Spotlight on Sport and Human Rights

From elite athletes to the right to participate at every level, human rights have a vital role to play in sport that is often overlooked. Through its principles of respect and fair play, sport can teach us valuable lessons about non-discrimination and participation, and help to break down barriers. With less than six months until the Olympics, we ask elite athletes and leading experts… where do human rights and sport intersect?
Featuring:
[00:00:36] Eniola Aluko is a former professional footballer who represented Chelsea, Juventus and England making 104 appearances over 11 years and playing for Great Britain in 2012 London Olympics.
[00:12:22] Hélène Ba is a basketball player, graduate student in International Criminal Law and Humanitarian Law, and co-founder of Basket pour Toutes, a collective committed to inclusion and the fight against discrimination in basketball.
[00:22:35] Joanna Maranhão is a Brazilian Olympian, survivor of sexual abuse in sport, advocate and researcher. She's currently coordinating the Sport & Rights Alliance’s Athlete's Network for Safer Sports -an international network of people and organizations connected by their lived experience of abuse in sport that leverages the collective strength of survivors to continue our healing journey, amplify our voices, and achieve systemic change in the world of sport.
[00:33:23] Ginous 'Gigi' Alford is director of sport and human rights at the World Players Association, which brings together 85,000 players across professional sport through more than 100 player associations in over 60 countries.
Organised and chaired by [00:00:03] Professor Alexandra Xanthaki as the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights, and Professor of Laws at Brunel University London, these events - organised in collaboration with Professor Louise Mansfield, Brunel University London - are part of the preparation of the forthcoming report of the UN Special Rapporteur before the UN General Assembly on 'the right to participate in sport'.
This special public event is part of a varied programme of information-gathering sessions hosted at Brunel University London, in partnership with the United Nations, in preparation for the forthcoming report of the UN Special Rapporteur before the UN General Assembly on 'the right to participate in sport'.
Less than six months before the start of the Olympics, leading academics, athletes, domestic and international policymakers, NGOs and community organisations come together to share valuable insights on the intersection of sports and human rights in this pivotal period.