The influence of European legal culture on the evolution of Lex Olympica and Olympic Law

James, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-611X and Osborn, Guy (2024) The influence of European legal culture on the evolution of Lex Olympica and Olympic Law. In: The European Roots of the Lex Sportiva: how Europe rules global sport. Swedish Studies in European Law (18). Hart Publishing, Oxford, pp. 93-118. ISBN 9781509971442

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Abstract

This chapter explores the impact of European laws and legal thinking on the evolution of both lex Olympica, a distinct but powerful influencer of lex sportiva, and Olympic Law, the legislative product of the indirect law-making capability of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It does this through an analysis of the IOC and its legal norm-creating powers, focussing specifically upon the IOC’s requirement that an Olympic host criminalises the phenomenon of ambush marketing. It illustrates that Europe’s impact is substantive, procedural and cultural, and further examines the effect of, and critiques the extent of, the IOC’s leverage in creating legal and regulatory frameworks in host cities.