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Peng Shuai: International Olympic Committee should center its responsibility to protect athletes
(Nyon, Switzerland, January 31, 2022) – International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach first spoke with Chinese tennis player and three-time Olympian Peng Shuai at a time when no one outside China had been able to make contact. Unfortunately, the danger of her situation has been downplayed, and Bach did not mention Peng’s allegations of […]
Free the Five this Olympics and Champion Freedom of Expression in China
This campaign is now closed. Thank you to the thousands of you who spoke up in support of freedom of expression in China. When we all act together we can’t be ignored. The Chinese government is using the Beijing Olympics to improve its global image and hide its human rights abuses. Right now, people are […]
New Year’s Revolution: Why 2022 will be a Wake-up Call for the World of Sport
The year 2022 will bring not one, not two, but three mega-sporting events in countries with problematic human rights records: the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. The idea that sport can and should remain politically […]
China: World must use Winter Olympics to demand human rights improvements
Games take place amid worsening human rights situation International community must not be complicit in sportswashing exercise IOC should better protect athletes’ rights following Peng Shuai case The world must use the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics as an opportunity to push for human rights improvements in China, Amnesty International said ahead of next month’s […]
Journalists at the Beijing Winter Olympics may test China’s tolerance for critical coverage
Can China and the International Olympic Committee maintain a “bubble” of total press freedom inside China’s vast sea of repression? That’s the question facing thousands of journalists as they arrive in the coming weeks to cover the Beijing Winter Olympics, which kick off on February 4. (CPJ’s safety advisory for those attending addresses coronavirus restrictions and […]
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the Beijing Olympic Winter Games 2022
The Olympic Winter Games take place in Beijing, China from February 4-20, 2022. Journalists covering the event are likely to face a range of challenges from coronavirus restrictions to digital surveillance. The Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed concern about the ability of the press to work freely during the event. China has been the world’s worst jailer of […]
TAOS Statement on $380 Million Survivors Settlement with USAG & USOPC
Following today’s announcement of the $380 million settlement between USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and hundreds of survivors, The Army of Survivors has issued the following statement. As a non-profit organization founded by survivors of Larry Nassar, we are pleased that this long and dark chapter has come to an end, and […]
Olympics: Protect Peng Shuai
Sport & Rights Alliance Calls on the IOC To Put People Before Partnerships (Nyon, Switzerland, December 1, 2021) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should immediately stop supporting China’s strategy of suppression and start prioritizing protecting athletes and upholding its human rights obligations, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. The process of developing an […]
TAOS Expresses Support and Concern for Olympian Peng Shuai
The Army of Survivors would like to extend support to Chinese tennis Olympian Peng Shuai, who recently went missing after publicly stating she was sexually assaulted by former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. We are pleased to see Peng alive this weekend in a video call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, though we are not yet […]
World Players: IOC’s Call with Peng Shuai Exacerbates Alarm, Special Delegation Needed
In the wake of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, the World Players Association has released the following statement: The World Players Association repeats its call for the urgent establishment of a special delegation of international organizations and human rights experts to meet with Peng Shuai in order […]
World Players Association Statement on Peng Shuai
The global player association movement is deeply concerned for the health and safety of Peng Shuai. Players who speak out are frequently targeted and left exposed to harm and abuse without protection or support, and that must end. The global sport community including the International Olympic Committee has a responsibility to exercise its significant leverage […]
Olympics: Don’t Promote Chinese State Propaganda
Olympic Committee’s Call with Chinese Tennis Star Disregards Safety Concerns (New York) – The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) collaboration with Chinese authorities on tennis star Peng Shuai’s reappearance undermines its expressed commitment to human rights, including the rights and safety of athletes, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 21, 2021, the IOC said in a statement that its […]