New Judicial chair appointed

 

Sir Gary takes over from Nick De Marco KC who has served the Association for the full length of the agreed term. British Wrestling would like to thank Mr De Marco for his commitment and integrity in chairing the Judicial process for the past 10 years.

 

Sir Gary Hickinbottom is a solicitor, who practised in commercial and public law until 2000, when he was made a full-time judge. He was appointed to a succession of judicial appointments in both the court and tribunal systems including Designated Civil Judge for Wales and Deputy Senior President of Tribunals, before being made a High Court Judge and a Judge of the Court of Appeal. He has been appointed President of Welsh Tribunals from April 2023.

 

In each of these posts, he has spent a substantial amount of his time on public law claims of all types including claims involving governance, and regulatory and disciplinary decisions. This judicial work has included sport-orientated disputes in respect of a wide range of sports and subjects. His experience also includes setting up and managing a variety of tribunals.

 

He retired as a Court of Appeal Judge in 2021 to conduct a Commission of Inquiry into corruption and governance in the British Virgin Islands, which he concluded earlier this year.

 

Gary has been a registered mediator since 1991 and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 1995. He is a member of several sport dispute resolution panels including the FA Safeguarding Panel, and the Sports Resolutions Arbitrators’ Panel and National Safeguarding Panel regularly chairing hearings relating to a wide variety of sports.

 

Of his appointment as British Wrestling Judicial Chair, he said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to this important post. Safety, diversity and fairness are at the forefront of British Wrestling’s vision for the sport. It is my aim, as Independent Judicial Chair, to contribute fully to that goal.”