“The CJEU Rulings in ESL, ISU and Royal Antwerp: Looks like the Competition Cavalry’s Arrived!” by Stefaan Van den Bogaert

On 21 December 2023, the Court of Justice rendered three judgments relating to the application of the EU competition rules to sports and the activities of sporting associations. That is more than in the fifty years preceding since the seminal Walrave judgment in which the Court, for the first time, held sport to be part of EU law to the extent that it constitutes an economic activity. This in itself already underscores the importance of the December rulings in the cases of the European Super League (ESL), the International Skating Union (ISU) and Royal Antwerp. They constitute both a serious reprimand and a warning to the sports governing bodies. The rulings require important changes to be implemented in sports, both in terms of governan