TEPSA has coordinated a study requested by the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI). The study, requested as part of a workshop on “Large Sporting Events: Human Rights as a Game Changer”, was authored by Daniela Heerdt, Researcher at Tilburg Law School and independent consultant in the field of sport and human rights. The study is entitled “Legal responsibilities for promoting human rights and preventing human rights abuses in relation to large sporting events”.
This briefing analyses existing bidding and hosting regulations, mapping the various actors involved in delivering large sports events and their responsibilities. While it is a positive development that sports bodies have introduced human rights criteria into these regulations, there are numerous shortcomings regarding their scope and enforceability. In response, six recommendations are made on how the European Union and Member States can support the promotion of human rights through large sporting events, ensure the prevention of human rights abuses in the context of these events and improve access to remedy whenever human rights abuses occur.