A/79/299 I. Introduction 1. Sports are an important aspect of our common lives. As the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights has noted: “Sports, like human rights, are a common language of humanity. At their core, they both promote fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for all. They both have transformative power, to trigger societal change, to inspire and promote inclusion.” 1 2. Yet, for a long time, and notwithstanding their important positive effects, neither the language nor the standards of human rights have been adequately and comprehensively used in sports. This is partly due to the nature of sport, which pushes mental and physical limits, to the tight bonding between sports associations, which discourages external scrutiny, and to very broad understandings of the doctrines of “autonomy of sport” and “sports neutrality”. Recently, louder voices calling for more inclusive sport, concerns about persistent discriminatory practices and human rights abuses in the context of mega-sporting events, and the strengthening of human rights norms, including for businesses and companies, have redirected focus to the interface of sports and human rights. 3. It is important to adopt a human rights-based approach to sports. Sports are subject to human rights standards and States have legal obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights in sport. In its resolution 54/25, the Human Rights Council called for a world of sports free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Both the High Commissioner and the Deputy High Commissioner have recently noted ongoing human rights violations in sport an d called for greater scrutiny. 2 4. The rightful place of sport must be acknowledged, as part of our cultural life, with activities and events that impact cultural agendas, institutions and structures within and across States. The right to participate in sports, whether grass -roots, amateur, professional, or elite, 3 falls firmly within the scope of cultural rights, defined as rights relating to identities and ways of life. It is imperative that a cultural rights approach be used to discuss bias in sport, examine who sits at the table to decide on what directions should be taken in sport, who benefits from sport, who suffers from harm, and how to mitigate the risks of human rights violations in a culturally appropriate manner and strengthen the benefits that sports can have for individuals and societies. 5. Focusing on sports confirms the importance of defining the term “cultural rights” broadly. The mandate in the field of cultural rights has, since its establishment, considered culture to consist of values, beliefs, convictions, languages and knowledge, and the arts, institutions and ways of life through which people, individually and in community with others, as well as groups of people, develop and express their humanity, their world view and the meanings they give to their existence. Sports are undeniably part of culture so defined. To exclude them would be to neglect their impact on identities and ways of life, and to harm individuals and communities. 6. In preparing the report, the Special Rapporteur held an expert consultation organized by Brunel University London, which she warmly thanks. 4 She also had __________________ 1 2 3 4 4/24 See www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/07/high-commissioner-addresses-panelpromoting-human-rights-through. See, respectively, www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/12/advancing-human-rightssports-can-catalyze-social-transformation and www.ohchr.org/en/statements-andspeeches/2023/07/sport-and-human-rights. Contribution of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights. The list of participants is on the webpage of the mandate at www.ohchr.org/en/calls-forinput/2024/call-input-right-participate-sports. 24-14354