News archive 2025

Our firm is delighted to announce that Dr Heiner Kahlert was admitted to the renowned Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC). The HKIAC is one of the leading arbitral institutions in the world. More than 350 arbitrations were submitted to the HKIAC in 2024 alone, the vast majority of which were international in nature.

For years we have been endeavouring to reduce our carbon footprint. To this end, we are, on the one hand, trying to avoid unnecessary CO2 emissions, for example by reducing our travel activities – as we had already done before the corona virus pandemic – through the increased use of video conferencing and preferably travelling by train. Additionally, apart from a few, rare exceptions, our employees regularly cycle or use public transport to get to the office.

Dr Heiner Kahlert and David Menz have published an article in the German sports law journal SpuRt 1/25 about the BAT and its new Payment Order Procedure. The article first provides an overview of the procedure before the BAT and its special features. It further explains the functioning of the Payment Order Procedure, which was introduced in February 2024. The Payment Order Procedure is comparable to default judgements before state courts (e.g. the European order for payment procedure) and is arguably the first of its kind in the context of international (sports) arbitration.

David Menz und Dr. Heiner Kahlert published a report on the development of sports law in 2024 in the Neue Juristische Wochenschrift (NJW – 46/2024 edition, p. 3340 et seq.). The report picks up where the report for 2023 (NJW – 46/2023 edition, p. 3337 et seq.) left off and provides an overview of relevant decisions from various legal fields affected by sports law.

Upon the initiative of Riot Games, Martens has established the Dispute Resolution for Riot Games' Esports (EMEA) (the "DR"). The DR is a new court of arbitration for the resolution of disputes arising in or related to contracts of players, coaches and/or teams involved in the EMEA region of Riot Games Esports. The DR provides a fast, simple and cost-efficient dispute resolution mechanism tailored to the needs of this ecosystem. The use of this mechanism is voluntary, meaning that the DR will have jurisdiction only if the parties to a dispute have agreed to submit such dispute to the DR. For further information and all relevant documents, please click here.

Check out the call for arbitrators for a new court of arbitration in the world of esports – we are really excited about this project and look very much forward to receiving your applications!

Dr Heiner Kahlert and Maximilian Wegge have once again contributed to the chapter on dispute resolution in Germany in the 2024 Report on the online platform “Lexology”. This Report is part of the tool "Panoramic" , which provides in-house lawyers with answers to the most important legal and regulatory questions that may arise in business transactions and legal disputes in Germany. The Chapter focuses on the topics of court proceedings, arbitration proceedings, as well as alternative dispute resolution. We are pleased to continually be part of this annual publication. For more information on the annual report, please click here .

Ling Goh and Juliane Schneider have published an article in LawInSport in which they take Caster Semenya's case before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as an opportunity to shed light on the development of a human rights-based approach in women's sport. After many years of legal battles, Caster Semenya's case is currently being heard by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Since the decision of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) five years ago, her case has contributed significantly to the fact that potentially discriminatory sports rules are viewed more closely through the lens of human rights in the academic debate. The article highlights how human rights are taking on an increasingly important role in the regulation and resolution of disputes in sport, particularly in relation to the participation and inclusion of women in sport. Cases such as those of Dutee Chand and Lia Thomas show how these legal disputes influence the approach to regulating gender equality in sport.

For 30 years now, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set up a so-called "ad hoc Division" at every Olympic Games. In a very short timeframe, the ad hoc Division decides on legal disputes arising during the Olympic Games. For each edition of the Olympic Games, a small number of CAS arbitrators are selected to be on call for the duration of the Olympic Games to adjudicate on these disputes.

On 13 February 2023, the Secretariat of the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) hosted a webinar for BAT users  and other interested parties in order to introduce the new BAT Payment Order Procedure (POP).

Greenwashing in sport? This accusation has been increasingly levelled at clubs and associations in recent years. In their article in SpoPrax 1/24, David Menz, Dr Tinusch Jalilvand and Juliane Schneider shed light on the legal framework that underpins, but can also refute, the accusation of unfair representations of one's own environmental performance. The topic will continue to gain in importance, particularly as a result of the planned (and in some cases already adopted) regulation of "green claims" at European level. Stakeholders in the world of sport should therefore carefully consider whether and how they go public with environmental claims about their own activities.

We are thrilled that Heiner Kahlert, David Menz und Maximilian Wegge have once again been listed as considered leaders in their field in the “Who's Who Legal Germany Report 2024 (hosted by Lexology)” in the category “Sports and Entertainment 2024”. A huge thank you goes out to all the clients and peers who have voted for us. We see this award as an incentive to continue supporting our clients with enthusiasm and dedication.

With the new edition of its arbitration rules (which enter into force on 1 February 2024), the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) introduces the new Payment Order Procedure (POP). The POP is comparable to default judgements before state courts (e.g. the European order for payment procedure) and is arguably the first of its kind in the context of international (sports) arbitration.