The Olympic Games
Learn about the biggest human rights issues surrounding the Olympic Games with the latest from Sport & Rights Alliance partners.
China’s Olympic Press Freedom Pledges: Worthless in 2008, Absent in 2022
Prospects for free-wheeling media coverage of the February Beijing Winter Olympics seem increasingly dim, not least because of the attitude of the International Olympic Committee. On October 13, John Coates, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, dismissed out of hand calls from CPJ, human rights groups, and US lawmakers to pressure Beijing over its abysmal […]
Japan: Establish Safe Sport Center
Protect All Athletes as a Legacy of Tokyo Olympics, Paralympics (Tokyo) – The Japan Sports Agency and Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games should establish an independent national body to address the abuse of athletes in Japan, six Japanese and international nongovernmental organizations said today. Japan Safe Sport Joint Letter October 12, 2021 […]
US Paralympian Compelled to Withdraw from Tokyo Games
Sports Federations Need to Ensure Reasonable Accommodation for All Athletes The Tokyo Paralympic Games begin this week with thousands of Paralympic athletes from around the world competing in 539 events in 22 sports. Sadly, one athlete who had earned a place on the United States team won’t be there. Rebecca Meyers, 26, a Paralympic World Record holder who competed […]
Higher, Faster — Harsher: The Olympics Head to Beijing
The Chinese Government’s Human Rights Record is Abysmal As the Summer Olympics in Tokyo wrap up, eyes are turning to the February 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China – a country in the midst of its worst human rights crackdown sincethe Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. The Chinese government is persecuting millions of Uyghurs […]
Belarus Athlete’s Plight Spotlights Olympic Failure
International Olympic Committee Should Adopt Human Rights Policy On Sunday, Belarusian track and field athlete Krystsina Timanovskaya refused to let government authorities forcibly return her to Belarus from the Olympics, seeking instead protection at Tokyo’s international airport. She has since reportedly been offered asylum in Poland. Timanovskaya, a 200-meter sprinter, said she feared for her safety […]
Belarus: Once a Showcase of the Country’s Success, Sport is Now a Battleground for Reprisals
Once national heroes, many Belarusian athletes have sacrificed their careers and their freedom by daring to speak out against human rights violations in their country, Amnesty International said today in a new briefing, part of the organization’s #StandWithBelarus campaign. Earlier today Belarusian Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya asked for asylum at the Polish embassy in Tokyo after the Belarusian authorities tried to forcibly return her to […]
