Sporting Chance Principles

The Sporting Chance Principles were developed by the Advisory Council to affirm a shared commitment to realising human rights in and through sport.

All Advisory Council members endorse the Sporting Chance Principles and work individually and collectively to implement them in cooperation with other partners.

Preamble

Sport relies on a rules-based system, fair play, respect and the courage, cohesion, support and goodwill of society in all its facets, including athletes, fans, workers, volunteers and local communities, as well as governments, businesses large and small, the media and sports bodies. The foundational principles of the world’s preeminent sports bodies speak to universal humanitarian values, harmony among nations, solidarity and fair play, the preservation of human dignity, and commitment to non-discrimination. These values have much in common with international human rights instruments, principles and standards.

Recognising that there is a generation of work to be done to fully align the world of sport with the fundamental principles of human dignity, human rights, and labour rights; the Advisory Council of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights are committed to working towards the fulfilment of these Sporting Chance Principles.

 

1.   Sport has inherent power to create positive change.

Sport can help promote human rights and sustainable development, and foster cooperation, solidarity, fairness, social inclusion, education and health at the local, regional and international levels. To realise this potential, it is essential that the protection of and respect for human rights are embedded within the governance and operations of sport, and that the policies, systems, and practices of all actors regularly evolve to reflect the continually developing human rights landscape. This should also be the starting point for engaging with critical issues such as integrity, equality, development, and fair play.

2.   Internationally recognised human rights apply.

The governance and delivery of sport should at all times be based on international human rights instruments, principles and standards, including those expressed in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the ILO Tripartite Declaration on Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, as well as those that may apply to potentially vulnerable or marginalised groups such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

3.   All actors involved in sport commit to internationally recognised human rights.

All actors involved in sport should commit to protecting and respecting internationally recognised human rights through their activities and business relationships. Harms that do occur should be addressed. All actors should strive to act responsibly, through their governance, through proper safeguarding, and through protecting/respecting the rights of all stakeholders including athletes, fans, communities, workers, children, volunteers, journalists, human rights defenders, and potentially marginalised groups.

4.   Human rights are taken into account at all times.

All actors involved in sport should identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how they address their impacts on human rights through a robust and ongoing process of human rights due diligence. This applies to any actor involved in the delivery of sporting events at each stage of their lifecycle from bidding, bid evaluation, planning, development, delivery, staging to legacy, as well as throughout the entire sport value chain.

5.    Affected groups have a voice in decision-making.

Principled and practical ways should be found to strengthen the voice of all those affected by sport, including athletes, fans, communities, workers, children, volunteers, journalists, human rights defenders, and potentially marginalised groups, through meaningful and ongoing engagement. Special efforts should be made to engage with vulnerable and hard to reach groups, and address any discrimination or failure to protect, respect and uphold enabling rights.

6.   Access to remedy is available.

Effective remedy should be available to those whose human rights are negatively impacted by the activities or business relationships of the actors involved in sport, including during any stage of a mega-sporting event lifecycle. Governments, trade unions, national human rights institutions, OECD National Contact Points, corporate partners, civil society groups, and sports bodies should coordinate and collaborate on this issue.

7.   Lessons are captured and shared.

Lessons learned with regard to human rights successes and failures of the activities and business relationships of the actors involved in the governance and delivery of sport, including throughout a mega-sporting event lifecycle, should be captured, disclosed and shared in transparent ways to raise standards and improve practices in order to prevent a recurrence of adverse human rights impacts over time.

8.   Stakeholder human rights capacity is strengthened.

To address human rights risks and opportunities, governments, sports bodies, organising committees and other key stakeholders involved in the governance and delivery of sport should develop human rights knowledge and capacity, and seek expert advice as required.

9.   Collective action is harnessed to realise human rights.

To help all actors involved in sport continue to be a source of inspiration for decades to come, all stakeholders should forge collective solutions to address human rights challenges that are beyond the capacity of any single stakeholder to resolve. All actors should work collectively to coordinate, support, and develop alignment between the world of sport and international human rights instruments, principles, and standards.

10.  Bidding to host mega-sporting events is open to all.

All nations and localities should be able to bid to host mega-sporting events and bring these celebrations of human achievement to their people, provided that in doing so they demonstrate their commitment to meeting their responsibilities and obligations under relevant international human rights instruments, principles, and standards in relation to the event.