The Olympic Movement, together with sports federations like international football federation FIFA and the International Rugby Board (IRB) last week presented a position paper detailing the various rules which, they argue, "define the framework of the specific nature of sport and guarantee stable and balanced sporting competitions as well as their integrity".
The paper lists a series of examples of rules and principles that should be safeguarded and thus deserve "specific treatment" when considering their compliance with EU law. These rules include:
- Technical rules for different sports, such as ball size, number of players and referee behaviour;
- selection criteria for international sports competitions, the sporting calendar, composition of national teams and the release of national players;
- the principle of territoriality for club competitions, composition of teams and training of athletes;
- various rules to preserve the integrity of sports competitions, such as anti-doping rules, measures against illegal betting and corruption and regulating the activities of players' agents;
- rules related to dispute-resolution mechanisms, such as arbitration in sport;
- free movement of players, and;
- collective selling of the commercial and media rights of sports competitions.
The EU institutions are called upon to adopt a recommendation and concrete guidance on how to ensure that these specific characteristics, as well as the autonomy of sports organisations, are respected.
Commission consultation to kick-start Lisbon's sport provisions
The European Commission will shortly launch a wide consultation regarding the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty's sport provisions. The consultation will lead the way for the adoption of political documents as a follow-up to the July 2007 EU White Paper on Sport.
The EU executive is set to publish a communication on the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on sport - the first-ever Commission communication on sport - and a draft decision regarding the EU's sports programme and budget in mid-2010.
