By Matṧeliso Phulane
A team of four females studying law at the National University of Lesotho will participate in the third annual Sports Law Arbitration Moot Court competition in Spain next year.
These are Senate Letsie, Marobose Malitse, Unathi Songca and Matsete Manyokole.
The Sports Law Arbitration Moot Court Competition is an annual team competition for law students around the world.
The purpose of the contest is to engage people as well as law students on sports law and arbitration in general.
The competition is set to take place from May 23-24 2024, but there will be online rounds starting in December.
It takes place in two parts, one being oral rounds and the other being written submissions. The general rounds are held online as well as a two-week camp to prepare for the competition and elimination rounds are held in Madrid, Spain.
In an interview with theReporter, Songca said their role in the Sports Law Arbitration Moot Court Competition is to develop and showcase their legal and advocacy skills before the world’s leading arbitrators and practitioners both virtually and in person.
“We came to know about the competition through our wonderful dean who actively looks for these events for us to participate in and strengthen our résumés, especially given the fact that the legal profession is getting a lot more competitive these days. As a result, we have to make ourselves stand out,” Songca said.
She highlighted that in order for them to actually make the final team, they had to go through extensive tryouts that were held in their school moot court and chaired by two distinguished lawyers from Maseru.
“The group was formed in early October after having our first ever moot court tryout in the field of sports law. The group was created to enable us to work together and gain knowledge in the field of sports law.
“The turnout for contestants was quite a lot but at the end of the day the most capable four were chosen to hopefully represent the school and the country on the world stage,” Songca said.
She noted that the rationale behind participating in any moot competition is to gain the experience that comes with it.
“What makes this particular competition of great interest to the team is that sports laws in the country needs to be revisited and adapted to the present day. There is no better way to learn how to improve our laws than learning from an international jurisdiction,” she observed.
According to Songca, her team’s strengths include eagerness to learn and venture into sports law.
“Our faculty is in the habit of investing its time in such competitions. Firstly, our tryouts are judged by qualified advocates to ensure that the chosen team has the capacity to take part in the competition.
“Secondly, a lecture is prepared for us to educate on sports arbitration to ensure full knowledge of what we are getting into. And lastly, we are assigned coaches that guide our preparations every step of the way,” Songca added.
She further explained that Lesotho being part of the competition would mean more exposure to sports laws which is still lacking in the country.
“It would also be monumental to be the first ever team to compete; not only that, but we also plan to impart the knowledge we will get from there to the relevant stakeholders such that we elevate the country’s standards in sports.”
Songca said their immediate challenge is the registration fee without which they cannot participate in the competition.
They have to raise M8,124 which they are struggling to do. As a result, they would appreciate any financial support or donations before midnight today.
Donations can be send via M-Pesa on: +266 59449124 with names Unathi Songca, or through Eco-Cash on +266 63008515 for Tṧitso Tau.
