The legal status of a referee

Aim. The paper aims to determine the legal nature of referee status in the Russian Federation as a subject of professional activity in sport. Materials and methods. The analysis of Russian and foreign regulations setting out the requirements for referees was performed. Russian and doctrinal sources dedicated to the legal regulation of referee activities were studied. Results. It was established that the legal status of a referee was not sufficiently defined in Russian legislation, as well as the elements of this status were not regulated in detail. Therefore, full protection of referee rights and interests, as well as control over referee activities by legal means are currently obstructed. Conclusion. Conclusions were drawn about the professional nature of referee activities and the possibility to carry them out on the basis of both a civil law contract and an employment contract. In order to improve the legal status of referees, the need to introduce amendments into the Law on Sports and Chapter 54.1 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation is defined.