Olympic Order awarded to ISU Legal Advisors
The International Olympic Committee has awarded the ISU Legal
Advisors Gerhardt Bubnik and James Hawkins and with the Olympic
Order. The ISU Legal Advisors were presented with their award
by International Olympic Committee Executive Board Member
and International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta
at the 2007 ISU Autumn Council meeting this week in Geneva,
Switzerland.
The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement,
created by the International Olympic Committee in May 1975.
In June 1996 Gerhardt Bubnik (Czech) and James Hawkins (American)
were named by the ISU Council as Legal Advisors to the ISU.
Both continue to serve in this capacity to date.
Biography information
After competing several years internationally, Gerhardt Bubnik
became a Figure Skating Judge in 1958. He worked several years
as an International Judge and Referee before being named ISU
Championships Judge in 1965 and ISU Championships Referee
in 1970. He was also a Member of the Council of the Czechoslovak
Figure Skating Association for over 30 years. He was elected
by the ISU Congress to the ISU Appeals Commission in 1988,
a position which he held for eight years until becoming ISU
Legal Advisor from 1996 onwards. Gerhardt Bubnik has been
practicing law at national and international level for over
40 years after gaining his law doctorate with honors from
the Charles University Prague and his Master of Laws (LL.M)
at Harvard Law School.
. James Hawkins began his sporting career with 8 years of
competition as a speed skater before serving 10 years as a
referee for US National and North American Championships.
A founder of the US International Speed Skating Association
(now named US Speedskating) he held a number of positions
with this body until the late seventies. In 1980 he was named
ISU Referee. In 1992 he was elected by the ISU Congress to
the ISU Appeals Commission, a position which he held until
becoming ISU Legal Advisor from 1996 onwards. James Hawkins
gained his Juris Doctor with Honors from the St. Louis University
School of Law.
ISU Legal Advisors focus on legal issues facing international
sports organizations including Member disputes, eligibility
problems, arbitrations and litigation, contract and business
transactions, TV contract negotiations and licensing matters,
anti-doping cases, Olympic Games disputes and provide advice
to the ISU Council on sport specific matters..
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