong is on the right track in promoting a sports dispute resolution system. He encouraged everyone to make full use of the Pilot Scheme to maximise its benefits and jointly promote the long-term development of sports in Hong Kong.

Organised with the support from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee, the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Sports Institute, the Workshop introduced, through a rich variety of activities, how sports disputes could be efficiently resolved by way of mediation and arbitration under the framework of the Pilot Scheme.

At the Workshop, a Hong Kong arbitrator and mediator, who also serves as a mediator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, teamed up with a retired Hong Kong athlete and a coach for role-playing in a lively case drama to simulate the sports mediation procedures, which are typically held in confidence under regulations. They also explained arbitration procedures, allowing the participants to gain a direct understanding of how the Pilot Scheme operates.

Subsequently, the Director of the AALCO-HKRAC, Professor Nick Chan, and the Vice Chairman of eBRAM and Panel Arbitrator of the China Commission of Arbitration for Sport, Mr Ronald Sum, outlined the fundamental principles of mediation and arbitration at the Workshop. They also introduced the workflow under the Pilot Scheme, the operational procedures of its online dispute resolution platform, and the case studies on sports disputes successfully resolved under the Pilot Scheme.

In the sharing session that followed, a representative from a national sports association and an athlete, speaking from the professional and practical perspective of users, discussed the possible challenges in resolving sports disputes, and elaborated in details the specific benefits of adopting the Pilot Scheme's model clauses.

Set to operate for two years, the Pilot Scheme has started to accept applications since February 13 this year. It adopts a "mediation first, arbitration next" approach to resolve both commercial and non-commercial sports disputes. Its online mediation and arbitration platform also provides for expedited procedures to enhance the efficiency of dispute resolution for handling urgent disputes that may arise during sporting events.

OFNAA Commends Primary and Secondary Students for Their Creativity in Promoting Healthy Internet Use

OFNAA commends primary and secondary students for their creativity in promoting healthy Internet use

The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA) held a prize presentation ceremony today (July 4) for the "Healthy Student Video Contest 2026", the "'Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance' Slogan and Colouring Competition 2025-26" and the "Healthy Mobile App Sticker Design Competition". The event seeks to commend the winning students and teams for assisting in the promotion of the message of staying away from obscene and indecent information through multiple perspectives and innovative thinking.

A total of around 22 000 primary and secondary students participated in the three competitions which offered 60 major awards altogether. The adjudication panel comprised OFNAA representatives and industry professionals. Winners from 22 primary schools and 14 secondary schools (the list is set out in the Annex) will have their works uploaded to OFNAA's website for public viewing.

Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, the Assistant Director of Film, Newspaper and Article Administration, Mr Desmond Wu, said that while vast information is available on the online world, some of them may contain harmful content, such as videos and messages that promote violence and pornography, or distort values, which can profoundly affect the psychological development of young people. Sharing of harmful information on the Internet may even contravene the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (Cap. 390) (COIAO). To protect children and young people from the influence of obscene and indecent materials online, OFNAA has been adopting a multi-pronged approach through actively organising a variety of publicity and public education activities in tandem with proper regulation, so as to enhance the understanding of the public, especially children and young people, of the COIAO, encourage them to stay away from harmful information, and assist them in developing the concept of the proper use of the Internet.

In addition to organising the abovementioned competitions, OFNAA continued to enhance its publicity and education efforts over the past year, including arranging about 100 roving educational drama performances in schools and 270 school talks. OFNAA also set up in-school mobile promotion stations in 20 primary and secondary schools. Through interactive games, case sharing, role playing, quiz contests and exhibitions conducted in a relaxing and interesting manner, the message of healthy use of the Internet was embedded into campuses. Furthermore, OFNAA organised talks, workshops and online seminars for parents, participated in teacher professional development seminars staged by the Education Bureau, and held eight roving exhibitions in shopping malls and government premises in various districts. These activities attracted a total of around 200 000 participants over the past year with a fruitful result.

Apart from actively conducting publicity and public education, and taking enforcement actions, the Government is also implementing a series of administrative measures to enhance the representativeness of the Obscene Articles Tribunal (OAT). These measures include increasing the number of adjudicators participating in each hearing for classification of articles from four to six, with an equal number of male and female adjudicators, and raising the total number of adjudicators from about 750 to about 1 000. In addition, to enable those who wish to apply to become adjudicator, the Government has already incorporated the "e-ME" Form Filling feature of "iAM Smart" into the relevant electronic application form. Applicants can now use this feature to automatically fill in their personal particulars, thereby streamlining the application process.

While the Government encourages the public to actively participate in the work of the OAT, OFNAA will also continue to take forward diverse publicity and public education work, and collaborate with various stakeholders to enhance public awareness of the COIAO and promote the message of staying away from obscene and indecent content on the Internet.

Sports Dispute Resolution Workshop Promotes Efficient Mediation and Arbitration in Hong Kong's Sports Sector

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