Date: Thursday 15th October Venue: Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

There has been growing and significant concern regarding the occurrence,
diagnosis, management and litigation implications surrounding concussion and
other injuries in Irish sport. From boxing to rugby, soccer to horse riding, hurling
and more, the instance of injuries are rising with increased sporting
participation. Some tragic instances stemming from concussion related
incidents have been highlighted in the national media. Overseas, sustained
injuries and degenerative illnesses such as dementia as a result of concussion
are growing and some estimates now put the global level of concussion related
incidents in excess of 17 million people. What is coming to light is even mild
injuries can cause the most dangerous long term effects when it comes to
concussion. What is also coming to light is the significant and growing trend of
global litigation cases taken against teams, governing bodies and even
coaches, particularly when the current thinking centres around the belief that it
is not acceptable for coaches, medics, administrators or even players, to take
part in sport without significant training on concussion management.
In light of the growing concern surrounding the issue of concussion and
other significant sporting injuries, the obvious potential damage to players, and
the growing global litigation threat. CMG Events, Irelands leading proprietary
conference organisers, are hosting a one day conference to explore the current
thinking and likely recommendations from the sports and governing bodies
arena, the medical profession and the legal sector. This unique event will
examine the medical developments and recommendations on best practice for
management of significant sports injuries, the practicalities in sports concussion
management and look closely at the legal perspective and ask, as the threat of
litigation rises globally, what are the legal trends and recent legal precedents
here in Ireland?
This is a must attend event for any professionals directly or indirectly
involved in sports in Ireland or the legal system surrounding it who need to
know the legal landscape of sport in 2015 & beyond.

Conference Programme

8.15 Registration with tea, coffee and pastries
8.50 Opening Remarks by Conference Chairperson
Cliff Beirne, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon, Sports
Surgery Clinic
9.00 Understanding concussion
Speaker: Dr Elaine Kelly, Clinical Psychologist,
Headway
 What is concussion? – Velocity and impact/ The G-force of
the hit
 The Neuropsychological Viewpoint
 Long term implications of concussion – connections with
dementia and degenerative illnesses
 Post-concussion syndrome
9.40 Sport and concussion management
Speaker: Prof. John Ryan, Consultant in Emergency
Medicine, St Vincent’s University Hospital & team
doctor with Leinster Rugby
 Are we in a crisis?
 What has changed in last 20 years?
 How do you guide the coaches?
 What are the current guidelines to concussion management?
 The governing sports bodies role in concussion
management / boxing / horse riding / rugby / hurling /
soccer
10.20 Contact Sports, Concussion and the Law – A
Coming Crisis?
Speaker: Tim O’Connor BL, Barrister, Law Library
 Concussion – What it is, the risks posed.
 Concussion management – History, Zurich Consensus,
 Player Welfare – Duties of coaches, management, officials,
governing bodies
 Potential liability issues – underage sport, officials amateur v.
professional sport
 Legacy issues
 What should sports bodies be doing?
11.00 Coffee break and chance to network
11.30 The players perspective – ‘don’t take me off’
Speaker: Dr Michael Molloy, Rheumatologist, Cork
University College
 Making the right call
 The wellbeing of the player
 Can the ref call it?
 Who will the likely legal issues rest with? Are coaches,
referees indemnified adequately?
12.10 Concussion: Case studies, research and future
directions
Speaker: Dr Ciaran Cosgrave, Consultant in Sports and
Exercise Medicine, Sports Medicine Department, Sports
Surgery Clinic
 Challenges concussion presents in elite sport
Is ‘concussion’ too broad a diagnosis?
 Current concussion research
 Future directions for concussion management and research
12.50 Q+A Session
1.00 Lunch and chance to network
2.00 The Challenges of Doping and Betting
Speaker: Gary Rice, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
 Anti-doping – world anti-doping code – Irish anti-doping rules
 Intelligence gathering and investigation-led anti-doping
 Athlete biological passports
 Legal developments in anti-doping
 Betting in sport, match fixing and spot fixing
 Legislative and EU developments in sports betting
 Sports integrity rules
2.45 Disciplinary Procedures and Appeal Processes
Speaker: Professor Jack Anderson, Editor,
International Sports Law Journal, School of Law,
Queen’s University
 Principles & structure of disciplinary systems
 Rules /Regulations – need to be simple, clear
 Natural justice and fair procedures
 The appeals/ committee / hearing / process
 Appeals procedures
 Court proceedings / applications
 JSI – Just Sport Ireland
 CAS – TAS : Court of Arbitration for Sport, Lausanne
 Costs – resources
3.30 ADR/Sports Arbitration; General Perspectives
Speaker: Larry Fenelon, Managing Partner,
Leman Solicitors
 Introduction: challenging decisions of sports bodies in the Irish
courts
 Development of in-house ADR in Irish sport e.g. Just Sport
Ireland
 Development of ADR in international sport e.g., Court of
Arbitration for Sport
 Sporting justice in action: an arbitrator’s perspective
4.00 Q+A Session
4.10 Closing Remarks 4.15 Conference Close

Speakers Biographies

Gary Rice, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
Gary is an experienced public, regulatory and commercial
law solicitor who provides legal, strategic and
consultancy services to clients in the public, sport and
health sectors. He qualified in 1986 and joined DAC
Beachcroft in 2014 from another large Irish law firm
where he had been a partner and had served as
chairman. DAC Beachcroft is a leading international legal business with
more than 2,200 people and coverage across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin
America and North America. Gary represents numerous sports
organisations on legal issues including sponsorship agreements,
merchandising, endorsement, broadcasting, safety health and
environmental matters, competition law issues, brand protection and
exploitation, anti-doping and integrity regulations and prosecutions and
disciplinary proceedings.

