Accountable sport: no going again

Summary

This text explores the character and extent of the human rights duties of Sports activities Governing Our bodies (SGBs). The relationships between SGBs and different actors within the sports activities ecosystem have more and more turn out to be considered by means of a human rights lens, with a selected give attention to duties as outlined within the United Nations (UN) Guiding Ideas on Enterprise and Human Rights (UNGPs), with the UNGPs now acknowledged because the authoritative framework and roadmap for SGBs on human rights. Progress on this regard has been blended. Some SGBs have demonstrated resistance to embracing worldwide human rights norms and requirements, arguing that the UNGPs are non-binding and apply solely to business actors, whereas sports activities organisations are principally non-profit organisations with a excessive diploma of autonomy. Others have chosen a unique path, changing into pioneers in making use of the UNGPs not solely to Mega Sporting Occasions (MSEs), but additionally to their insurance policies, governance mechanisms and operations. Lately, two complementary developments have been noticed: the UNGPs have turn out to be more and more crystallised in instances and laws in a lot of jurisdictions and States have intervened in sports-related points on the idea of their responsibility to guard affected teams the place nationwide sports activities our bodies haven’t complied with worldwide human rights norms and requirements. Reasonably than presenting a problem to the world of sport, embracing human rights duties ought to be seen as a possibility to underpin the worth of sport, retain the belief of stakeholders and preserve a social license to function beneath the dedication to a accountable autonomy.