From November 15 to 16, 2025, the first National Sports Arbitration Mock Trial Competition was held at the Qianhai International Arbitration Building in Shenzhen. Demonstrating a solid professional foundation, outstanding debating skills, and close teamwork, the BNU team achieved an excellent result, earning the national runner-up title after several rounds of fierce competition. Additionally, Pei Yang received the “Outstanding Instructor Award,” and Sun Qiyue was honored with the “Best Debater Award.”

The inaugural competition drew a total of 59 teams representing 39 universities from across China. Led by Instructor Pei Yang at the Law School, the BNU team featured Captain Sun Qiyue (2025 LL.M Program in International Law), alongside team members Chen Wenxuan (2024 JM Program), and undergraduates Cao Tongyu and Huang Xinying (2023 Elite Experimental Class in Law). During the preparation phase, Instructor Pei Yang provided meticulous guidance covering various aspects, including the fundamentals of sports arbitration, industry rules and practices, arbitration document drafting, and hearing debate techniques.

Following the preliminary document submission round, the BNU team successfully advanced to the finals, joining 15 other top contenders.

The final stage was conducted in the form of a mock trial. In the first round, the team members played steadily and defeated the team from Xi'an Jiaotong University. In the subsequent quarter-finals, facing the team from Wuhan University, the team members were well-prepared, coordinated effectively, and successfully advanced to the next round. The semi-final match against Hunan Normal University was particularly intense. The team members withstood the pressure and performed excellently in the fierce verbal exchanges, showcasing solid legal knowledge, exceptional courtroom debate skills, calm psychological qualities, and good team spirit, ultimately advancing to the finals!

In the championship final, facing a strong opponent from the China University of Political Science and Law, the BNU team fully demonstrated their capabilities and maintained a competitive edge throughout the match. Although they narrowly missed the top prize, the team’s fighting spirit, professional skills, and demeanor earned high recognition from the arbitration panel, industry experts, and peer institutions.

The first National Sports Arbitration Mock Trial Debate Competition was co-hosted by the China Sports Arbitration Commission and the Sports Law Research Association of the China Law Society, with the National Sports General Administration's Sports Arbitration Center as the organizer and the Shenzhen International Arbitration Court providing support. This event is an innovative practice to further promote the implementation of the sports arbitration system and strengthen the construction of sports law disciplines, reserving a group of professional talents for the development of sports arbitration in China. This event utilized mock trial debates as a platform to facilitate the exchange, display, and training of professional talents in sports arbitration, injecting fresh vitality into the popularization of the sports arbitration system and the development of the discipline.

The remarkable results achieved by the BNU team are inseparable from the long-term accumulation and unremitting efforts of the Law School faculty and students in cultivating high-quality legal talent. Moving forward, the Law School will continue to strengthen support to help students achieve excellence in major domestic and international moot court competitions, thereby nurturing well-rounded legal professionals who embody both morality and competence, and showcasing the ability and demeanor of Beijing Normal University students.

Typesetting: Xu Yiyang

Editor: Shi Tianyu