Nikki Dryden
With over 30 years’ experience in international sport as an Olympic swimmer, journalist and commentator, and as a human rights lawyer with over 15 years of subject matter expertise in the field of human rights and sport, Canadian Nikki Dryden has been an active promotor and fundraiser for sport in developing countries, for sport programs used as a tool for development, and for grassroots sport.
As an immigration and human rights lawyer, Nikki formally directed the US immigration practice at PwC and has also worked for non-profits, international human rights groups, governments and has been on several non-profit boards. In 2020, Nikki was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in the field of sport and human rights, namely the area of athlete rights in the sports arbitration system, a project that is now forming her PhD scholarship at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Nikki is currently working with athletes and athlete groups on 4 continents to ensure the International Olympic Committee complies with international human rights law by updating their Charter rules around athlete rights to freedom of expression and due process. Her detailed legal research and recommendations in this area were published extensively and shared with athlete groups around the world, influencing the IOC’s stakeholder engagement.