Maidie Oliveau Appointed to Athens Olympic Arbitration Tribunal

Los Angeles sports marketing attorney Maidie E. Oliveau has been named as one of 12 attorneys worldwide -- and one of two Americans -- to serve on the Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to settle disputes that arisdxe during the 2004 Athens Olympics, covering such areas asd drug testing results, athlete eligibility and judging issues.

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) April 8 2004 --- Los Angeles sports marketing attorney Maidie E. Oliveau has been named as one of 12 attorneys worldwide -- and one of two Americans -- to serve on the Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to settle disputes that arise during the 2004 Athens Olympics, covering such areas as drug testing results, athlete eligibility and judging issues.

    This marks the third time that Oliveau has been honored to serve on the Ad Hoc Division of CAS, having previously done so in Sydney and Salt Lake City. Out of nine attorneys who served in a similar position for the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, she is one of four invited back to join the Tribunal for the Athens Olympics, and she is the only female on the Ad Hoc Division of CAS.

    The Ad Hoc Division was established by the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) and is the final arbiter of all Olympic Games-related disputes. Oliveau was first elected by the ICAS as an arbitrator to the CAS in 1997 and was reappointed in 2002.

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    At the games in Salt Lake City, the Ad Hoc Division heard the case of the highly visible controversy involving the Russian/Canadian pairs skating. After the CAS issued an injunction regarding the judges and their records, the IOC gave the Canadian pair a second set of gold

medals. Another decision in which CAS took part was in speed skating when the CAS upheld Apollo Ohnos gold medal win which had been appealed by a Korean skater.

An expert in structuring major sponsorship relationships and negotiating sports and events transactions, with experience garnered from every facet of the business of sports and events, Oliveau has represented sponsors, event organizers, television broadcasters, sports associations and other rights holders for more than 20 years. Oliveau established her firm in 1990, and she has negotiated and/or administered nearly 200 deals totaling over $500 million, including such high-profile transactions as the following:

·    Sponsorship and negotiations for the L.A. 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and the International School Licensing Corporation.

·    Pacific Bells sponsorship of the San Francisco Giants and naming rights to their ballpark, Pacific Bell Park;

·    Nokias title sponsorship of the Sugar Bowl and the Sugar Bowls successful bid to be part of the Bowl Championship Series;

·    Ice Capades licensing agreements with MGM/United Artists and Warner Bros.;

·    MasterCards sponsorship of the ISL package for the World Cup; and,

·    Marketing and TV rights relating to Foxs acquisition of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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As associate vice president with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Oliveau managed the corporate relations department which handled all of the 1984 Olympics sponsors, suppliers and licensees. She devised and directed the Committees trademark protection program, and her department administered over 200 contracts involving the successful collection of more than $150 million in revenue.

Before starting her own firm, she served as senior vice president and general counsel to DelWilber + Associates, New York. Oliveau began her career in sports in 1979 at ProServ, Inc., where she represented professional athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Tracy Austin, Mitch Kupchak and Tai Babilonia. She also produced a weekly, half-hour TV show, Sports Probe, that aired on USA Network.

    She received her B.S. degree in 1974 from Georgetown University and her J.D. in 1977 from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the bars of California and the District of Columbia and resides in Los Angeles where her offices are located at 1990 S. Bundy Dr., Suite 540, Los Angeles, CA 90025; (310) 979-0325; Web site: www.lawsports.com.

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Mark Grody Associates

Public Relations/Marketing Communications

267 Wild Horse Dr.

Palm Desert, CA 92211

(760) 674-8012 - Fax (760) 674-8052

e-mail: mgrody@aol.com

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For:          Maidie Oliveau, Esq.

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Contact:     Mark Grody -- (760) 674-8012

Maidie Oliveau Appointed to Athens Olympics Arbitration Tribunal