Lead Consultant, Mat Jessep, has been appointed as an Associate Member of the UTS Australian Centre for Olympic and Sport Studies (ACOSS), focusing on sports law, governance, integrity, and esports.

This article reviews the Determination of National Sports Tribunal Member Bruce Collins KC as Arbitrator in the case of Olga Belooussov v Gymnastics Australia NST-E24-331101.

As integrity systems mature, the question is no longer whether organisations have policies, but whether those policies — and the decisions made under them — can withstand legal challenge.  This requires legal expertise not just at the point of dispute, but at the design, investigation, and decision-making stages.

When integrity fails, the question is no longer “did you have a policy?” It becomes: “did you handle it properly?” If you’re not confident in the answer, it may be time to test your system before someone else does.