Our Service 

 

Service(service closed after 8 September 2021)

 

From 13 July to 8 September 2021, “Pro Bono Legal Advice and Representation Service for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games” (“Service”) had been provided as independent pro bono legal advice and representation.

 

Under this programme, the Athletes could   eceive legal advice from a qualified lawyer for free of charge during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more detail, please read the following report.

 Tokyo 2020 Pro bono Service Report (EN)

 Tokyo 2020 Pro bono Service Report (JP)

 

This operation of the service is handled by the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency("JSAA")in cooperation with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations("JAFBA")and other relevant organisations.

 

The Service will be made up of “Sport Advocacy Section” and “General Section”, comprising around 30 individual lawyers respectively.

 

 

 

Representing athletes at urgent ad hoc hearings before the Ad hoc Division and Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport("CAS")

 

 

 

Providing legal advice and assistance in the fields of criminal, civil, immigration and sports law.

 

 

 

  • Commercial work, property law, tax law and intellectual property law;
  • Disputes within NOC/NPC (except where the dispute is related to any criminal matters, or to be brought to CAS ad hoc hearings);
  • Any matters that arose outside Japan;
  • Any advice or representation sought before/after the service period set out in Article 3 of the Operational Rules;
  • Any disputes which may arise against TOCOG; and
  • Any disputes which do not assist the smooth running of the Games (in the widest sense of its meaning).

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How to Use Our Service 

Who can use this Service

 

This Service is available for

  • athletes
  • coaches
  • team officials
  • National Olympic Committees (NOCs)/National Paralympic Committees (NPCs)
  • International Federations (IFs)/International Paralympic Sports Federations (IPSFs)

 

In order to use the Service, all of the following requirements must be met:

  1. The matter has arisen in Japan;
  2. The matter has arisen during the service period set out in Article 3 of the Operational Rules or has arisen within two days before or after the said period;
  3. The representation or legal advice sought is consistent with the content of each of the services set out in Appendix 1;
  4. Any application by an individual is being made by Chef de Mission (if not, a reasonable explanation is provided); and
  5. The matter is not incompatible with the Service's objective of contributing to the smooth running of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 
*The Organising Committee shall reserve the right to decide whether or not the matter should be dealt with by the Service in light of all the criteria referred to in the Operational Rules.

 

 

 

Opening Hours

During the service period, the JSAA shall be available as a point of contact in its office between 10:00 and 18:00 (Japan time) and shall respond to e-mails 24 hours a day.

Contact Information:

How to Apply

Application by Individuals

Any individual shall make an application for the Service through the Chef de Mission of the NOC or NPC to which the individual belongs.

When Chef de Mission receives an application from an individual to use the Service, Chef de Mission will check whether the individual is eligible to use the Service. 

Chef de Missions shall use the prescribed Application Form for Individuals and submit the application to the JSAA office or by email.       

* In the event of a dispute between the individual and the NOC or NPC to which the individual belongs, the individual may apply directly for the use of the Service.

*In the event that the urgency of the case does not allow sufficient time for an applicant to submit a signed application form, the JSAA may proceed with the necessary steps to use the Service after confirming the applicant's acceptance of the terms and conditions applicable to the Service. 

 

Application by Organisations

An NOC, NPC, IF or IPSF may directly apply to the JSAA for access to the Service through its official representative.

In this case, please use the Application Form for NOCs, IFs, NPCs, or IPSFs respectively.

 

 

For Olympic Games

For Paralympic Games 

 

 

 

 

About Us

Purpose

 

The purpose of the Service is to provide a safety net for those who do not have their own legal representatives in place in Japan and who may have difficulty in identifying representation at short notice.

 

Pro bono lawyers

 

There are approximately 30 candidates in each section for pro bono counsel(Sports Adovocacy and General), who completed necessary training and participated workshop held by the JSAA.   They will represent you in arbitration before the CAS or provide you with advice on civil, criminal, immigration or sports law matters. 

For the list of pro bono lawyers, please see Appendix 2 of the Operational Rules.  

 

Global Mentoring Scheme

 

To support the smooth running of the Service with experienced and expertise, and to assist pro bono lawyers in Japan, the organising committee established the Global Mentoring Scheme.

 

The following are outstanding professionals who act as mentors.

 

  • Jack Anderson, University of Melbourne (Ireland)
  • Paul J. Greene, Global Sports Advocates（US）
  • Gregory Ioannidis, Sheffield Hallam University（UK）
  • John Mehrzad QC, Littleton Chambers（UK）
  • Alessandro Olliverio, isports law（Italy）
  • Joaquim de Paiva Muniz, Trench Rossi Watanabe（Brazil）

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    Mentors also contribute to this Service on a pro bono basis.

     

     

     

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    Special Thanks to

     

    The project was launched in 2018 and the Organising Committee conducted training and workshops to be ready for the implementation of pro bono services at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

     

    In delivering the above training and workshops, and in providing pro bono services in 2021, the JSAA and the Organising Committee have received a great deal of support, including financial assistance, from the following organisations.

     

  • Japan Sports Agency("JSA") - FY 2020-2021
  • Japan Sport Council("JSC") - FY 2019-2021
  • Japan International Dispute Resolution Center("JIDRC") - FY 2019-2021

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    We would like to express our gratitude here.

     

    Administrators

     

    The management of the Service is administered by the Organising Committee for the 2020 Pro Bono Legal Advice & Representation Service that was established with the support of  Japan Sports Arbitration Agency (“JSAA”) and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations("JAFBA").

     

    The Organising Committee

    Chair
  • Takashi ITO (attorney-at-law, Ito & Wasemoto Law Office)
    • Member
  • Yoshihisa HAYAKAWA (attorney-at-law, URYU & ITOGA; Professor, Rikkyo University; Secretary General, Japan International Dispute Resolution Center)
  • Masahiro TAKAMATSU (attorney-at-law, Kyobashi Law Office)
  • Kazushige OGAWA (Associate Professor, Rikkyo University; Expert Staff, the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency)
  • Shoichi SUGIYAMA (attorney-at-law, Field R Law Office)
  • Kei IKUTA (attorney-at-law, Ikuta Law Office)

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    Privacy Policy

     

    Privacy Policy  PDF 

     

    Organising Committee for the 2020 Pro Bono Legal Advise & Representation Service

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