World Athletics announce the extension of its partnership with Pinsent Masons as its official supplier of legal services.
The four-year renewal, which will last until the end of 2027, was formally signed today (29) during the World Athletics Council Meeting in Rome, Italy, in an official ceremony attended by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, along with Pinsent Masons representatives Trevor Watkins and Julian Diaz-Rainey.
Pinsent Masons has been an official supplier to World Athletics and the World Athletics Series (WAS) Events since 2020.
During that time, they have provided invaluable legal support to World Athletics, including at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 where they dealt with diverse matters ranging from advising on measures to protect against ambush marketing, queries on trademark issues, advising on the new licensing programme and other commercial matters.
More recently, they have been working on innovative projects including NFTs, and have been providing ongoing training to World Athletics staff and Member Federations on legal issues as well as soft skills development such as negotiating tactics and reading body language.
Coe said: “We are very pleased to be extending our partnership with Pinsent Masons for another four years.
“As the governing body for the sport of athletics, and with over 200 Member Federations scattered across the world, we need partners with the same global outlook and desire to deliver our sport to its maximum potential. Pinsent Masons is uniquely positioned to assist us with these goals as a global law firm who prioritises innovation and forward-thinking.
“From delivering guidance and training on appropriate subjects to raising the knowledge and skills of our sport’s administrators both at our headquarters and around the globe, Pinsent Masons has now become an integral part of the World Athletics family, and we look forward to continuing to work closely together for the benefit of our sport until at least 2027.”
Watkins, Head of Sports at Pinsent Masons, said: “We are thrilled to be re-appointed to advise World Athletics until the end of 2027. Our work together in partnership is inspirational to our global team.
Being able to support World Athletics across every continent and enabling the development of innovative solutions to support the sport is something we are immensely proud of.
With shared values, a common desire to strive for high performance and an exciting series of events to look forward to, we are both delighted and appreciate the confidence World Athletics have placed in us by this early extension of our existing partnership.”