News
Get the latest news and updates from our partners on the human rights issues in and around the world of sport.
SEARCH BY KEYWORD
SEARCH BY TAG
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 […]
Tokyo Olympics: Take Action to Protect Athletes
Join the #AthletesAgainstAbuse Campaign
Centre for Sport and Human Rights Appoints New Directors, Incorporates as an Independent Entity in Switzerland
(Geneva, Switzerland, 8 July 2021) — The Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) today appointed a nine-person Board of Directors as it marks the transition to an independent non-profit organisation, based in Geneva. Launched in 2018 as a subsidiary of the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), CSHR has constructed a unique governance […]
The Army of Survivors Joins the Sport & Rights Alliance to Elevate the Voices of Survivors of Abuse
Survivor-founded Organization Becomes SRA Core Partner (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 […]
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 […]