The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) celebrated the conclusion of a training program on sports arbitration organized by the university’s College of Law (CoL), in collaboration with the Iraqi Sports Settlement and Arbitration Center (ISSAC), and with the support of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council. The pioneering training program, the first of its kind in Iraq, addresses the shortage of expertise in sports arbitration by combining academic and practical training to equip its participants with the essential skills needed to work in this specialized field.
“The College of Law at AUIB noticed that there are modern fields in law that are not covered by traditional curricula, neither in required coursework nor in the elective. CoL therefore decided to adopt these modern curricula, aiming to elevate students’ law culture to the level of the international legal framework, and qualify them to work in these very rare fields of law,” explained the Associate Dean of AUIB’s CoL, Dr. Khansaa Jasim, highlighting that the College was the first to take the initiative and communicate with the Supreme Judicial Council and the Judicial Institute, for the latter to establish ISSAC in accordance with the principle of court specialization. Dr. Khansaa Jasim contributed to developing the curriculum of the sports arbitration training program, in collaboration with Judge Mohammed Ali Mahmoud Nadeem, Chairman of the Board of ISSAC.
AUIB President, Dr. Michael Mulnix, welcomed the attendees, most prominent of whom were senior officials of the Iraqi Judicial Institute and ISSAC, CoL faculty, and of course, CoL students who participated in the training program. President Mulnix congratulated the students for the successful completion of the training program, commending the efforts to realize the project on part of CoL faculty, and recognizing especially the initiative and dedication of Dr. Khansaa Jasim, in this regard. He also expressed his deep appreciation of the support extended by the Supreme Judicial Council, and his looking forward to partnering with the Council on further initiatives in novel and diverse legal issues.
General Manager of the Iraqi Judicial Institute, Mrs. Faten Mohsen Hadi, saw that the issue of sports arbitration is of high importance, pointing out that the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Dr. Faiq Zidan, “was the first to support” the training program organized in partnership with AUIB. Mrs. Faten Mohsen Hadi applauded the ongoing cooperation with AUIB’s College of Law, saying that the resultant programs, which “will be implemented in succession,” serve to advance CoL students’ knowledge and skills, qualifying them to work in the field of law in Iraq and abroad.