The principle of Force Majeure in COVID-19 sports disputes

The sudden outbreak of the world pandemic coronavirus has affected the sports industry hard and fast.

Domestic, as well as international leagues, have grounded to a complete halt, training has been restricted to individual indoor training, major competitions have been either postponed or cancelled in their entirety and sport media houses have been left scrambling on what to report on and show on screens across the globe.

Like almost every other sector of the economy, sport is grappling with the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Besides the consequential health impact that such pandemic is causing, serious and critical changes to the sporting world as we know it are happening as we speak.

A certain large degree of uncertainty has come about, such as what happens to contracts currently in force, when and how can leagues resume and whether fans would be allowed to attend sporting events for the foreseeable future.

One of the biggest current headaches being faced by the sports industry concerns current contracts.

These include employment, sponsorship as well as contracts concerning major competitions such as broadcasting, advertising and logistical matters.

Despite...