[Zoom In on transnational sports law] Blake Leeper v. IAAF

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here.  

The Asser International Sports Law Centre headed by Dr Antoine Duval, in collaboration with Dr Marjolaine Viret, is launching a new series of zoom webinars on transnational sports law: Zoom In. The first discussion (4 December at 16.00) zoomed in on the recent arbitral award delivered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the Blake Leeper v. International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) case.

In this decision, reminiscent of the famous Pistorius award rendered a decade ago, the CAS panel ruled on the validity of an IAAF rule that places the burden on a disabled athlete to prove that a mechanical aid used to compete in IAAF-sanctioned competitions does not give them an overall competitive advantage. While siding with the athlete, Blake Leeper, on the burden of proof, the CAS panel did conclude that Leeper’s prosthesis provided him an undue advantage over other athletes and hence that the IAAF could bar him from competing in its events.

To reflect on the key aspects of the decision and its implications, we have invited scholars with different disciplinary backgrounds to join the zoom discussion. 

Confirmed guests

• Prof. Wolfgang Potthast (University of Cologne)
• Roger Pielke Jr (University of Colorado) 

Moderators

• Dr Antoine Duval (Asser Institute)
• Dr Marjolaine Viret 

Zoom In webinar series

The Zoom In webinar series is an initiative of the Asser International Sports Law Centre, headed by Dr Antoine Duval, in collaboration with Dr Marjolaine Viret. It aims to organise free and regular zoom webinars with scholars and practitioners on the latest developments in transnational sports law. To stay up to date on the Zoom In webinar series and the latest in transnational sports law, follow the Asser International Sports Law Blog.