SMU law undergraduates defend Sports Law Arbitration Moot championship title in Lausanne
Victory at the Court of Arbitration for Sport reinforces SMU law school's position on the global stage
SINGAPORE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore Management University (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) has successfully defended its title at the Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM). Last week, SMU won LawInSport's 7th annual international moot competition held at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland – the world's highest authority for sports dispute resolution.
The win on 24 April is SMU's second consecutive SLAM championship, having debuted and won the competition in 2025.
The winning mooters were Samantha Chong Wei En (2nd year, LLB) and Ameerul Putra Bin Abdul Wahab (3rd year, LLB). They were supported by Darius Alexander Maskun (3rd year, LLB) and Kyran Mariel Narayanan (3rd year, LLB), and coached by Jordan Chia (Class of 2024).
This year, the SMU team bested a field of 77 teams from universities across the globe, navigating written rounds and regional oral finals before advancing to the knockout rounds held before a panel of 15 CAS arbitrators on the premises of the CAS itself – a distinction that sets SLAM apart from other international moots.
The preliminary rounds tested competitors on a complex anti-doping dispute set in the fictitious sport of toe wrestling, centring on questions of athlete responsibility in supplement use. The knockout rounds presented a fresh problem involving fireball – another fictitious sport – where teams argued over whether anti-doping procedures had been properly observed. SMU's team demonstrated command across both problem sets, combining technical legal precision with composure under pressure in one of the most demanding formats in international mooting.
Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean of SMU YPHSL, said, "This win reflects our school's commitment to training lawyers who can reason across complex, evolving legal landscapes – sports law being one of the fastest-growing areas of international practice. Two consecutive wins at SLAM is a testament to our students' preparation, rigour and ability to perform at the highest level."
In preparing for the competition, the team drew on SMU's strong network of practitioners and real-world expertise. The students consulted Singapore's former national runner and lawyer Goh Chui Ling, whose first-hand experience of elite sports competition brought invaluable perspective to the team's understanding of the human dimensions of anti-doping disputes.
"Athletes experience these sporting rules not as abstractions but as lived realities – and having the SMU team bring that perspective to their championship-winning performance was incredible to witness," said Ms Goh, who is a Switzerland-based lawyer specialising in international sports law and arbitration.
"This journey is a reminder of the collective effort required to move the needle in a specialised field like sports law in Singapore; but what excites me is the bigger picture: the seeds of expertise are being planted in our legal education system, and by sharpening this niche through both education and practice, we are doing more than just winning moots. We are reinforcing Singapore's trajectory to be a premier hub for international sports law and arbitration," she added.
Reflecting on the achievement, Samantha Chong, said, "I am honoured to have been blessed with this opportunity. It has been a nerve-racking, arduous, fulfilling and unforgettable journey. Competing at the actual CAS premises added a real dimension to the experience – these are the same halls where disputes involving Olympic athletes are decided. It sharpened our focus and reminded us why the arguments we were making matter. Ameerul and I could not have made it this far without the help of our coach Jordan, our professors, Ms Ling and Mr Hessert, all our judges in our practice rounds, and our indispensable teammates Kyran and Alex."
The SLAM title follows a record-breaking season for SMU Law. In Academic Year 2024-25, the School claimed championship honours in seven competitions, including the Jessup, Vis East, Frankfurt, and International Criminal Court moots – an unprecedented haul that established SMU as having one of the most decorated moot programmes in the world.
The timing of this win is significant. Just weeks ago, SMU's Law programme was named the most improved subject entry in Singapore in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, rising 45 places to 56th globally in a single year. Taken together, the ranking momentum and competitive record reflect a school that is building genuine depth in scholarship, in pedagogy, and in the practical formation of its students.
Professor Lee added, "Our students' achievements on the international stage are the clearest expression of our commitment in providing a law education that is rigorous, cutting-edge and connected to the real world."
As YPHSL looks ahead to its 20th anniversary next year, these milestones mark not just a moment of celebration but a statement of intent — that SMU Law is competing, and winning, at the very highest levels of international legal education.
About SMU Yong Pung How School of Law's record of excellence
A key factor driving the moot success at SMU YPHSL is the Ian R Taylor International Moots Programme, which has firmly established the law school on the global stage. This programme has nurtured generations of mooters who have earned numerous world-class accolades, enabling it to consistently excel at the most prestigious international moots.
YPHSL is consistently ranked among the top three law schools worldwide for international moots, according to the Nica.team Law School Ranking. The School is also the tournament leader in prominent competitions such as the International Criminal Court (Hague), Price Media Law (Oxford), Frankfurt Investment, Vis East (Hong Kong) and Fletcher Insolvency moots.
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More information:
- July 2025 - SMU celebrates dual mooting triumphs at 17th Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court in Germany and 2025 International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition in The Hague, Netherlands.
- April 2025 - SMU Yong Pung How School of Law clinches double victory at – the 66th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., and the 22nd Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong.
About Singapore Management University
A premier university in Asia, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU's mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and to produce broad-based, creative, and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. SMU's education is known for its highly interactive, collaborative, and project-based approach to learning.
Home to over 13,000 students across undergraduate, postgraduate professional and postgraduate research programmes, SMU comprises eight schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Computing and Information Systems, Yong Pung How School of Law, School of Social Sciences, College of Integrative Studies and College of Graduate Research Studies. SMU offers a wide range of bachelors', masters', and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with its schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas.
SMU emphasises rigorous, high-impact, multi- and interdisciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance. SMU faculty members collaborate with leading international researchers and universities around the world, as well as with partners in the business community and public sector. SMU's city campus is a modern facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with business, government, and the wider community. www.smu.edu.sg
About Yong Pung How School of Law
SMU's law school was renamed Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) on 11 April 2021 to celebrate and honour the late Dr Yong Pung How, Singapore's former Chief Justice and SMU's third Chancellor.
The law school had proudly welcomed its first cohort of 116 students in August 2007. Taught by a dynamic faculty with postgraduate degrees from renowned universities, the School aims to nurture its students to become excellent lawyers who will contribute significantly to society.
Trained with the ability to contextualise legal expertise and to think across disciplines and geographical borders coupled with SMU's interactive pedagogy, SMU's law graduates are confident, articulate and analytically agile. SMU Classification: Restricted The School offers a four-year full-time Bachelor of Laws programme, a five-year double-degree programme which combines law with Accountancy, Business, Economics, Computing & Information Systems or Social Sciences; a three-year Juris Doctor programme; a Master of Laws programme; a PhD programme in Law, Commerce and Technology; as well as continuing legal education. From Academic Year 2020-2021, the School also jointly offers a new Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law) with the SMU School of Computing and Information Systems. This new degree will produce IT and legal professionals who are adept at bridging technology and law.
Research at the SMU YPHSL has a strong focus in three main inter-related areas – Law and Technology, Transnational Commercial law in Asia, and Dispute Resolution. The School has also set up legal research centres focusing on A.I. and data governance, computational law, commercial law, and international dispute resolution. law.smu.edu.sg
SOURCE Singapore Management University
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