The Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui is committed to putting the athlete at the centre of everything we do. To support this, we have established a legal support fund to ensure that every person has access to excellent legal advice to help them navigate the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) process.

The legal support fund offers up to NZD $2,000 towards legal fees to those facing an ADRV allegation. This is money you do not need to repay, whatever the outcome of your case.

There is no application process. Simply engage a lawyer from the Sports Tribunal’s Legal Assistance Panel and we will pay up to the maximum amount towards the lawyer’s legal fees – direct to your lawyer – when we receive an invoice for their completed mahi.

Legal Assistance Panel lawyers are completely independent. If you have questions about the Panel, please contact the Sports Tribunal at [email protected] or on 0800 55 66 80.

Eligibility

Anyone who is officially notified that they could be in breach of the Sports Anti-Doping Rules is eligible to access the fund. You can access the fund at any time after the ADRV process has started up until an official ADRV decision has been reached.

For details, see the Legal support fund policy (PDF).

The legal support fund covers fees for lawyers from the Sports Tribunal’s Legal Assistance Panel who are undertaking mahi in direct response to ADRV allegations. It is intended to be used at the start of the results management process.

The legal support fund does not cover:

• Lawyers NOT from the Sports Tribunal’s Legal Assistance Panel;

• Lawyer disbursements, e.g. travel and/or accommodation expenses;

• Any work your lawyer undertakes that is NOT directly related to an ADRV allegation. Advice/representation for any other purpose will be at your own expense.

Accessing the fund is simple. Once you have received notification that you are facing an alleged ADRV, engage a lawyer from the Sports Tribunal’s Legal Assistance Panel and tell them you want to take advantage of the legal support fund. They will do the rest.

If you have questions that aren't answered in the Q&A, you can send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].