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Global: FIFA sponsorship deal with Saudi Aramco covering World Cups raises human rights concerns
Reacting to FIFA’s four-year global partnership deal with Saudi Aramco, making the state-owned fossil fuel company a sponsor of the 2026 men’s World Cup as well as the Women’s World Cup in 2027, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice Steve Cockburn said: “There is a cruel irony that a Saudi Arabian state-owned company […]
Saudi Arabia Hasn’t Earned Women’s Tennis Championships
Women’s tennis has advocated for women’s rights since before Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the “battle of the sexes” 50 years ago. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was a prime mover behind Title IX, the U.S. law that gave millions of women and girls equal opportunities in sport and education. Despite this legacy, […]
France: Ensure Muslim Women, Girls Can Play Sports
On International Women’s Day, Global Call to End Hijab Ban in French Basketball (Nyon, Switzerland, March 8, 2024) – French basketball authorities should ensure equal access to sport for Muslim women and girls by overturning the discriminatory ban on wearing the hijab, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. On International Women’s Day, The Alliance […]
Sparking Change at Play the Game 2024: Reflections from the Sport & Rights Alliance
The 13th edition of the Play the Game conference held in Trondheim, Norway, this February, brought together academics, journalists, athletes, human rights defenders and other stakeholders in the sports world to discuss the most pressing issues in international sport. The Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) participated in the forum with a robust delegation, with representatives […]
Rights Groups Letter to F1 CEO Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix: 20 Years of Sportswashing
Copy to: Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Teams, Drivers and Sponsors Dear Stefano Domenicali, We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to renew our concerns about Bahrain’s use of the F1 Grand Prix to “sportswash” the country’s dire human rights record. As you mark two decades of racing in Bahrain, and amid claims from F1 that […]
Statement by Dignity 2026 Coalition on the Announcement of the Match Schedule for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
This weekend, FIFA released the much-anticipated match schedule for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be held across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As planning accelerates in these host cities, event organizers will now be making critical decisions on tournament operations, including for Fan Fests, transportation, concessions, and hospitality. In […]
Saudi Government Uses European Football to Sportswash its Reputation
Italian, Spanish Super Cups Played in Riyadh to Divert Attention From Abuses Forget Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist brutally murdered in a Saudi consulate, and all his colleagues jailed, censored or harassed in Saudi Arabia; don’t think about women’s and LGBT rights in the kingdom; and ignore the mass killings of migrants along the Saudi border with Yemen. Look, there, Saudi […]
Our Pledge on the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance pledges our utmost support for human rights – and commits to continue the work toward freedom, equality and justice for all. As the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights says, “Pledging is both […]
Player Associations Care – New Report Identifies Key Recommendations To Support Survivors Of Abuse
Since 2019, the World Players Association (WPA) which bring together player associations throughout the world has undertaken significant work to address the crisis of abuse in global sport. Cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) have tragically not been limited to any one sporting code or country and sadly for too long sport governing bodies and […]
Player Associations Unite Behind Roar Room For Gender Equity In Sport
Despite some positive advances, gender equity in sport remains a distant reality for thousands of women players globally. Player associations from around the world, under the umbrella of the ‘Roar Room’ initiative led by the World Players Association (WPA), are now coming together to lead a movement for change and achieve a better future for […]
FIFA: No Remedy for Qatar Migrant Worker Abuses
A Year Later, Lack of Action Still Haunts Abused Workers (Beirut) – FIFA and Qatar have failed in the past year to remedy abuses of migrant workers who made the 2022 Qatar World Cup possible, including families of thousands of migrant workers who died of unexplained causes, Human Rights Watch said today. The 2022 World Cup tournament may be […]
Qatar: Inaction by Qatar and FIFA a year on from the World Cup puts legacy for workers in peril
Qatar’s continuing failure to remedy abuses faced by migrant workers and adequately protect them from labour exploitation is tainting the legacy of the FIFA men’s World Cup one year on, Amnesty International said today. A new briefing, A Legacy in Jeopardy, shows that progress towards improving workers’ rights has largely stalled since the tournament ended, while remedy […]