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Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution,
RGNUL, Punjab
8th RGNUL Sports & Entertainment Law Mediation Competition, 2026
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
We are delighted to announce the Eighth Edition of the RGNUL National Sports & Entertainment Law Mediation Competition 2026, organised by the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. The competition is scheduled to take place from 7th to 8th March, 2026, in online mode and from 3rd to 4th April, 2026, in offline mode. The competition will host teams from all across India, chosen based on the experience and accomplishments of the universities in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. The objective of the competition is to instill soft-skills of mediation and commercial awareness in law students from across the globe, particularly in the field of Sports and Entertainment Law.
ABOUT PREVIOUS EDITIONS
1st Edition - The Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR) of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, in association with The Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution Team (PACT), organized a firstof-its-kind Mediation Competition from 12–14 April, 2019. The Winning Negotiating Team of Diyanshu Sinha and Adwitya Grover (RGNUL) went on to represent India in IMSG 2019 and secured the Gold Medal in the competition.
2nd Edition - The 2nd Edition aimed to enhance advocacy and communication skills, culminating in a final round between MNLU Mumbai and NLIU Bhopal. MNLU Mumbai emerged victorious, represented by Mudit Mahajan and Kartik Gupta in IMSG 2020. Vasundhara Mahajan earned Best Mediator, while Gaurang Samel and Riya Punamiya from GLC Mumbai and Roshni Mulchandani gained automatic qualification for IMSG 2020.
3rd Edition - The 3rd edition of the RGNUL National Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition successfully transitioned to a virtual format while maintaining the high standards of previous editions. Thirivikram Balaji and Shubhangi Nangunoori from SLS Hyderabad won the Best Negotiation Team, with Sharmila Adyanthaya as the Best Mediator. They represented India in the Singapore International Mediation Competition 2021, along with Akul Khandelwal and Manasvi Ahuja from SLS Pune and Tushmi Udyalak, who received automatic qualification by the PACT Jury.
4th Edition - The 4th edition of the RGNUL National Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition, conducted virtually, showcased adeptness in mediation from negotiating teams and mediators. In a closely contested final, NLUO, Odisha secured Best Negotiating Team, with SLS Pune as Runners-Up. Advait Raghunath from SLS Pune was named Best Mediator, contributing to the event's grand success.
5th Edition - The 5th RGNUL National Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition 2023, hosted by CADR along with Indus Law and Dr. P.C. Markanda Chair on ADR at RGNUL, took place from March 31 to April 2, 2023. With 32 different colleges participating, the competition covered various nuances of sports and entertainment law. Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, secured the Best Negotiating Pair, while NLSIU, Bangalore, won Best Mediator. The event was declared as the biggest SEMC edition ever because of the massive participation, setting a benchmark for future editions.
6th Edition - The 6th edition of the RGNUL National Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition 2024, hosted by CADR along with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Dr. P.C. Markanda Chair on ADR at RGNUL, took place from March 29th to March 31st, 2024. The competition hosted teams from all across India, chosen based on the experience and accomplishments of the universities in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
7th Edition - The 7th edition of the RGNUL Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition was held from 25th to 27th April, 2025. The competition was conducted with Zeus Law as the Principal Knowledge Partner, Markanda Advocates (Dr. P.C. Markanda Chair on ADR) as the Expert Partner, Manupatra as the Knowledge Partner, LiveLaw as the Media Partner, and the Asian School of Cyber Laws (ASCL) as the Training Partner. The edition brought together negotiating teams and student mediators from law universities across India and focused on advanced mediation techniques within sports and entertainment law disputes. Through structured rounds, expert interactions, and training-led engagement, the 7th Edition reinforced SEMC's position as a specialised national platform for experiential learning in mediation and negotiation.
OUR COLLABORATORS
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Kachwaha & Partners
- Expert Partner
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Poovayya & Co.
- Expert Partner
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LiveLaw
- Media Partner
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International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC), Hyderabad
- Supporting Partner
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SettleWiseNow - Training Partner
FORMAT OF THE COMPETITON
The competition will be held in hybrid mode. There shall be two preliminary rounds followed by quarter final rounds, semi-final rounds, and a grand finale. The two member Negotiating Team will comprise of a client and a counsel and the third member shall be a neutral mediator.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The competition is open to full-time law students (5-year and 3-year course) registered in any university in India for the academic year 2025-2026. Only students studying Law may participate in the competition. The competition is not open to LLM students. Each University may nominate up to 2 teams to participate in the competition. However, the second slot is subject to availability and number of provisional registrations received by the Centre.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Provisional Registration - 3rd February - 12th February, 2026
Release of Preliminary Problem - 5th February, 2026
Last Date to submit Clarifications - 15th February, 2026
Release of Clarifications - 18th February, 2026
Online Preliminary Rounds - 7th March - 8th March, 2026
Offline Rounds - 3rd April - 4th April, 2026
BROCHURE LINK
Brochure
RELEASE OF GENERAL INFORMATION
Preliminary Round - 1
Preliminary Round - 2
Quarter Final Round
Semi - Final Round
Final Round
CLARIFICATIONS
Clarifications
RULEBOOK
Rulebook
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