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Get the latest news and updates from our partners on the human rights issues in and around the world of sport.
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Sport & Rights Alliance Raises Concerns over FIFA’s Surprise Selection of UAE to Host 2021 Club World Cup
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, announced on Wednesday that the global football governing body has selected the United Arab Emirates to host the Club World Cup 2022. Since 2017, FIFA has made important progress in terms of its human rights responsibilities, including adopting policies that ensure a human rights risk assessment for host countries and […]
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 […]
Mali: Inquiry Links Basketball Federation to Sexual Abuse
Sport & Rights Alliance Calls for Protection, Remedy, Governance Reform (Nyon, Switzerland, 27 September, 2021) —The International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) report on systemic sexual harassment and abuse within the Mali Basketball Federation (FMBB) vindicates the victims of abuse, survivors, whistleblowers, and activists who took enormous risks to bring this abuse to light, the Sport & […]
Qatar: Failure to Investigate Migrant Worker Deaths Leaves Families in Despair
Qatari authorities have failed to investigate the deaths of thousands of migrant workers over the past decade, despite evidence of links between premature deaths and unsafe working conditions, Amnesty International said today. The organization’s new report, In the Prime of their Lives, documents how Qatar routinely issues death certificates for migrant workers without conducting adequate investigations, instead attributing deaths to “natural causes” […]
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: Crackdown on Athletes
In this, the final briefing in Amnesty International’s #StandWithBelarus campaign, we highlight the role Belarusian athletes have played in bringing to the world’s attention human rights violations committed by the government. Sport administration is under direct government control in Belarus and athletes who speak out put their careers and their freedom at stake.
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 […]
Letter: Investigation on Sexual Abuse Allegation in Mali Basketball
Mr. Andreas ZagklisSecretary GeneralFédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) July 29, 2021 Re: Investigation on Sexual Abuse Allegation in Mali Basketball Dear Mr. Zagklis, The Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) is a global coalition committed to embedding human rights and anti-corruption in world sport. We serve as a force multiplier for civil society groups and trade […]
The Army of Survivors Statement on U.S. DOJ’s Investigation and Review of the FBI’s Handling of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Former USA Gymnastics Physician
Content warning: Mention of abusers’ names and sexual violence. Okemos, Michigan (July 14, 2021) — Following initial review of Wednesday’s report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on its investigation into the FBI’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics phycisian Larry Nassar, The Army of […]
Japan: Olympics Should Benefit Human Rights
Address Abuse of Child Athletes, LGBT Discrimination, Gender Gap (Tokyo) – Japan should address serious rights issues in the country as host of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Human Rights Watch said today in a new reporters’ guide. The Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, which start on July 23, 2021, are advertised as celebrating “unity in diversity” and […]