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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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Olympics: Kirsty Coventry Elected President of IOC
Sport & Rights Alliance Calls on New President to Prioritize Human Rights and Good Governance (Amsterdam, 20 March 2025) — Kirsty Coventry has just made history as the first woman to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). While this is an important achievement, we call on the new president to use her […]
Olympics: Presidential Candidates Need to Step Up on Rights
Lack of Priority for IOC Human Rights Policies Poses Risk to Athletes, Fans, Workers (Amsterdam, February 26, 2025) – Candidates for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) failed to adequately address human rights and good governance in documents outlining their proposed programs, in advance of March elections, the Sport & Rights Alliance said […]
United States: Trump administration denies people right to play and fails to protect women
Executive order goes against United Nations and human rights experts (Amsterdam, February 7, 2025) – The Sport & Rights Alliance vehemently rejects the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump which aims at excluding trans, gender-diverse, and intersex people from competing in sports at all levels. “The right to play sports should be available […]
Episode 2: “Behind the Statistics”
Understanding the data on abuse in sports Watch the second episode of our three-part series exploring scientific data on violence in sports: “Behind the Statistics.” In this video, we dive into prevalence studies and associated factors that put some groups of athletes at higher risk. Led by Dr Aurelie Pankowiak, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute […]
Olympic athletes should be paid and heard, says public poll
Next president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must make the Games fair and share proceeds with athletes (Nyon, Switzerland, 23 January 2025) UNI World Players, a sector of UNI Global Union, has carried out the first-ever public poll to assess awareness and attitudes regarding athletes’ rights and representation at the Olympic Games. The poll of […]
Submission to UN Human Rights Report on Combating Discrimination and Violence Against Intersex Persons
Ensuring the Rights of Intersex Athletes to Safe, Inclusive Sports Environments The LGBTI community faces numerous, often unique challenges when it comes to their right to participate in sport. Discriminatory narratives, exclusionary policies, and pervasive online harassment are just a few of the significant obstacles that hinder their ability to engage and enjoy in sports […]
Video Series: “This is Not Part of the Game.”
Exploring the research on violence in sports Watch the first of our three-part video series exploring scientific data on violence in sports: “This is Not Part of the Game.” Led by Dr Aurelie Pankowiak, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Health & Sport at Victoria Universityand athlete survivor from France, this project aims to collate […]
Award of 2034 Men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia risks lives and exposes FIFA’s empty human rights commitments
Joint Statement Today’s confirmation of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 FIFA men’s World Cup, despite the well-known and severe risks to residents, migrant workers and visiting fans alike, marks a moment of great danger. It should also mark a moment for change. As global and regional human rights organisations, trade unions, fans groups […]
Mega Sport Events and Human Rights: Focus of New University of West of Scotland Film
Mega sporting events and human rights are at the centre of a new documentary film produced by University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in collaboration with an international group of academic and non-academic partners. The film, titled EventRights: Progressing Human Rights in Sport Events was produced by UWS’ FIRE base, as an outcome of […]
ILO commits to expert meeting to enhance athlete rights and representation globally
Expert meeting to follow up on Inaugural Global Dialogue Forum on Decent Work in the World of Sort The International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations agency responsible for promoting dignified working conditions worldwide has agreed to convene an expert meeting on athlete rights and representation, which will be held in early 2026. The decision […]
Global: FIFA should halt process for 2034 World Cup bid and demand credible human rights strategy for 2030
High stakes bids: Dangerously flawed human rights strategies for the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups FIFA should halt the process to select Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 men’s World Cup unless major human rights reforms are announced before a vote of FIFA members next month, Amnesty International and the Sport & […]
“I know for whom I’m fighting every day.”
Recap: Advocacy Tools & Strategies for Advancing the Rights of Impacted People On October 24th, the Athletes Network for Safer Sports held its third capacity-building online workshop on advocacy skills and strategies for impacted athletes and allies. Moderated by Joanna Maranhão and joined by over 30 participants, the discussion centered on our panelists’ experiences advocating […]