Counselling in Polish sports law
Sport is an important area for most of us. Whether it is ourselves enjoying sports in a variety of disciplines or attending sporting events as spectators or watching transmission of sporting events on television. On the subject of sports, everyone has an opinion. This applies particularly to the sports in which the player changing clubs or transfer of top athletes, as well as the dismissal and the recommitment of coaches are widely represented in the media.
Sport and its legal framework
Both national and international provisions provide the necessary legal framework for individual and team sports at its different levels. Sports clubs and federations on the one hand and athletes on the other hand are confronted more than ever with sports-related legal questions from the areas of association law, labor law, company law, general civil law and administrative law, taking into account the European legal influences at the same time. This applies in the same way to other participants of sporting events such as sponsors, sports consultants, suppliers, marketers, sports officials and of course the media.
Both the professional sport and the mass sport are not bound by national borders. This also applies in particular to Polish sport. The number of top foreign athletes in Polish sports associations has not yet reached the levels, such as in Germany, France or Italy. However, in recent years, we have seen a noticeable increase in contracting of foreign athletes and coaches by Polish sports clubs in certain disciplines. This applies i.e. to cycling, volleyball or even handball.
Essential national provisions of sports law arise in Poland from following legal acts:
- Act of 25th June 2010 on sports,
- Act of 20th March 2009 on safety at major events,
- Labor Law of 26th June 1974,
- Civil Code of 23rd April 1964,
- Association Law of 7th April 1989.
Furthermore, a variety of legal regulations must be observed, passed as implementing ordinances by the Ministry of Sports, Labor and Health to the acts mentioned above.