The Routledge Handbook on Sports Law and Governance

Annette Greenhow (Editor), John Wolohan (Editor)

ISBN: 9781032603803

Published: June 2026

Format: Paperback

Language: English

Publisher: Routledge

Description

This handbook offers a comprehensive guide to how international and national sport is regulated, bringing together regulatory, governance, and legal perspectives. As professional and elite sport has grown more commercially sophisticated, the pressures created by competitive incentives have produced both new problems and recurring governance challenges. Drawing on contributors across disciplines and jurisdictions, the volume analyses these challenges and treats sport as a distinct regulatory domain in its own right.

Key Features

Covers Olympic and federation governance models, the role of the EU and national courts in sports regulation, and the powers and limits of league commissioners. Analyses integrity failures including doping, corruption, and non-disclosure controversies. Surveys equity, safeguarding, and anti-discrimination issues in sport, including gender pay and intersex athlete eligibility. Closes with a dedicated review of sports law in New Zealand.

Coverage

Four parts move from regulatory models and governance systems, through integrity and governance failures, to equity/access/safety, and finally dispute resolution — including a chapter on the Court of Arbitration for Sport and lex sportiva.

About the Authors

Annette Greenhow and John Wolohan are established sports law scholars who have assembled an international group of contributors spanning academia, sports federations, and practice.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Sport in the 21st Century. Part I: Regulatory Models and Governance Systems (IOC and Olympic law; the EU's role; NCAA amateurism; sports agents; league commissioners). Part II: Regulating Integrity and Governance Failures (sport corruption; doping regulation; non-disclosure agreements and governance crises; sports gambling). Part III: Regulating Sport Equity, Access and Safety (equal pay; gender and sport regulation; anti-racism frameworks; safeguarding; dangerous sports; concussion management). Part IV: Regulating Disputes (lex sportiva; sports arbitration; CAS football disputes; sports law in New Zealand). Conclusion: Future Directions.

Why buy this book?

A single reference point for how sport is governed and regulated worldwide, useful for building course reading lists, briefing on governance disputes, and benchmarking national frameworks like New Zealand's against international practice.

Keywords

sports law, sports governance, sports regulation, anti-doping, sports arbitration, athlete rights, sports integrity

Target Audience

Sports lawyers, legal academics, sports governance professionals, international lawyers

Genre

Sports Law, Sports Governance

Q&A

What does this handbook cover? It covers the regulatory and governance frameworks shaping international and national sport, from federation governance to dispute resolution.

Who edited this handbook? Annette Greenhow and John Wolohan, with contributions from an international group of sports law scholars and practitioners.

Does it include anti-doping and integrity issues? Yes, including chapters on doping regulation, sport corruption, and sports gambling.

Is New Zealand sports law covered? Yes, a dedicated chapter examines sports law's role in New Zealand's economy and regulation.

Where can I buy The Routledge Handbook on Sports Law and Governance? Through CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping included in the price.

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