The Department of Justice (“DoJ”) is inviting proposals from interested dispute resolution institutions for the operation of a pilot scheme on sports dispute resolution (“Pilot Scheme”).
As announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government will explore establishing a sports dispute resolution system and promote sports arbitration, leveraging the institutional advantages of Hong Kong in dispute resolution. In this regard, the Government supports the industry in launching the Pilot Scheme in Hong Kong within 2025. The Advisory Committee on Sports Dispute Resolution (“Advisory Committee”), comprising representatives from the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bar Association, DoJ and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, has also been established to advise the Government on the design, setup and implementation of the Pilot Scheme.
Under the Pilot Scheme, mediation and arbitration services will be provided to resolve sports disputes, including both commercial and non-commercial sports disputes. A dispute resolution institution (“Administering Body”) will be appointed to administer the Pilot Scheme and provide institutional support for the conduct of mediation and arbitration, including compiling specific mediation and arbitration rules, recruiting and appointing mediators and arbitrators, devising fee structures with the mediators and arbitrators and the parties, and administering the mediation and arbitration proceedings.
To promote a wider use of LawTech and online dispute resolution, the Administering Body shall partner with a technology provider (“Technology Provider”) which will be responsible for providing the technological infrastructure and support required for the operation of the Pilot Scheme.
The Pilot Scheme is set to operate for a period of two years, subject to review. DoJ will provide a subsidy of up to HK$60,000 (subject to review over time) for each non-commercial sports dispute involving at least one Hong Kong party and, insofar as the arbitration stage is concerned, involving issues of procedural fairness, errors of law, or any other relevant standards that may affect the integrity of the decision-making process only (“Subsidised Case”).
In consultation with the Advisory Committee, the assessment criteria for the Administering Body and the Technology Provider are set out as follows:-
Administering Body:
| (i) | established institutional infrastructure in providing sports dispute resolution services; |
| (ii) | corporate governance that ensures accountability and quality; |
| (iii) | absence of institutional conflict for handling sports disputes in Hong Kong, and having a suitable conflict avoidance mechanism for potential conflict in the handling of individual cases; |
| (iv) | a local and regional network for promoting sports dispute resolution; |
| (v) | substantial experience in training, public education, and promotion relating to sports dispute resolution; and |
| (vi) | acceptance of the requirement that only a reasonable filing fee will be charged to the parties in Subsidised Cases for dispute resolution services provided under the Pilot Scheme. |
Technology Provider:
| (i) | infrastructure and expertise in providing technological platforms and other technological support for dispute resolution services; |
| (ii) | infrastructure and expertise in conducting and supporting online dispute resolution; |
| (iii) | reliability and security in the performance of (i) and (ii) above; |
| (iv) | corporate governance that ensures accountability and quality; |
| (v) | absence of institutional conflict for handling sports disputes in Hong Kong, and having a suitable conflict avoidance mechanism for potential conflict in the handling of individual cases; |
| (vi) | acceptance of the requirement that only a reasonable filing fee will be charged to the parties in Subsidised Cases for dispute resolution services provided under the Pilot Scheme (including the technological aspects). |
Interested institutions are invited to submit formal joint proposals for joint appointment as the Administering Body and the Technology Provider. The joint proposals should contain information listed in Annex I with reference to the key assessment criteria set out above.
All proposals received by the submission deadline specified below will be considered by the Advisory Committee. The successful proponent(s) will be notified in writing and will be required to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Government (“MoU”). The MoU will contain provisions governing the operation of the Pilot Scheme and other related matters.
To comply with due process requirements, after submitting a proposal, proponents are requested not to initiate any further contact, whether direct or indirect, with the Government regarding the proposal. The Government may contact proponents for additional information or clarification on any part of the proposal submitted. Please also refer to Annex II for other terms applicable to this invitation for proposals.
All joint proposals must be submitted along with all necessary information and supporting documents to DoJ no later than 5:00 p.m. on 31 July 2025, by e-mail or by hand, as follows:
Email:
lead@doj.gov.hk
Address:
Collection Box (Re: Pilot Scheme on Sports Dispute Resolution)
G/F, Main Wing, Justice Place,
18 Lower Albert Road,
Central, Hong Kong
(Attn: Legal Enhancement and Development Office)
The Government may not consider any proposal that is submitted after this deadline.
For enquiries, please contact the Legal Enhancement and Development Office of DoJ (email: lead@doj.gov.hk).