“Countries must take active action to eradicate discrimination based on gender, ethnic identity, legal status, age or other factors, including indirect, intersectional and structural factors. ” said Alexandra Zantaki, presenting her latest report at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. .
It addresses the right to participate in sport as an important element of the right to participate in cultural life.
“Neutrality” is not an option
Zantaki said sports organizations have a responsibility to respect human rights and cannot use “sport autonomy” to shield themselves from external liability.
Clear and effective remedies for current and past abuses need to be devised, and victims and civil society need to be involved, she said.
The human rights expert said that “neutrality” in sport is irrelevant when it comes to human rights issues, advocacy and movement, but that at elite level “unfortunately there is a double standard when dealing with difficult issues”. “It’s widespread,” he said.
Assumptions and prohibitions
In calling on countries to eliminate discrimination in the field of sport, he also recalled the obligation to act to prevent and redress violations by organizations based on their territory.
She said any restrictions on the right to participate in sport should be proportionate and based on a legitimate purpose.
She warned that blanket bans on the basis of nationality, all transgender women, and intrusive actions against gender-diverse female athletes violate current human rights standards.
“Decisions that prevent women from competing based on assumptions about who women are and how they should behave must be corrected immediately,” she said.
sport for everyone
Zantaki stressed that everyone has the right to participate in sports. States and sports associations must therefore adopt measures and policies to ensure a safe and positive environment in which this right is realized.
Additionally, we must work with the media to run campaigns that promote diversity and inclusion at all levels of sport, while also countering misconceptions and prejudice.
“Discussing bias in sport, who sits at the table that decides the direction of sport, who benefits from sport and who is harmed by it, and how to reduce the risk of human rights abuses in sport.” “It is essential to use a cultural rights approach to consider how to ‘observe culturally appropriate etiquette and enhance the benefits that sport brings to individuals and society,'” she said.
About the UN Rapporteur
Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation in specific countries on thematic issues around the world.
These are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Council, the largest independent expert body in the UN human rights system.
These experts work autonomously. They are not UN employees and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
