Implementation of Lex Specialis in Sports Jurisdiction

Abstract

The present study sets out the implementation of Lex Specialis in Sports Jurisdiction. It presents an introduction to Sports Law and the rules of Lex Sportiva and Lex Olympica. Following the introduction, this paper presents the concept of Sports Jurisdiction and the competence of the Sport Arbitral Bodies to rule on the constitutionality of the law. Furthermore, this study focuses on the necessity for the establishment of an International Sports Constitutional Charter with special rules for international sports activities and the establishment of a special International Sports Court. Finally, is investigated the application of the Lex Specialis Derogat Legi Generali Principle in Sports Law. In particular, this study points out that Special rules of sports law prevail over ordinary rules of law, according to the general principle of law Lex Specialis Derogat Legi Generali. It is highlighted that Sports Law is not a subcategory of international law, as International Sports Law, but a different kind of law, Lex Sportiva/Olympica. Lex Sportiva/ Olympica is an international “unethnical” law, which exists in parallel to the international law. It constitutes a sui generis sports law legal order, imposed heteronomously on the sporting world by various international organizations.