PROFESSOR YONAH ALEXANDER AND PROFESSOR DON WALLACE, JR., EDITORS
The national, regional, and global spectrum of biological challenges is limitless. Throughout recorded history, these infinite safety concerns stem essentially from two inevitable sources of enduring actual and potential dangers to individuals, communities, societies, and civilizations.
The first critical threat is caused by Mother Nature’s disasters, such as earthquakes, cyclones, and infectious diseases. The second concern are man-made menaces, including violent radicalism, terrorism, and war. The key question then is whether the United States and the International Community are prepared to identify, prevent, and counter current and future biological threats.
In this connection our current academic and professional effort is publishing a Report on “Global COVID-19 and Sports: Threats and Responses” that consists of contributions by invited interdisciplinary panelists at our recent Ambassadors’ Forum on “Global Covid-19 and Sports: Threats and Responses” that was held on July 30, 2020, via Zoom conferencing and hosted by the International Law Institute (ILI) and the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies (IUCTS). Speakers at this Ambassadors’ Forum included Distinguished University Professor Rita Colwell (University of Maryland College Park and Johns Hopkins University. Bloomberg School of Public Health); Dr. Richard B. Reff, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist); Carl Francis (Director of Communication at the National Football League Players Association); Chalana Damron, Tom Gies, Kristof Roox (attorneys at Crowell & Moring); Ambassador (Ret.) Charles Ray (a former U.S. diplomat and military officer); and Ambassador Pjer Simunovic at the Embassy of Croatia (holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union). Subsequently, Laurence Winston, an attorney also at Crowell & Moring contributed to the current Report as well.
It should also be noted that in view of the significant role of law in planning for the security, health, business, and sports world in the shadow of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, we decided, with the approval of Crowell & Moring, to also publish a Monograph on “Global Covid-19 and Sports: Exposure Claims and Liability Mitigation Considerations”. The authors of this publication were the attorneys from Crowell Moring LLP, namely, Chalana Damron, Thomas P. Gies, Kristof Roox, and Laurence Winston. The abbreviated version of the Monograph is incorporated in the current, slightly edited and updated, Report.
This Preface provides a brief academic context from the perspectives of the Editors of this publication as well as relevant Acknowledgements.
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