Professor Jack Anderson, Editor,
International Sports Law Journal, School of
Law, Queen’s Universit
Jack Anderson is a Professor of Law at Queen’s
University, Belfast. Jack has published widely on the
topics of sports law and including monographs such as
The Legality of Boxing (2007) and Modern Sports Law
(2010) and an edited collection Landmark Cases in Sports Law (2013). He
is currently Editor-in-Chief of theInternational Sports Law Journal the leading
periodical in the area. Jack has lectured internationally on the topic of
sports law and including at the US National Sports Law Institute; the
Australian National University; University of Cambridge; German Sports
University; and the China University of Political Science and Law. He has
also delivered workshops relating to sports law for Interpol, FIFA and the
World Rugby Board.

Cliff Beirne, Consultant Maxillofacial
Surgeon, Sports Surgery Clinic
Cliff has had a lifetime experience in sport both as a
participant and professionally. He graduated from Trinity
College,Dublin in 1982. He has published extensively and
presented widely at many International meetings. Cliff has
a keen interest in Player Welfare having launched the
compulsory use of helmets and faceguards in Hurling in 2009. He spoke to
the GAA Congress in 2012 proposing a motion for the compulsory
implementation of the use of mouthguards in Gaelic Football. At the recent
Oireachtas enquiry into Concussion in Sport he provided a written
submission.
He has served on the Medical Scientific and Welfare Committee of the
GAA and was Honorary Maxillofacial Surgeon to the IRFU for fourteen
years.

Dr Ciaran Cosgrave, Consultant in Sports
and Exercise Medicine, Sports Medicine
Department, Sports Surgery Clinic
Dr Cosgrave joined the Sports Medicine Department of
Sports Surgery Clinic in 2013 having trained as a
consultant in Sports & Exercise Medicine in Liverpool. He
is also the lead doctor at Leinster Rugby. He has a
wealth of experience in elite sport having worked for two seasons at
Liverpool Football Club from 2011-2013. He also provided medical cover
at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and subsequently
accompanied Team GB at their High Altitude Training Camp in Iten, Kenya.
Other experience in elite sport includes basketball, Northern Ireland
Football, athletics, karate and judo. In each of these sports he not only
provides high quality sports medicine but also works closely with athletes
and coaches on performance enhancement.

Larry Fenelon, Managing Partner,
Leman Solicitors
Larry is the managing partner in Leman Solicitors and is
head of the sports law team. He is an experienced
mediator, arbitrator and litigator in sports disputes. Having
specialised in sports law for the last decade he
represents the largest and smallest governing bodies. He
advises on corporate structuring, governance and disciplinary matters to
national governing bodies.

Prof. John Ryan, Consultant in Emergency
Medicine, St Vincent’s University Hospital &
team doctor with Leinster Rugby
Professor John Ryan is a consultant in Emergency Medicine
and Associate Clinical Professor in Emergency Medicine at
St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin. He trained in
Ireland, the UK and Australia and was formerly a consultant
and senior lecturer in Emergency Medicine He is currently Vice Dean
responsible for Advanced Specialty Training in Emergency Medicine in Ireland.
He is a board member of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine in Ireland
and has a particular interest in Sports Injuries. He runs a Concussion Clinic at
St Vincent’s University Hospital and is active in Research in this area. He works
closely with the IRFU SAFE-rugby programme instructing on its courses. When
not working at St Vincent’s he works with Leinster Rugby as team doctor and
he is also team doctor to the Irish Schools rugby team.

Dr. Elaine Kelly, Clinical Psychologist, Headway
Elaine Kelly works in Headway as a Clinical Psychologist since 2013.
Headway is a specialist service for people with Acquired Brain Injury.
Elaine’s professional qualifications are as follows:
 Undergraduate Psychology Degree- National University of Ireland,
Maynooth
 Postgraduate Masters in Clinical Psychology- Bangor University,
Wales
 Doctorate of Clinical Psychology- Trinity College Dublin
 Clinical Neuropsychology MSc (Med Sci)- University of Glasgow
(currently doing this)

Michael Molloy, Rheumatologist, Cork University College
Professor Molloy Qualified in University College Galway (NUIG).
He did all of his post-graduate training in London, in a number of hospitals,
including the Hammersmith Hospital, Guys Hospital, Lewisham Hospital,
Kings College Hospital and the Royal London Hospital.
He returned to Ireland to take up a post as Consultant Physician
Rheumatologist, at Cork University Hospital and UCC.
On his return to Ireland, he was appointed Medical Officer, to the Irish
Rugby Football Union and remained in that post for 25 years.
He then became Chief Medical Officer to the International Rugby Board
from 2006 to 2011.He set up a Masters in Sport and Exercise Medicine in
UCC in 1994 and over 140 graduates have completed the Masters
Programme.
Research interests include the genetics of Rheumatoid Arthritis and
Osteoporosis and the use of biologic drugs in inflammatory joint disease

Who Should Attend?

This Conference will be of interest or benefit to anyone involved with sports in Ireland. It is of particular relevance to sports governing bodies, legal professionals such as barristers, Solicitors or arbitrators and mediators, and also to club managers and sports people themselves.

Easy ways to book:

http://www.cmgevents.ie/events/national-sports-law-conference-2015#bookings

EMAIL sarah@cmgevents.ie
ONLINE www.cmgevents.ie
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