In brief
- Athletes may be assisted by a lawyer, by a sports adviser or by a representative of their trade union when a sports activity contract is negotiated, concluded or amended, and for as long as a dispute lasts.
- The right also extends to proceedings before the committees and sports bodies set up within federations and sports organisations.
- Sports organisations, meaning clubs and federations, may in their turn be represented by a lawyer, by an in-house legal counsel or by a sports adviser.
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) no. 588 of 20 July 2026
In force from: 23 July 2026
An athlete summoned before a federation’s disciplinary committee no longer depends on anyone’s goodwill to have a lawyer at his side. Law no. 151/2026, published in Official Gazette of Romania no. 588 of 20 July 2026, adds two new paragraphs to Physical Education and Sport Law no. 69/2000 and writes that right into the statute. It is one of the laws published in the same issue, alongside the one on the housing benefit for people with disabilities.
The law has a single article with two points. Both deal with assistance and representation, which is precisely the area where the athlete, and above all the young athlete, stands in an unequal position towards the club or the federation.
The first point inserts a new paragraph, (15), into Article 671, applying to the sports activity contract. The second adds a paragraph (2) to Article 941, applying before sports bodies and committees.
What it changes in practice
The first effect concerns the sports activity contract. The law provides that, when the contract is negotiated, concluded or amended, or for as long as a dispute connected with sporting activity lasts, either party may be assisted by a lawyer, by a sports adviser or, as the case may be, by a representative of the trade union of which the athlete is a member. The choice belongs to the person being assisted, the wording of the law being „according to their own preference”.
The telling detail is the word „either”. The right does not belong to the athlete alone, but to both parties. The club may come with its own representative, which keeps the procedural balance, but it can no longer refuse the presence of an adviser on the other side.
The second effect moves the same logic inside the sports system. Participants in sporting activity and sports organisations may be represented or assisted before the bodies and committees set up within federations or sports organisations. That covers disciplinary committees, appeal committees, licensing committees and any other body with decision-making powers.
The third effect is the distinction between who may represent whom. Participants in sporting activity may be assisted by a lawyer, by a sports adviser or by a representative of the trade union of which they are members. Sports organisations may be represented by a lawyer, by an in-house legal counsel or by a sports adviser. The in-house legal counsel therefore appears only on the side of the organisation, which matches his status as an employee of the legal entity.
The fourth effect, less obvious, is the legal recognition of the sports adviser as a figure with a role in assisting a party. Until now he featured in sports legislation more as an occupation than as a representative admitted in proceedings.
The fifth effect is one of system: trade unions in sport gain a clear basis for stepping in. An athlete who is a union member may ask for the union representative to accompany him both at the negotiating table and before the committee.
What has changed compared with the previous situation
Before this law, Law no. 69/2000 regulated the sports activity contract and sports bodies without saying explicitly who could assist or represent the parties. In the absence of a text, practice varied from one federation to another, and internal rules could restrict a lawyer’s access to hearings.
The rule is now written into the law. A federation rulebook that forbade assistance by a lawyer or by a union representative would run against a norm of higher rank.
The position of trade unions changes as well. Moving from a tolerated presence to an expressly stated right shifts the balance of power in talks about athletes’ contracts, particularly in team sports.
What does not change is the nature of the sports activity contract. The law does not turn it into an individual employment contract and does not touch the athlete’s tax or social insurance regime. Nor does it alter the powers of sports committees or the avenues of appeal.
The obligation to bear the cost does not change either. The law recognises the right to be assisted, but says nothing about who pays the fee of the lawyer or of the sports adviser.
Advantages and disadvantages
What it improves
- The athlete, especially a minor or someone at the start of a career, no longer signs alone a contract he does not understand.
- Federations’ internal rules can no longer block the presence of a lawyer or of a union representative.
- The right is symmetrical: both the club and the athlete may come with assistance, so no imbalance is created the other way round.
- It recognises the sports adviser as a figure admitted in proceedings, not merely as an occupation in the official classification.
- It gives trade unions in sport a concrete role, with effects on collective bargaining.
What remains a problem
- The law does not say who bears the cost of the assistance, which leaves the right theoretical for athletes without resources.
- There is no express penalty for a federation that, in practice, denies the representative access to a hearing.
- The status of the sports adviser is not defined in this text, so questions remain about his training and his liability.
- The text sets no deadlines for summonses or for the disclosure of documents, and without them the assistance can be a formality.
- Union membership is low in most sports in Romania, so the union route remains available in few disciplines.
Practical advice
- If you are negotiating a sports activity contract, tell the club in writing that you are coming with assistance and who will be assisting you. A short notice spares you an argument at the door of the meeting room.
- Check whether your discipline has an athletes’ union. Its representative can take part at no extra cost to you, if you are a member.
- Ask for the case file documents well before a disciplinary committee hearing. The right to be assisted only makes sense if the person assisting you has time to read.
- For clubs and federations: update your internal rules. Any provision limiting assistance has to go, because the law ranks higher.
- If you are a sports organisation, remember that you may be represented by your own in-house legal counsel, by a lawyer or by a sports adviser, as you choose.
- When negotiating, put into the contract a clause on how documents and deadlines are to be communicated. The law does not require it, but nothing forbids it.
- If the athlete is a minor, being assisted by an adult does not replace the consent of the legal guardian. These are two different requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Who may assist an athlete when the contract is signed?
Can the club refuse to allow a lawyer to be present?
Does the right also apply before federation committees?
Who may represent a club or a federation?
Can an in-house legal counsel represent an athlete?
Who pays for the assistance?
Does the nature of the sports activity contract change?
Original text of the legal act
The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.
The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania
Official Gazette of Romania no. 588 of 20 July 2026 16 pages PDF, 110 KB the act starts on page 11
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.