By Abosede Olasupo
For fear of counterattack, the UN human rights chief insisted Monday ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Volker Turk said the Games, which begin on July 26, would be taking place against a backdrop of wars, and praised the courage of athletes who highlight rights violations.
But during the successive debate, Russia lashed out at its exclusion from Paris 2024 over its war in Ukraine, accusing the IOC of “sordid tactics” and “collective punishment” of its athletes.
Sports, like human rights, promote fairness, respect and equal opportunities, Turk told the rights council in Geneva.However, sports were not immune from human rights challenges, including during landmark events like the Olympics, he noted.
“Some frightening issues are more detectable than others: racist or sexist incidents, abuse, violence against women, corruption; discrimination on the basis of religion or religious attire, disability, nationality or sexual orientation and gender identity,” he said.
But Turk said significant progress had been made, citing the sentencing in Spain last month of three football fans for racially abusing Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
Turk said athletes were increasingly speaking out, either because they had been subjected to human rights violations themselves or were attacking systemic injustice.
“This takes enormous courage and must be respected,” he said.
These athletes must be assisted and protected… by ensuring that they have avenues to speak out and seek redress safely and without fear of counterattack.
”Bach however said the IOC could not solve human rights issues which generations of politicians had been unable to fix.
That said, “in these estranging times, with wars and conflicts on the rise, it has never been more important to build inclusive communities. Sport is the low-cost, high-impact tool for all countries to do this,” he said.