International Olympic Presidential candidates urged to address human rights

The Sport & Rights Alliance has flagged that a lack of priority for IOC Human Rights policies poses risk to athletes, fans and workers.

The Sport & Rights Alliance has noted that 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’s mission is to promote the rights and well-being of those most affected by human rights risks associated with the delivery of sport. Its partners include Amnesty International, The Army of Survivors Committee to Protect Journalists, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, ILGA World (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), the International Trade Union Confederation, Transparency International, and World Players Association, UNI Global Union.

Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch advised “the International Olympic Committee affects the lives of millions of athletes, workers, fans, journalists and communities worldwide.

“It is essential for candidates who want to oversee global sport to make clear that they will uphold the IOC’s human rights framework, commitments and responsibilities, and commit to meeting with stakeholders and operating with transparency and good governance.”

The next eight years will bring a wave of challenges for the IOC, including selecting the host for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games and delivering the 2028 Games in the United States, where international human rights are currently under threat, it is paramount for the next president to not only uphold but champion human rights and good governance throughout their term. IOC members who will vote for the next president should consider candidates’ commitments and track records on human rights and transparency as they cast their vote.

The election, at the 144th IOC Session on 19th-21st March in Greece, is the first since the IOC added amendments recognising its responsibility to uphold “respect for internationally recognised human rights” to the Olympic Charter. The IOC also adopted its Strategic Framework on Human Rights in 2022, which sets out four-year objectives and actions to ensure the IOC respects human rights as an organisation, as owner of the Olympic Games, and as leader of the Olympic Movement.

Steve Cockburn, head of labour rights and sport at Amnesty International added “given that this is the first time a new president will be elected under the new Olympic Charter, it is deeply troubling that so few of the candidates have even mentioned human rights in their election campaigns.

“At a time when rights are under sustained attack, we deserve to know whether the next IOC President will be ready and willing to put freedom, equality, and dignity at the heart of world sport.”

The Sport & Rights Alliance analysed the formal written proposed programs submitted by the seven candidates, as required by the IOC. The alliance also wrote to each of the candidates, though only received responses from HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, Lord Sebastian Coe, and Morinari Watanabe. As stakeholder engagement is foundational to the ability of any organisation - and any leader - to uphold their human rights responsibilities, it is concerning that only these three candidates took the time to respond, the alliance said.

David Lappartient was the only candidate to address human rights in any depth throughout his program, highlighting the need to “leverage our influence to promote compliance with human and labour rights.”

The programs of Johan Eliasch, Hussein, and Coe did mention human rights, but only in relation to ensuring access to play sport.

In written responses to the Sprot & Rights Alliance, however:

Hussein said that he plans to strengthen the IOC’s efforts through updating the Strategic Framework as part of Olympic Agenda 2036 and proposed to meet with the Alliance whether he is elected or not.

Coe cited the human rights initiatives of World Athletics, saying that these were introduced under his presidency and should generate confidence toward his commitments.

Watanabe responded to each of the Alliance’s questions on human rights issues, presenting ideas to mitigate human rights and governance issues ranging from hosting the Games in multiple separate countries to bringing in third-party monitoring.

“The next IOC president must realize that true and effective safeguarding is not possible without athlete voices,” said Andrea Florence, director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “Current ‘safe sport’ approaches continue to lack consultation, support and confidentiality with and for affected people. This needs to change.”

None of the candidates addressed lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights, though Lappartient did discuss the participation of transgender athletes in his section on inclusion and diversity, emphasising the need to balance “respect for human rights” with “fair competition” and to make decisions “grounded on solid scientific evidence.” I

In contrast, the proposals by Juan Antonio Samaranch, Eliasch, and Coe call for “safeguarding” women’s categories in terms that are at odds with the recommendations of the IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-discrimination.