PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

First and foremost, congratulations to the new SLAM committee for the term 2025-27. It is heartwarming to see a representative from Sabah Law Society in the committee for the first time us as we endeavor to expand throughout Malaysia in achieving professionalism and sport integrity. SLAM was set up in 2016 to inspire leadership, knowledge, educate, communicate and promote “Fair Play” and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in sports.

We are very thankful to our Patron Y.A.M. Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar, who has been very supportive in assisting, guiding and advising SLAM since its establishment. The association is not just for sports lawyers but for anyone with interest in clean sport through rules of the game, including players, coaches, managers, parents, sports associations and anyone for the sake of good governance and integrity.

Most importantly, high integrity value applies not only to the athletes, but also coaches, team managers, sports officials, sponsors, sports associations and all levels of stakeholders. It cannot be denied that sports today has become very dynamic. As the sporting industry evolves at an extremely fast pace, sports law and ethics need to keep up with the times. The challenges posed in the sporting world today are many. Some of these are in areas of contract negotiations, intellectual property rights, media sponsorship, personal injuries (due to excessive force and incidents outside the rules of the game), dispute resolution such as in employment contracts, tax and commercial contracts, good governance and integrity issues.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has further revolutionalised sport. The benefits of AI in training have been profound. AI has been an asset to many but the responsible implementation of it is paramount for all. AI in sports also has its fair share of legal and ethical challenges. Ethical considerations evolve around fair play, data privacy, and bias. Sports associations must to ensure that AI is implemented responsibly and contributes positively to sports integrity. In this respect, I am proud to note that SLAM has a membership that boasts of expertise in all the above areas and from a wide background – legal and non-legal. This includes drafting, negotiating and reviewing contracts to compliance, alternative dispute resolution, anti-corruption, ant-doping results management, education, communications and public relations.

SLAM has also been active in promoting and advancing sports law, mediation and arbitration, creating awareness and imparting knowledge through conferences, workshops, seminars and webinars, knowledge sharing among others. We closely work with various organizations such as Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU), Malaysia Olympians Association (MOA) and Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS). SLAM will continue exploring opportunities to engage, network and collaborate with national bodies, international sports law associations and organizations with similar goals and interest.

Our association with Australia - New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) and Japan Sports Law Association (JSLA) are just two of the international collaborations. The tie-up with ANZSLA and JSLA through MoU’s is for an alliance for reciprocal benefit to its members. SLAM hopes to continue engaging the youth of the nation and create awareness and effective communication on issues such as anti-doping, sexual harassment, corruption, cheating and integrity in sports. In this respect, SLAM lauds the government for establishing the Safe Sports Code, which was launched on 15 Mar 2023, as one of the steps in addressing the above.

We shall continue working closely with AIAC in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the Ministry of Sports Malaysia, National Sports Council of Malaysia (NSC), Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and other national bodies in reaching out to colleges and institutions of higher learning to create awareness for Fair Play, Clean Sport and Sports Integrity among youth – the future of the nation.

Thank You.