Athletes in individual sports — a tennis player, a wrestler, a figure skater, a runner, a fighter — often work as independent performers rather than as members of a club: they compete in tournaments, take appearance fees under contract and answer for their results. In Georgia this relationship is built on the works-and-services norms of the Civil Code — the contract type under which one party performs agreed work and the other pays remuneration. On this page we explain how these norms structure an individual athlete's contract — from the fee rules to the consequences of defects in performance.
The Works Contract and the Presumption of Remuneration
Under the Civil Code's relevant norm, by the works contract the contractor undertakes to perform the work provided by the agreement, and the client must pay the contractor the agreed remuneration. For an individual athlete, the "work" is the appearances defined by the contract: participation in a tournament, a match, a competition, a promotional activity — everything the parties wrote down as a deliverable. The fee rules are also secured by law: remuneration is considered agreed even implicitly if, according to the circumstances, the work is expected only for remuneration — meaning that where such an appearance is always paid on the market, leaving the fee blank does not make the deal gratuitous. Where the amount is not agreed, the tariff rate applies where a tariff exists, and otherwise the customary remuneration. This norm matters for oral arrangements as well: an athlete who performs the appearance is still owed the fee. The expense rule stands here too: the drawing-up of an estimate connected with the work is not reimbursed unless otherwise agreed — travel, camp or preparation costs must be written into the contract expressly to be recoverable.
Conformity of Performance — What a Defect-free Delivery Means
The Code frames the quality of the appearance through the category of the defect-free work: the work is free of defects if it conforms to the agreed conditions; and where these conditions are not agreed, the work is considered defect-free if it is fit for the use provided by the contract or for customary use. For an individual athlete this reads as follows: if the contract states that the athlete competes at a specific tournament, conducts a promotional activity or participates in an event, those very conditions are the standard of performance; where the contract is silent on details, the standard is fitness — an appearance of the quality customary for such activity. The law also provides that making an article different from the ordered one, or in a smaller quantity, is equated with a defect — in sporting language: appearing at the agreed appearance in a different format or in a lesser scope is a breach of contract, even if the athlete did appear.
The Consequence of a Defect — Fee Reduction and the Moment of Payment
When the appearance falls short of what was agreed, the law gives the client two instruments. The first is fee reduction: a client who neither accepts supplementary performance after the expiry of the period set for the purpose nor declares avoidance of the contract may reduce the remuneration by the amount by which the defect reduces the value of the work — particularly practical where the athlete performed the appearance partly and the party does not want to declare total avoidance. The second is the moment of payment: the client must pay the contractor the remuneration after the performance of the work, unless the contract provides for payment in instalments. Advance payment or tranches are thus a matter of the parties' agreement: the statutory default is payment after the appearance, and to replace this default the contract must expressly state an advance or partial-payment clause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions that arise most often around individual athletes' contracts.
Which contract fits an individual athlete?
The works contract: the athlete performs the agreed work — the appearance — and the client pays the remuneration.
What if the fee is not in the contract?
Remuneration is considered agreed implicitly if the appearance is expected only for payment; without an amount, the tariff or the customary remuneration applies.
Can preparation costs be claimed?
Only if provided by the contract — the estimate is not reimbursed by default.
When is the fee paid?
After the performance of the work; partial payment only by a contractual clause.
What happens with defective performance?
The client may reduce the fee by the amount by which the defect reduces the value, if it neither accepts supplementary performance nor avoids the contract.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team helps individual-sport athletes, their managers and organizers draft contracts and resolve disputes. We describe the appearance deliverables, the fee and expense rules, build the defect-reduction and payment clauses, and protect interests in case of breach. Contact us for a consultation — we will assess your situation and prepare a contract that fits your sporting calendar precisely.