Managing Partner's Foreword

Over the years, several sectors have come to prominence across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). From real estate, retail, and healthcare, to financial services and technology, our region continues to attract some of the biggest and best organisations, and the progress made has transformed the MENA region into a leading global business and leisure hub. Outside of the sectors I have listed, there are two sectors that have been proactively building their reputation and global recognition. The sectors I am referring to are sports and events, and these two are quickly becoming synonymous with the region.

Sports and events have had a huge few years across the entire region. Most notable is Qatar securing, and being on the brink of delivering, the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Add to this the variety of sports and events hosted across the region, such as the Formula One in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, significant combat sports events such as UFC and boxing, and major golf, tennis and cricket tournaments. The list is extensive and the momentum created is far from showing signs of slowing down. I believe, we will have one of the fastest growing sports and events sectors in the world if the region continues on this positive trajectory.

From a legal perspective there is a variety of complex legislative advice and assistance that is associated to participating in, staging, or commercialising sports and events. In addition, we cannot overlook the personal legal guidance required by sporting personalities on matters such as image rights. There are many layers to staging and successfully delivering sports and events, and the right legal advice and representation is vital.

Given its impact on the region and the legal expertise, experience and knowledge required to operate in the sports and events space, we have dedicated this Law Update to explore a number of important themes that impact this sector.

For this edition, our lawyers created a collection of articles that focus on topics that are timely to the current sporting and events landscape. For example, you will find two articles on sponsorship in sport. The first looks at women’s sport, an important subject area given its ever-growing popularity, and an example of its recognition is the 2021 U.S Open women’s final, which averaged more viewers than the men’s final. The second article explores sponsorships in sports, and what happens when partnerships between brands, teams or individuals go wrong. Another trending theme covered in this edition is the growing popularity of gaming across the region, with a particular focus on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Given the number of cross sector events that take place in the MENA region, our lawyers have broken-down event laws and highlighted what goes into making an event happen. This issue would not be complete without us providing insights into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On this topic we offer a unique insight into data privacy and the protection of an individual’s personal data in Qatar during the World Cup. This subject is very relevant given the data and millions of pieces of information that will be processed during the tournament. I have only highlighted a handful of articles here, there are more in this edition that bring you up to speed on the sectors legal and commercial landscape across the region.

Outside the focus pages we have a number of articles covering important updates from jurisdictions such as Iraq and Kuwait, and we continue to share with you real life judgements that provide context to the legal landscape across the region.

This edition is full of articles that give you regulatory and practical perspectives. I hope that you enjoy this issue. Should you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out me or any of the lawyers that have contribute