The civil status of an athlete as a subject of professional sports in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The article analyzes the civil law status of a professional athlete as a subject of professional sports in the Russian Federation. The norms of the current legislation of the Russian Federation – the Civil Code, labor legislation (special norms of Chapter 54.1 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation), as well as the provisions of the Federal Law "On Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation" – which collectively determine the legal status of athletes engaged in sports on a professional basis, are considered. Special attention is paid to the problem of the commercial use of the athlete's personal non-property rights (first of all, the right to a name and the right to an image) in the absence of direct legislative regulation of "image rights". The article reveals the existing contradiction between the principle of the inalienable personal rights of citizens and the widespread practice of concluding advertising and sponsorship deals with athletes related to the use of their name, image and reputation. The paper formulates proposals to improve Russian legislation in the field of sports, in particular, to clarify the legal regime for the use of an athlete's name and image, to ensure a balance between the interests of athletes and sports organizations in the commercialization of these intangible benefits, as well as to strengthen guarantees of labor and other rights of athletes. Measures are proposed to better protect the rights of athletes, including the development of special mechanisms (contractual, corporate and judicial) and the possible creation of additional legal guarantees for professional athletes.