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France: Intrusive Olympics Surveillance Technologies Could Usher in a Dystopian Future
French lawmakers must reject any plans to use video surveillance powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Such draconian technologies of mass surveillance violate the rights to privacy and can lead to violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. This could result into dystopian levels of surveillance in […]
Rights groups call on F1 to disclose human rights articles in F1 contracts amid concerns over ‘sportswashing’ in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
F1 told to “meet victims” and use “all available leverage” to demand the release of political prisoners in Bahrain Comments Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), commented: “The pressure is mounting on Formula One management to be transparent on its relationship with abusive authoritarian regimes. They must now […]
Qatar 2022: Press Briefing on LGBTI+ Rights, Women’s Rights and Press Freedom Ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup
Since FIFA awarded the 2022 Men’s World Cup to Qatar in 2010, the exploitation of migrant workers fueling the 220-billion-dollar infrastructure project became the center of human rights concerns about this mega sporting event – but it was by no means the only human rights issue at play. On the 9th of November 2022, eleven days […]
FIFA’s ‘Best World Cup Ever’ Came at Migrant Workers’ Loss
World Football’s Chief Claims to Defend Rights, But Still Offers No Remedy In his last news conference before the 2022 World Cup finale, FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared that the football governing body is set to earn US$7.5 billion in revenue. FIFA then failed to commit to compensate migrant workers who built $220 billion in stadiums and tournament […]
Qatar: Nepali civil society groups denounce FIFA’s continued dismissal of migrant workers’ compensation claims
More than three dozen Nepali civil society organizations have today published an open letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino calling on him to “stop looking the other way” while migrant workers are denied compensation after having suffered abuses in Qatar. The organizations have also displayed their message on billboards across Kathmandu, including at Tribhuvan International Airport, where […]
FIFA Misleading World on Remedy for Migrant Workers
FIFA is still failing to fulfill its human rights responsibilities by refusing to commit to compensate migrant workers and their families for abuses while preparing and delivering the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, FairSquare, and Equidem said today. Since June, following a coalition of organizations’ call for remedy for migrant workers, […]
Ban Taliban from the Olympic Movement
Forcing Afghan Women, Girls Out of Sport Violates IOC Charter (New York) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should suspend Taliban-run Afghanistan from participating in international sport until women and girls can once again play sport in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. The IOC should make this decision at its next executive board meeting, which […]
Tackling Abuse in Sport the Right Way: New Guidance on Establishing Effective Safe Sport Entities
World Players Association, The Army of Survivors and the Sport & Rights Alliance jointly release expert guidelines to best deliver justice and support for survivors of abuse in sport. [Nyon, 01 December 2022] The World Players Association today launched “Establishing Effective Safe Sport Entities”, a concise guide on the key principles and essential functions of entities established to […]
FIFA: First Week of World Cup Proves Worst Fears
Urgent Action Required from FIFA to Change Course and Show its Human Rights Commitments are Still in Force (Nyon, Switzerland, 25 November, 2022) — Multiple human rights abuses taking place in the first week of the 2022 FIFA Qatar Men’s World Cup reveal significant backsliding within FIFA on human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance […]
Qatar World Cup 2022: An Open Letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Dear President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association, Mr. Infantino, The football men’s World Cup in Qatar has only just started, and the credibility of FIFA in its commitment to human rights is already entirely questionable. There are 28 more days to go, and ILGA World – a global LGBTI human rights organisation representing more […]
Qatar: Six Things You Need to Know About the Hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup 
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off in Qatar on 20 November, the Gulf state will be under the global spotlight. Since FIFA awarded the tournament to Qatar in 2010, the dire situation for migrant workers in the country has been widely publicized. Migrants and domestic workers continue to face a range of abuses including wage theft, forced […]
The Army of Survivors Releases Power and Control Wheel: Abuse in Sports
Monday, November 14, 2022 — The Army of Survivors, a nonprofit organization focusing on ending sexual violence against athletes, today released a Power and Control Wheel outlining the power dynamics in sports when abuse is present. The wheel, adapted from the original version by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, shows how abusers in sports use […]