Hayden Opie had the insight to press for the Law School to focus on sports law over 25 years ago. He has since built the program into one of the most successful in the world.
He teaches and researches in all areas of sports law: in particular on sports integrity, labour market regulation and medico-legal questions, including injury liability and anti-doping. Hayden initiated the founding of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association and is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He is also a member of various international and national sports law associations and advisory bodies.
Hayden Opie is the Director of Studies of the Melbourne Sports Law Program. He pursues research and teaching interests in all areas of sports law and is recognised internationally for his work in the field. In recent years he has been researching and writing on sports integrity, labour market regulation and medico-legal questions, including injury liability and anti-doping.
The Sports Law Program features 14 graduate level subjects which may be taken for continuing education or towards a Graduate Diploma in Sports Law or one of a number of degrees at the Masters level. Hayden has been largely responsible for the development of most of the subjects and teaches in eight of them. He has taught sports law subjects at The University of Sydney, The University of Adelaide and Marquette University, USA. Hayden also supervises Research Higher Degree students and teaches two sports law subjects in the Melbourne JD program. He is also a member of the Asian Law Centre in Melbourne Law School.
A graduate of this law school, he undertook higher study in sports law at The University of Toronto in the mid-1980s. Since then he has established and developed the Melbourne Sports Law Program, initiated the founding of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association Inc, and served as the Association's President for its first eight years. In 2000, he was made the Association's first Life Member.
In 1995, he conducted an independent inquiry on behalf of the Federal Minister for Sport into the Australian Institute of Sport's women's artistic gymnastics program. The inquiry's report was tabled in the Australian Parliament in November 1995. Also, he has conducted investigations and hearings into a variety of disputes for Australian sport governing bodies. From July 2010 to November 2015 he served as the legal member of the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel estabilished under the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 (Cth).
In recent years, he has spoken on sports law issues at conferences in Asia, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America including a number of appearances at arguably the world's most important sports conference, the SportAccord Convention (the annual conference of international sports federations). His publications on sports law cover a wide range of topics and have appeared in Australian, Chinese, European, New Zealand, South American and United States journals and books.
In 2009, Hayden received the ANZSLA Contribution to Sport Award and in 2015, he became a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Credentials
Positions
Honorary
Law
Barrister & Solicitor
Supreme Court of Victoria
Education
Bachelor of Commerce
University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
University of Melbourne
Master of Laws
University of Toronto