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Saudi Arabia: Pro Golf Merger “Sportswashes” Abuses
Government’s Investment Fund Merges with PGA Tour, DP World Tour (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) have effectively enabled the Saudi government’s efforts to “sportswash” its egregious human rights record through the announced merger of its LIV Golf and the PGA, Human Rights Watch said today. The merger […]

Olympics: Act on Sex Abuse Complaints by Indian Athletes
Sport & Rights Alliance Calls for Independent Investigation After Protesters Detained (Nyon, Switzerland) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should immediately act to ensure reports of alleged sexual abuse of athletes by the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, are investigated fully, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. In a statement on May […]

Switzerland: Parliament Must Ensure Respect for Human Rights by Sports Federations
Bern (6 June 2023) – Strong measures are needed to ensure that sports federations based in Switzerland comply with their human rights due diligence obligations, says Amnesty International. The human rights organization, together with the global coalition Sport & Rights Alliance, is calling on the Swiss Parliament to support two policy initiatives that seek to […]

“We Have to Empower Each Other”: Consultation With Survivors of Abuse in Sport
Consultation with Survivors of Abuse in Sport Outlines Need for Global Network (Nyon, Switzerland, 16 May, 2023) — Focus group research and trauma-informed interviews with over 25 athlete survivors and representatives of survivor-led organizations have revealed a widespread need for an international network to connect survivors, share experiences, facilitate learning and empower greater advocacy, the […]

Gdańsk Hosts SAFER Partners, Football Supporters Europe as Research Phases Begins
Partners of the Erasmus+ funded SAFER (Support & Awareness for Female fans in European football through Research, prevention, and remedy) met for the first in-person meeting of the project at the University of Gdańsk, Poland earlier this month (14th – 15th April, 2023) Football Supporters Europe (FSE), as lead partner, were joined by representatives from the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (Germany), […]

WNBA Stars Condemn Sex Abuse of Mali Players
Nearly 2 Years On, International Basketball Association Has Yet to Take Action (Nyon, Switzerland, March 29, 2023) – As March Madness plays out, star US women’s basketball players have spoken out to condemn sexual abuse of teenage athletes in Mali to spotlight the need for urgent action and systemic reform in international basketball, Human Rights […]

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, […]