News & Events
News & Events
Head of the Sports Group at Outer Temple, Louis Weston will be speaking at the 41st Asian Racing Conference Business Programme taking place from 10th to 12th February 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Attracting and engaging the foremost leaders in racing and sports, along with other influential stakeholders, the Asian Racing Conference shapes global and regional agendas to continuously advance the racing industry. Guided by the theme “Honouring Tradition, Shaping the Future,” the three-day Business Programme will consist of panel sessions by a distinguished lineup of international speakers from racing and sports, technology, business, media, broadcasting and more. Louis Weston will be speaking on the second day of the programme on Wednesday 11th March alongside Aja Hall of the British Horseracing…
News 9 Feb, 2026
Head of the Sports Group at OTC, Louis Weston, has recently collaborated with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Partnership Against Corruption In Sport (IPACS) and leading experts to write this guide on the prosecution of bribery in sport. The core aim of this guide is to assist criminal and regulatory prosecutors in structuring and prosecuting bribery-in-sport cases as well as to foster cooperation between law enforcement agencies, criminal justice authorities and sports organisations. Bribery is a significant and diverse threat to sport, ranging from bribery related to sports governance and the duties of public officials to bribery related to the manipulation of sports competitions involving players and referees. Past cases, including those involving international sports organizations and…
External Publications, News 16 Dec, 2025
Head of Sports Group at Outer Temple Chambers, Louis Weston, leading Charlotte Davison of the BHA, prosecuted, under the Rules of Racing, Jockey Dylan Kitts, Trainer Chris Honour, and an associate of the horse’s owner John Higgins on allegations of corrupt practice and misleading the Stewards. During a recent hearing, the BHA brought charges relating to alleged misconduct in the running and riding of a horse named Hillsin. The allegations included that connections conspired to prevent Hillsin from achieving its best possible placing, conduct that would amount to a serious breach of the sport’s integrity standards. The individuals involved included Dylan Kitts, John Higgins and Chris Honour. The Judicial Panel considered detailed evidence, including telephone data and multiple interviews —…
News 26 Nov, 2025
OTC is delighted with an outstanding set of rankings in the Legal 500 UK 2026 Guide
News 7 Oct, 2025
Oliver Lawrence has been published in LawInSport in an article titled ‘What athletes need to know about sports betting and anti-corruption rules’. Oliver Lawrence has written an article for LawInSport titled ‘What athletes need to know about sports betting and anti-corruption rules’, published on Tuesday 22nd July 2025. It might be thought that the job of an athlete is difficult but simple: try to win and don’t cheat. If only things were that straightforward. In recent years, governing bodies have enforced the full extent of their codes of conduct to try to root out corruption and ensure fair play. Match-fixing is the headline example, for which severe punishments have been handed out. But there are other possible infringements of anti-corruption…
External Publications, News 23 Jul, 2025
Louis Weston delivered a webinar session on ‘Drafting Effective Safeguarding Policies’ to Sport Resolutions, as part of their Sport Case Management Programme on Thursday 10th July 2025. The webinar focused on policies to help all participating National Governing Bodies (NGBs) strengthen their safeguarding frameworks. The session covered the common challenges in drafting safeguarding policies and subsequent disciplinary processes, and provided clear, practical guidance for creating a procedure that is both legally robust and operationally effective. The webinar session also highlighted the safeguarding process from end-to-end, from referral to hearing, providing tips and suggestions to create a seamless and effective framework to assist NGBs to manage and progress cases. Key Topics Covered included: Policy vs Procedure: Getting the Balance Right –…
News 14 Jul, 2025
We are delighted to announce that our Head of Sports Law, Louis Weston, has been appointed to the Independent Ethics Board (IEB) of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as an Independent UK Board Member. WADA is an international independent agency composed and funded by the Sports Movement and governments of the world. In 2021, WADA approved a Code of Ethics, recognising the importance of ensuring these high standards and establishing clear ethical standards over the activities of WADA Officials (as defined in the WADA Code of Ethics). These reforms included the creation of an Independent Ethics Board (IEB). Louis Weston has specialised in Sports Law for over 15 years and has appeared in many of the leading cases in the…
News 3 Jun, 2025
Louis Weston acted for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in resisting the appeal by Mark King Jones against a five-year ban for match fixing. Louis, the Head of Outer Temple’s Sports Law team acted for the WPBSA in resisting an appeal by snooker player Mark King against the finding that he had engaged in match fixing. The ban was handed down in November 2024 by an independent disciplinary committee, which Mr. King appealed against liability-only on multiple grounds. His appeal was dismissed on all grounds in a clear and helpful guide to how a sports law appellate body will address issues on review. The sanction that was imposed at the original hearing will stand. The full decision of…
News 16 May, 2025
Head of Outer Temple’s Sports Law team, Louis Weston has been published in the LawInSport magazine. The article acts as a guide for sports governing bodies on how they should put into effect anti-corruption policies and procedures governing the sport and the tournaments they deal with. Louis Weston’s article titled ‘Top 10 Tips for Sports Organisations & Tournament Organisers on Implementing Anti-Corruption Policies’ draws upon his experience having advised governing bodies in the UK and internationally on the structure and methods of policing sports related corruption. He has also acted as a prosecutor for many cases involving corruption, including for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, the Darts Regulatory Authority, British Horseracing Authority, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and Jockey…
External Publications, News 4 Apr, 2025
Sarah Crowther KC has been appointed as one of the 14 members of England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP). We are delighted to announce that Sarah Crowther KC has been appointed as a member of England and Wales Cricket Board’s Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP), effective from 1 April 2025. The Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) will take over from the current Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC). The CDP is an independent tribunal which will hear and adjudicate on cases of alleged regulatory breaches in professional cricket, and decide what sanctions are appropriate for any breaches that are found to have occurred. It’s function will be to consider cases brought before it by the Cricket Regulator, the body responsible…
News 2 Apr, 2025
Louis Weston acted for Table Tennis England in the prosecution of four players involved in betting on fixed outcomes in Table Tennis matches in Ukraine. Louis, the Head of Outer Temple’s Sports Law team acted for Table Tennis England in the case of players Luke Savill, Darius Knight, Joseph Langham-Ferreira and Kazeem Adeleke, where they were all found guilty of match fixing and unusual betting activity. The case arose from the match fixing by Australian Adam Green in 2021. The Gambling Commission began an investigation after receiving reports of unusual and suspicious betting activity from licensed operators on matches held in Ukraine in 2020 that were linked to British betting accounts. Table Tennis England collaborated with experts from the Gambling…
News 31 Mar, 2025
Louis Weston acted for the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) in the prosecution of professional darts player Prakash Jiwa for betting offences and match fixing under DRA Rules. Louis, the Head of Outer Temple’s Sports Law team acted for the DRA in the case of Prakash Jiwa, where the player was found guilty of fixing four matches and betting on darts at a hearing before the Darts Regulation Authority Disciplinary Committee. The case arose from Mr Jiwa deliberately losing the matches for his associates to bet upon. Jiwa, a three time winner of the PDC Tour card, has been suspended for 8 years from the sport, and faced a fine of £17,741.46. The DRA said that the decision “sends a clear message…
News 24 Mar, 2025
