Human Rights and Sport

Abstract

This book is the first comprehensive analysis of human rights issues which arise in the world of elite sport. It first explains how international human rights law applies in the context of elite sport, and how such application is complicated by the extraordinary autonomy afforded to international and national sports governing bodies by governments. Human rights issues arising from mega-events, namely the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, are then covered. A series of chapters then focuses on the rights of athletes. Those chapters concern labour rights, freedom of expression, the right of non-discrimination (especially with regard to gender, gender identity, and differences in sexual development), rights to safety (e.g. freedom from assault and bullying, and rights associated with injury including concussion), rights implicated in the anti-doping regime, and rights of due process. The latter chapter involves an analysis of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and recent international judgments which challenge its authority. The book concludes with a discussion of elite sport, human rights, politics, and international relations, as well as recommendations for the application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to sports governing bodies.