News & Events
News & Events
Louis Weston, who leads the OTC Sports Law Group, acted for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in opposing the appeal of Ronan McNally against being found in breach and the length of his 12-year suspension, the longest in Irish racing. Louis Weston, who leads the Sports Law Group, acted for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board with Caoimhe Daly, BL, in opposing the appeal of Ronan McNally against being found in breach and the length of his 12 year suspension, the longest in Irish racing. The IHRB’s Appeal Body has dismissed the appeal against breach and suspended the last 4 years of the suspension to give Mr McNally ‘opportunity and motivation to mend his ways’, and awarded the IHRB its costs.…
News 23 Jun, 2023
Louis Weston, who leads the Sports Law Group, acted for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in the prosecution of 10 snooker players for match-fixing and betting offences. The case which was heard over 4 days in April and May 2023, has resulted in each of the 10 players being found in breach of the WPBSA Member Rules and suspensions being imposed on all of them. The principal offenders Liang Wenbo and Li Hang both have been banned for life and other players suspended for periods of between 1.75 and 5.33 years. These are the heaviest sanctions in the sport of snooker, and follow on from its most complicated and substantial case and investigation. All 10 players have until…
News 6 Jun, 2023
Head Coach of the Russian Rhythmic Team, Irina Viner, faces a lengthy ban after a decision in disciplinary proceedings by Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF). Louis Weston acted on behalf of GEF. The GEF Disciplinary Commission Panel sanctioned the head coach of Russian rhythmic gymnastics, Ms Viner with a two year suspension and issued her Russian Member Federation, Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia, with a warning. The case Louis Weston, who heads up the Outer Temple Sports Law team acted for the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation in the prosecution of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Head Coach and Member Federation. The proceedings related to the alleged retaliatory withdrawal of Ms Nataliya Kuzmina’s candidacy for the 2021 elections to the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique…
News 24 Apr, 2023
Two of Outer Temple’s specialist sports barristers, Louis Weston and Samuel Cuthbert, have been published in the Sports Integrity section of the LawInSport Yearbook 2022 on betting and corruption. The chapter identifies and reviews some of the notable cases and events in 2022 and discusses what trends might be drawn from them. This year, Louis Weston was joined by Samuel Cuthbert to review the topic of betting and corruption. As memories of the empty stadiums caused by COVID 19 have faded, the sporting calendar has found its feet once more. Like night follows day, with more professional sport has come more corruption, match manipulation and the detection and prosecution of cases left hovering by inability to travel and interview. This…
External Publications 7 Mar, 2023
You are invited to join Outer Temple Chambers and guests for an evening of talks around Integrity in Sport on Thursday 27th April 2023. This event will be held at Outer Temple Chambers and booking is required. Louis Weston will be joined by fellow OTC sports barrister, Samuel Cuthbert, Alastair Campbell of Level Law and Aja Hall of British Horseracing Authority to discuss: Integrity through technology Assessing outcomes in football betting cases Why betting evidence matters and the problems in obtaining that evidence The event will be chaired, with occasional observations, by Louis Weston. The discussions will be followed by networking drinks in Chambers. Book your place This event will be held in-person at Outer Temple Chambers. Places are limited…
Events 3 Mar, 2023
Former horseracing jockey Danny Brock faces a lengthy ban after the British Horseracing Authority instructed sports law specialist Louis Weston in this complicated race fixing case. The case The British Horseracing Authority’s independent disciplinary panel decided the fate of former jockey Danny Brock on Tuesday 17 January, issuing a ban after deciding he had deliberately stopped horses in three races. Louis Weston, aided by Tomás Nolan, a senior regulatory lawyer at BHA, argued that Brock was responsible for ‘fixing’ three races in 2018 and 2019 along with five other individuals including Sean McBride. There were a series of large bets staked and Louis relied on detailed analysis of videos and betting patterns after a widespread refusal by the respondents to…
News 19 Jan, 2023
Louis Weston acted for the British Horseracing Authority in the disciplinary case against Robbie Dunne which resulted in an 18 month ban for bullying and harassment of Bryony Frost. The full reasons for the decision have now been published alongside a statement from the major stakeholders in the sport. Louis Weston represented the British Horseracing Authority at a disciplinary panel which decided today that jockey Robbie Dunne should receive an 18 month ban for acting in a violent or improper manner towards Britain’s most successful female rider, Bryony Frost, and acting in a way prejudicial to the sport. The disciplinary panel heard from Louis Weston that Robbie threatened to cause fellow rider Bryony serious physical harm and that he used…
News 6 Jan, 2022
CAS Arbitrator, sports law expert and OTC Professional Associate, Anthony Lo Surdo SC delivered a webinar to members of the Japan Sports Lawyers Association (JSLA) on Friday, 1 October 2021 on the topic of discrimination in sport. This interactive webinar took the form of a case study with a Q & A session and examined conduct that may comprise discrimination, the source and power to sanction for such conduct and the approach to sanctions. This webinar was the second in a series presented by Anthony Lo Surdo SC to the JSLA as part of its Study and Research on International Sports Arbitration. Anthony discussed the incident in the Eastern SC v Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC match in Mong Kok…
News 7 Oct, 2021
