OTTAWA, ON [January 7] – Effective December 31, 2019, Layth Gafoor’s successful term as the supervising lawyer of the Sport Solution Clinic at Western Law has ended.

The Sport Solution Clinic was established by AthletesCAN in 1996 in partnership with Western University, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. The Clinic was created to aid Canada’s Olympic, Paralympic and National Team athletes prevent and resolve legal, regulatory, and administrative conflicts in sport, and provide support throughout the dispute resolution process. Issues handled by the Clinic include team selection, AAP funding / carding, discipline and anti-doping and the Clinic provides information on NSO Procedures, SDRCC appeals and arbitration, athlete agreements and NSO correspondence.

“Layth was instrumental in and growing the scope and professionalism of the Clinic over the last few years. He was clearly respected and loved by the students, and contributed significantly to the sport community. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank him for his commitment, energy and passion,” said Dasha Peregoudova, President of AthletesCAN.

Layth has contributed his time, energy and expertise in his role supervising Western University law students, who make up the Clinic’s case workers, program and case managers. Through Layth’s leadership, the Clinic provides students the opportunity to gain skills and legal experience ranging from legal research, drafting of athlete agreements, observing the facilitation process, interacting with athletes and National Sport Organizations (NSOs), among others.

“Through his leadership at Sport Solution, Layth has helped to consolidate Western Law’s unique strengths in sport law,” said Erika Chamberlain, Dean of Law at Western University. “He provided our students with high-level training for serving Canada’s amateur athletes, and exposed them to leading edge legal issues and renowned sport law professionals.”

“We at Sport Solution would like to thank Layth for the countless hours he gave to make our support of Canadian Athletes possible,” said Tyler O’Henly, Western University Law student and Sport Solution Program Manager. “Layth managed our clinic with diligence and selflessness, and always put the interest of Canadian Athletes before his own. Sport Solution is grateful for his mentorship during his tenure and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Layth’s tenure as Supervising Lawyer of Sport Solution included providing sound mentorship to the next generation of legal professionals. His experience in sport and entertainment law made him a vital ambassador of Sport Solution at several Forum events, providing a legal lens to the current issues affecting athletes in the Canadian landscape. He played a critical role in the Athlete Agreement Working Group, whose work culminated in the recent release of the Sport Canada approved AthletesCAN Agreement template. At times when cases fell outside of the scope of the Clinic, he has been steadfast in taking the cases on pro bono in addition to his work as Managing Partner at Lucentem Sports and Entertainment Law, and adjunct faculty member at Western University teaching sports law.

“I wish to thank Western Law, especially and most notably Dean Chamberlain for all of the tremendous support provided over the years,” said Layth Gafoor. “I’d like to also extend my sincerest gratitude to the leadership of AthletesCAN, both past and present.” He adds, “I’d further like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the tremendous students who have each had a hand in helping take Sport Solution to new heights, demonstrating the ability to integrate the Clinic’s success harmoniously with the academic demands of pursuing a legal degree; a result which requires unwavering discipline and brilliant dedication.”

AthletesCAN and Western University thank Layth for his countless contributions, to athletes, Canada’s next generation of legal professionals and Canada’s sport system.

AthletesCAN and Western Law are in the process of strategic planning for the next number of years for the Clinic as the sport and education landscapes continue to evolve. Updates and next steps will be communicated to the sport community in due course. In the meantime, athletes can continue to reach out to the Clinic as interim pro bono counsel will be assisting students.

About AthletesCAN
As the voice of Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN ensures an athlete centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture.

About Sport Solution
Sport Solution is committed to helping national team athletes find solutions to a wide range of sport related issues. The program offers access to free information, as well as assistance and guidance on sport issues that may require legal counsel, such as selection, carding and discipline disputes. Sport Solution is the only program of its kind in North America and is available to all members of AthletesCAN.

For more information please contact:
Georgina Truman
Manager, Athlete Relations & Operations
AthletesCAN
gtruman@athletescan.com