Hong Kong authorities are seeking proposals from interested parties to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute resolution, a move experts have said is a key step in establishing a neutral third-party intervention mechanism for the growing sector.
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Observers said on Monday that such a programme would enhance the city’s reputation as a leading legal and dispute mediation and arbitration hub, providing a specialised avenue for increasingly complex commercial disagreements within the global sports industry.
The Department of Justice said it had prepared the invitation for proposals to identify a suitable administering body and a technology provider for the pilot scheme, with these two parties needing to submit a joint proposal by July 31.
“The appointed dispute resolution institution will administer the pilot scheme and provide institutional support for the conduct of mediation and arbitration,” a department spokesman said.
“To promote wider use of lawtech and online dispute resolution, the administering body shall partner with an online dispute resolution institution as a technology provider to provide the technological infrastructure and support required for the operation of the pilot scheme.”
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Lawtech, or law technology, refers to the use of technology to improve or replace traditional legal processes and services.