Tag: african sports

Business and Human Rights in sport: Can arbitration provide an effective remedy?

In recent years, major sports bodies like FIFA, the IOC, and UEFA have begun embedding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights directly into their bidding, governance, and hosting frameworks. In the latest YALS column, Kenyan sports lawyer Khayran Noor and research associate Ernest Linyiru examine the landscape for remedies when rights may have been breached

World IP Day 2026 – Key insights from Kenya’s Draft Sports Bill and commercialisation of sports IP

On World Intellectual Property Day 2026, Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe trended globally after breaking the 2-hour barrier in the iconic London Marathon. Daniel Mwathe, Richard Odongo, and Victoria Njenga of Bowmans explore the ongoing evolution of the commercial, sporting, and regulatory landscape

Diagnosing what ails African sports: why I wrote a book about our invisible athletes

The 16th SportsAfrica Conference was held in Côte d'Ivoire across 3-5 April 2025. A chance encounter set off a year of research, uncomfortable conversations, and resulted in a book that argues Africa's greatest sporting problem is not a lack of talent — it is a failure to write things down.

Beyond the final whistle: Designing sustainable athlete pathways to overcome a silent crisis

The average lifespan of a professional athlete’s career is strikingly short. The result is that thousands of African athletes must reinvent their lives by their mid-thirties, often without education, savings, or professional networks beyond sport. So, how do we go from focusing on short-term performance to lifelong player welfare?

From recreation to economic driver: an evolution in African sports

The 4th edition of Africa’s premier sports business conference, the Africa Football Business Summit, was recently held in Kenya. Sports entrepreneur Brian Wesaala and lawyer Joy Wanyika talk with Africa Legal about the path to the sector’s exciting, transformative future

Khayran Noor: Law, Leadership, and Inclusion in African Sport

Last month, Kenyan lawyer Khayran Noor became a two-time winner of the Rising Star category at the annual Women In Sports Law (WISLaw) Members Awards. She discusses dismantling barriers, governance, inclusion, and her vision for the future of African sports

Moroccan and South African lawyers elected to the Board of International Sports Lawyers Association

After many years of Europe-focused activities, the Zurich-based International Sport Lawyers Association (ISLA) has showcased its aim to become a truly global organisation with last week’s election of its new Board, which includes two African lawyers.

Kenyan lawyer Khayran Noor flies flag for Africa by winning Rising Star at Women in Sports Law Awards

Women in Sports Law (WISLaw) is a Swiss-based non-profit association uniting women from more than 50 countries specialising in sports law. Yesterday, Kenyan lawyer Khayran was named among the winners of the 2025 WISLaw Members Awards

Leading duo behind some of Africa’s largest technology and sports deals launches new firm Three Points Law

Leading lawyers Simon Leaf and Tom Murray, who have strong experience working with African governments and businesses, have this week launched pioneering tech-enabled firm, Three Points Law, specialising in sports, tech and commercial law.

Leveraging football as a force for good: anticipation builds for Africa Football Business Summit 2025

Critical conversations on how football can drive investment, infrastructure, global partnerships and more will be held in Kenya this week, at the 4th edition of Africa’s premier sports business conference, the Africa Football Business Summit

Law as a Springboard into Sport

With the African sports industry set to grow significantly over the coming decade, lawyers with an interest in sport are ideally placed to move beyond providing legal opinions to shaping institutional design, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable commercial strategies.

From broadcast booths to boardrooms: a YALS dialogue

SportzBiz Africa Forum 2025 will be held over 9-10 September in Kigali. Recently, Young African Leaders in Sports (YALS) members Gordon Gogo and Hilda Cheptoo were selected for prestigious Johan Cruyff Institute inspired courses with the chance to live pitch their sporting projects at this year’s SportsBiz Africa Forum.

Promoting and protecting golden opportunities for African athletes

African sport is set to boom over the next decade, helping drive economic growth and social change. Sandra Oyewole and Terence Dambe discuss the importance of bridging the knowledge gap to help harness African sports potential.

Mchezaji: Transforming African sporting talent with homegrown AI

Africa is brimming with raw, untapped sporting talent, but our systems to track, nurture, and promote that talent are fragmented or nonexistent. So we are creating a homegrown AI-powered digital sports intelligence platform to integrate data analytics into grassroots sports development.

Serving through sport

Ugandan lawyer Timothy Kajja spearheads Young African Leaders in Sport, a pan-African forum advocating for the inclusion of young people in sport leadership and governance. He spoke with Africa Legal about passion, education, and growing opportunities on and off the field.