Subject Guide: Criminal & Civil Liability in Sports

By Kyla McCallum and Elina Keinaenen
MLIS Students, University of British Columbia
LIBR 533: Legal Information Sources and Services

“A rough play during that contest raises the difficult legal controversy of: When does misconduct during sport become a crime?
R. v. Adamiec, 2013 MBQB 246 (CanLII), https://canlii.ca/t/g1p2x, para. 1

What This Guide is About

This subject guide is a resource for new lawyers and legal professionals who are just starting out their research on civil and criminal liability in sports. The topic is primarily dedicated to assaults and accidents within professional and amateaur sports games. Given that athletes consent to a reasonable level of physical confrontation during sports games, at what point is consent no longer granted? When do sporting accidents indicate negligence? This guide provides resources to help answer these questions.

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