Court of Arbitration for Sport to Host SLAM 2027 Grand Finals
The next generation of sports lawyers will take centre stage at CAS in Lausanne on 22–23 April 2027, as the Sports Law Arbitration Moot competition returns for its eighth edition.
LawInSport and the SLAM Organising Committee are pleased to announce that the Grand Finals of the 8th Sports Law Arbitration Moot Competition (SLAM) will take place at the offices of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 22–23 April 2027.
The venue places students at the heart of international sports arbitration, giving finalists a rare opportunity to argue their cases in the setting of the institution that plays the central role in resolving disputes in sport.
The partnership reflects the importance of connecting legal education with professional practice. By bringing students into the CAS environment, SLAM gives aspiring sports lawyers the opportunity to experience the standards, rigour and advocacy skills required in sports arbitration, while engaging with practitioners who work in the field. It also highlights the role that experienced arbitrators and the wider sports law community can play in supporting and inspiring future generations of legal professionals.
“The CAS is once again delighted to host the next edition of the SLAM finals in 2027,” said Matthieu Reeb, CAS Director General. “The interest in this event grows year after year, and I am pleased to emphasize the involvement of CAS arbitrators in supervising this competition. By hosting these finals, the CAS can continue to share the values of sports arbitration with the future experts in sports law.”
The significance of this opportunity was highlighted by Michael Lenard OLY, Acting President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), who attended the 2026 SLAM Grand Finals. Impressed by the standard of the students' performances, he described watching them compete as a special experience and praised their potential to build successful careers in sports law. He also underlined the importance of the partnership with CAS in helping inspire students to pursue careers in sports law. See his video below:
For Jeffrey Benz, Attorney, Barrister, Arbitrator, Mediator, JAMS/4 New Square Chambers/Court of Arbitration for Sport and Judging Director of SLAM, the competition's value lies in challenging students to apply their legal knowledge to the complexities of real sporting disputes.
“SLAM challenges students to think and argue like sports lawyers, applying the law to complex disputes and defending their positions before experienced practitioners,” Jeffrey Benz said. “Holding the Grand Finals at CAS adds another dimension to that experience, giving students a tangible connection to the professional world they are preparing to enter.”
Founded to make sports arbitration more accessible, SLAM combines legal research, written submissions and oral advocacy around disputes drawn from real-life issues in sport. Its judging panel includes experienced CAS arbitrators, giving students direct feedback from practitioners with expertise in sports law and arbitration.
For Blaz Tomazin Bolcar, founder of SportLaw and co-founder of SLAM, the 2027 finals represent an important step in the competition's development.
“From the beginning, SLAM has been about opening doors for students who want to build a career in sports law,” Blaz Tomazin Bolcar said. “Bringing the Grand Finals to CAS is a powerful way to bring that vision to life, while continuing to make the competition accessible to talented students from around the world.”
The 2027 edition is organised by LawInSport and presented by Kellerhals Carrard. Registration is open to eligible student teams worldwide, with financial assistance available to eligible teams to help reduce financial barriers to participation.
Registration is now open for SLAM 2027
Teams can find eligibility requirements and further information here.
CAS arbitrators and advocates interested in judging the competition can find further information here.
For further information, please contact
About SLAM
SLAM is a not-for-profit sports law moot court competition focused on arbitration of real-life sports disputes. SLAM is the only sports law moot using exclusively CAS arbitrators (including the leading CAS arbitrators) to serve as judges of its main oral rounds and its hypotheticals for the competition are drawn from real life cases such as disputes relating to football, safeguarding, anti-doping and governance.
SLAM has been designed to make sports arbitration more inclusive and diverse, so that no matter where you are located or your financial circumstances you will be able to participate. SLAM was founded in 2019 by SportLex - Sports Law Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia) and has been supported by LawInSport since inception. SLAM has been a LawInSport event since 2021 and is currently presented by Kellerhals Carrard.
The SLAM Organising Committee is:
- Manan Agrawal, Director of SLAM & Deputy Director of Content, LawInSport
- Jeffrey Benz, Attorney, Barrister, Arbitrator, Mediator, JAMS/4 New Square Chambers/Court of Arbitration for Sport & Judging Director of SLAM
- Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder, LawInSport
- Blaz Tomazin Bolcar, founder of SportLaw and co-founder of SLAM
About CAS
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is an independent organisation that resolves sports disputes worldwide. Established in 1984, CAS has tailored procedural rules to render impartial decisions through arbitration and mediation. Sporting bodies and athletes assign CAS the judicial authority to uphold an equal and just application of sporting regulations. CAS has nearly 500 arbitrators from more than 90 countries, chosen for their specialist knowledge of arbitration and sports law. Around 1000 cases are registered by CAS every year.
For more information on CAS, please visit here.
About LawInSport
LawInSport is the world leading sports law knowledge hub and global community that provides practically focused expert analysis and commentary on the latest legal developments in sport. LawInSport collaborates with our community of over 30,000 lawyers, sports executives, sports administrators, athletes, coaches, academics and students and their organisations helping them to “understand the rules of the game”™
Visit LawInSport here.
