The Olympic Games

Learn about the biggest human rights issues surrounding the Olympic Games with the latest from Sport & Rights Alliance partners.

Olympics: Don’t Promote Chinese State Propaganda

Olympic Committee’s Call with Chinese Tennis Star Disregards Safety Concerns (New York) – The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) collaboration with Chinese authorities on tennis star Peng Shuai’s reappearance undermines its expressed commitment to human rights, including the rights and safety of athletes, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 21, 2021, the IOC said in a statement that its […]

China: Prove Tennis Player is Safe and Investigate Sexual Assault Allegations

Responding to increasing concerns for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who has not been seen publicly since she made sexual violence allegations against a former senior Chinese politician two weeks ago, Amnesty International’s China Researcher Doriane Lau said: “The Chinese government has systematically silenced the country’s #MeToo movement. Given that it also has a zero-tolerance […]

Chinese Tennis Star’s Disappearance Is Warning for Olympics

Peng Shuai Hasn’t Been Seen in Public Since November 2 Three-time Olympian Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is missing. The hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai is trending globally, and world tennis champions Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic voiced fears about the 35-year-old star’s whereabouts.  On November 2, Peng said on social media that she had been sexually assaulted, forced […]

FREE THE FIVE!

2022 BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS CAMPAIGN In February and March 2022, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will take place in and around Beijing, China. It will be the second time in history that the Olympics occur in China. The first time was in 2008, when China hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. […]

China: Olympics Sponsors in Spotlight as Games Loom

Address Rights Risks, Press IOC to Adopt Rights Policy (New York) – The International Olympic Committee’s major corporate sponsors should explain publicly how they are using their leverage to address human rights abuses in China ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said today. Sponsors should also press the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to […]

China: A gold medal for repression

New ITUC research shows the actions of the Chinese Communist Party have made Beijing unsafe for athletes and others involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics, 4 – 20 February 2022. “China: A gold medal for repression” details five repressive policies of the ruling party that make China and the world less safe:  repression and imprisonment in […]