As part of IMMAF’s commitment to good governance, an international group of legal and arbitration experts is currently hard at work as part of the Arbitration Committee.
The IMMAF Arbitration Committee, which was elected by the General Assembly, was created specifically to play an independent role in judging complaints, disputes and appeals arising from decisions by other IMMAF Disciplinary bodies.
The Chair, Rupert Beloff, is a UK based barrister with broad commercial and public law experience. He specialises in all aspects of sports and media law. His wide-ranging experience of sports litigation and advisory work includes regulatory and disciplinary proceedings, anti-doping, free movement and right to play cases, as well as contractual and sponsorship disputes.
He has represented and advised clubs, governing bodies, coaches and individual sports men and women in front of a wide range of tribunals and courts.
Rupert also regularly lectures and gives seminars on sports law subjects and is a co-author of several leading books in the field.“It is of utmost importance for all IMMAF stakeholders that disputes are resolved efficiently, transparently and, above all, fairly and justly,” said Rupert.
“I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the Arbitration Committee, which will work to set up an independent arbitral panel that embodies the highest standards of fair dispute resolution and that best serves the needs of all those involved with amateur mixed martial arts.”
The other members of the Ethics Committee are:
- Sean Sullivan Gibbs, who has held directorships and senior commercial positions with contracting and consultancy firms in the United Kingdom and Internationally. With over 30 years’ experience in the onshore and offshore construction and engineering industries, Sean has worked in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. He has acted as quantum expert before various dispute resolution tribunals including adjudication, dispute board, expert determination, and arbitration. Sean is also a former WAKO British full contact champion and combat sport enthusiast.
- Mathieu Laplante-Goulet, from Canada, has a professional background as a lawyer and experience in litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), focused on human rights, labour, administrative, penal law and due-diligence inquiries. Mathieu worked with Dr. Dirk-Reiner Martens’ Law firm in Munich, as part of an international Masters’ degree in sports law. This gave him valuable experience as part of a team in a diversified, multi-cultural and international environment, working in both French and English.
- Eusebio Rivera, who is the Technical Director and International Representative of the Panama MMA federation, completes the Arbitration team. Eusebio was re-elected unanimously by the IMMAF General Assembly to serve a second term on the committee.
IMMAF ARBITRATION COMMITTEE 2020-23 ROLE
- Review and update current procedures, rules and guidelines related to IMMAF related disputes.
- Liaise closely with the IMMAF Disciplinary Committee and Anti-doping disciplinary Committees.
- Identify and build a pool of expert Arbitrators to handle cases.
- Manage cases and ensure that all procedures respect relevant rules and guidelines.
