LGBTQ Rights

Athlete Ally Statement on 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cup Concerns

Athlete Ally responded today to news that Saudi Arabia is now the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup. This follows news that a joint bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain is the only one being considered for the 2030 Men’s World Cup.  FIFA’s Human Rights Policy, adopted in 2017, outlines its responsibility to identify and address adverse […]

International Federations’ Bans Targeting Trans And Intersex Women Athletes Are Turning Their Sports Into “Playgrounds For Discrimination”, ILGA World Alerts

Geneva, 28 June 2022 – In just a few days, two international sport governing bodies have issued new policies that actively exclude trans women athletes from competitions comporting with their gender identity, and target women with some intersex traits – and did so presenting them under the misleading frame of comprehensive ‘inclusion policies,’ ILGA World […]

Image shows maroon background with SRA logo and headline: "Recap: Qatar 2022 Press Briefing" with bullet points "LGBTI+ rights, Women's rights, Press freedom" and date 09 November 2022 // 10-11 AM ET 4-5 PM CET

Qatar 2022: Press Briefing on LGBTI+ Rights, Women’s Rights and Press Freedom Ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup

Since FIFA awarded the 2022 Men’s World Cup to Qatar in 2010, the exploitation of migrant workers fueling the 220-billion-dollar infrastructure project became the center of human rights concerns about this mega sporting event – but it was by no means the only human rights issue at play. On the 9th of November 2022, eleven days […]

FIFA: First Week of World Cup Proves Worst Fears

Urgent Action Required from FIFA to Change Course and Show its Human Rights Commitments are Still in Force (Nyon, Switzerland, 25 November, 2022) — Multiple human rights abuses taking place in the first week of the 2022 FIFA Qatar Men’s World Cup reveal significant backsliding within FIFA on human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance […]

Qatar: Rights Abuses Stain FIFA World Cup

‘Reporters’ Guide’ Highlights Key Labor Rights Issues, Needed Reforms  (Beirut, November 14, 2022) – The FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18, 2022, will be played following years of serious migrant labor and human rights abuses in Qatar, Human Rights Watch said today, publishing a “Reporters’ Guide” to support journalists covering the Qatar World […]

Qatar and LGBTQ Human Rights: An Overview Ahead of the World Cup

The human rights of LGBTQ people have been at the centre of the debate over the upcoming Men’s World Cup in Qatar in recent weeks. The mere fact that the sporting event was going to be organised in a country with laws criminalising people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions (SOGIE) has contributed […]