David Wu

Llinks Law Offices

Shanghai www.llinkslaw.com

david.wu@llinkslaw.com Tel: +86 135 0182 4128

Biography

David Wu is partner of the Chinese law firm Llinks Law Offices, leading the sports law and entertainment department. David was appointed as the ad hoc arbitrator of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. David is the vice chairman of China Association for Sports Law, head of the Shanghai Bar Association Sport Committee, as well as holding important roles in many sports federations. He also holds different positions in sportsrelated entities such as the China Basketball Association League (CBA), Rexsport, SHIAC, Chinese Olympic Committee Olympic Games Preparation Office, among others.

Which came first: an interest in law or an interest in sport?

Before practising in sports law, I worked for over 10 years as a lawyer providing services to both Chinese and foreign clients. It came to me that sports law needs to be paid attention to and I have always been a fan of many sports events, so I would say that the interests are equally important to me.

What did you find most challenging about entering the sports industry?

When I first began studying to become a sports lawyer in China, it was a whole new market. Therefore, a lot of work involving the design of legal structure for sports federation from the ground up was needed. I would say this work has been quite challenging.

What is the most memorable sports case you have been a part of, and why?

The most memorable sports case was the case of LIU Jian v. Qingdao Jonoon FC. The case was closed with a complete victory and was praised as the landmark “Bosman” case in Chinese sports law.

Given a perceived rise in international “sportswashing”, can and should there be greater human rights due diligence in awarding hosting rights in different sports? How could this be implemented and enforced?

I consider it could be improved. Since most states violate human rights in some form or another, conducting due diligence to measure the possible effects of a business relationship with a state entity on human rights becomes important, to prevent adverse impacts on human rights through sportswashing.

For instance, host associations/cities may show they respect human rights by remediation, which includes both the remedying of past adverse impacts and the prevention of future adverse impacts.

How have labour issues in sport evolved over the course of the coronavirus pandemic? What labour law challenges have sporting organisations faced in the past two years?

Due to the impact of the pandemic made on the economy, clubs under financial difficulties are struggling to keep spending fortunes on expensive players. As I have been representing more and more players involved in salary disputes, it became critical for many sports federations and event holders to find a solution to maintain the sustainability of the games.

What further steps can be taken to ensure that arbitration professionals are more comfortable using arbitration hosting platforms and other technology increasingly used in the space?

So far, I feel comfortable with the current platforms used to date. However, we sometimes face some difficulties in China when using platforms such as Zoom and or Skype due to the great firewall in China. Thus, I would suggest setting up some international platforms that are adapted to the Chinese market due to the size of arbitration in the country.

You have enjoyed a distinguished career so far – what else would you like to achieve?

In the short-to-medium term, I will keep focused on helping sports federations and professional leagues to build up internal sports dispute resolution systems. At the same time, set up a sports arbitration institution in China, which I believe will take years to achieve.

How would you like to develop your practice over 2022–2023?

Considering the complicated situation of the football industry and other traditional sports in China as a result of the pandemic and other reasons, we intend to develop our practice in different areas linked with sports and the new technologies such as eSports, as well as drone and robotic competitions which the market for isincreasing rapidly in China and worldwide.

WWL says: David Wu has “great experience assisting clubs and agents” and has a strong reputation as a CAS arbitrator.