Sports Law

Atsumi & Sakai's Sports Practice Group is one of Japan's most experienced and internationally recognised sports law practices, providing innovative legal and commercial solutions to domestic and international clients for over 25 years.

The Group is led by Ian S. Scott, a registered foreign lawyer with extensive front-line experience across the business of sport. Since 2002, Ian has been directly involved in the legal and operational management of major international sporting events. He served as General Manager and Managing Director of World Rugby Japan, and acted as World Rugby's legal counsel in Japan for over seven years throughout the preparation and staging of Rugby World Cup 2019. He has held senior commercial and administrative roles across multiple sports organisations, led Rights Protection Programmes (RPP) against ambush marketing, and is a currently registered arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Ian is also a former international-level competitive athlete. This combination of legal expertise, commercial experience, and personal connection to sport is what makes the Group genuinely distinctive in the Japanese market.

The Group includes Kenta Nobe and other dedicated members who have provided full legal support as counsel to two major international sporting events hosted in Japan in 2025. The Group advises a broad range of stakeholders — including domestic and international governing bodies, event organisers, local authorities, clubs, athletes, agents, and sponsors — across all aspects of sports law and the business of sport.

Atsumi & Sakai is one of very few law firms in Japan with the depth of experience to advise clients from both a legal and a practical commercial perspective. Our lawyers understand how sports organisations operate from the inside, and this informs every piece of advice we give.

Sports We Cover

We advise across all major sports, including rugby, football (soccer), athletics, basketball, golf, boxing, Olympic and Paralympic sport, women's sport, and esports, among others.

Services

Commercial & Rights

Exploitation of commercial and broadcast rights
Licensing and merchandising arrangements
Sponsorship and advertising agreements
Broadcasting and media rights
Rights Protection Programmes (ambush marketing prevention and enforcement)
Intellectual property protection and exploitation

Event & Operations

Organisation and management of domestic and international sporting events
Emergency and contingency planning
Risk management

Governance & Integrity

Sports governance advisory
Sports integrity frameworks
Anti-doping and anti-corruption compliance
Sports betting regulation and compliance
Policy and guideline development
Compliance training

Corporate & Finance

Mergers and acquisitions (including club and facility acquisitions)
Finance and investment structures

Employment & Athletes

Employment and labour matters
Athlete and player contracts
Minor athlete protection

Regulatory & Data

Data protection (including GDPR and Japanese data protection law)
Consumer protection

Dispute Resolution

Commercial dispute resolution
Sports arbitration (CAS and domestic)

Selected Matters

Legal counsel to the Deaflympics Preparation and Operation Office (Tokyo Benefits Corporation) for the 25th Summer Deaflympics Tokyo 2025
Legal counsel to a major international sporting events hosted in Japan in 2025