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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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The Army of Survivors Joins the Sport & Rights Alliance to Elevate the Voices of Survivors of Abuse
(Nyon, Switzerland, 28 June 2021) — The Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) is thrilled to announce its newest partner, The Army of Survivors, an unprecedented group of former athletes and survivors working to end the systemic culture of sexual abuse across the world of sport. As a survivor-founded organization, The Army of Survivors will play a […]
Mali: Basketball Federation Covers Up Sexual Assault of Girls
(June 14, 2021) – Players from Mali’s Under-18 girls’ national basketball team have reported sexual abuse by the head coach, but the Mali Basketball Federation has failed to act on their reports, Human Rights Watch said today. Malian law enforcement should credibly and impartially investigate the allegations and protect those who reported the abuse from retaliation. Amadou Bamba, […]
European soccer association UEFA denies accreditations to at least 6 journalists, citing failed background checks by Russia and Azerbaijan
New York, June 15, 2021 – The Union of European Football Associations should ensure that all journalists can report from its events freely and without political interference from host countries, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since late May, UEFA, an umbrella organization comprised of 55 national soccer associations across Europe, has denied or […]
World Players United
#WorldPlayersUnited is the strategic vision of the World Players Association. It introduces the organised and highly respected voice of the players and their organisations to the leadership of world sport. In so doing, it envisages a future world of sport that is very different to the one that exists today. #WorldPlayersUnited has, as its centrepiece, the advancement […]
Belarus: Drop Charges Against Sports Group Founders
Sports Governing Bodies Should Call for an End to Criminalizing Athlete Rights Defenders (Nyon, Switzerland, 8 June, 2021) — The Belarusian authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against Aliaksandra Herasimenia and Aliaksandr Apeikin, chair and executive director of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. On April 6, 2021 […]
Tokyo Olympics: IOC Must Review COVID-19 Protocols with Players’ Unions and Experts
The ITUC is calling for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to fix the deeply flawed COVID-19 protocols it has published for the Tokyo Olympics, through engagement with sports players’ unions and pandemic experts. An article published on 25 May in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine reveals major deficits in the IOC plans, which expose athletes, workers, volunteers and […]
First Global Study of Elite Athletes’ Experiences as Children Documents Systemic Abuse
(Nyon, May 11, 2021) – In the first global study to look at elite athletes’ experiences in sport as children, more than half reported having suffered emotional abuse at least once, the World Players Association said in a new report released today at the 4th World Players’ Development Conference. The two-year project highlighting athletes’ testimonies of lasting legacies of abuse […]
The Economics of International Sport Governing Bodies
The World Player’s report, the Economics of International Sport Governing Bodies, analyses the most up-to-date financial information from major sports bodies and compares it to the earnings of athletes. In this 3rd edition, the report shows that athletes and players continue to be denied a fair share of the wealth they generate and are excluded from the […]
Japan: Introduce LGBT Equality Act Before Olympics
116 Groups Urge Prime Minister Suga to Take Action
China: Repression Threatens Winter Olympics
The Chinese government’s heightened repression from Xinjiang to Hong Kong threatens its hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. The Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin on February 4, 2022.
World Players Welcomes Expert Findings that IOC Must Embed Athlete, Human and Labour Rights within Olympic Movement
The World Players Association today welcomed the far reaching recommendations by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, and Shift Vice President, Rachel Davis, that the Olympic Movement must acknowledge its responsibilities towards athletes’ internationally recognized human rights and basic dignity. The recommendations require the IOC to embed and implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) if it […]
Haiti: End Sexual Abuse in Football
FIFA Should Ban Officials Who Exploit Children (New York) – The International Federation of Association Football (Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA) should permanently ban Haitian Football Federation president Yves Jean-Bart from participating in football, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 15, 2020, FIFA announced that its investigative team completed its report on Jean-Bart, who is accused of raping and […]