Human rights
and sport  

A conference review 

by Andy Miah  

www.culturalolympics.org.uk  

Published :1999

Host to the Y2K Olympic  Games, Bondi Beach in  Sydney was host to another  first this year in September.  The International  

Conference, How you play  the Game: The Contribution  of Sport to the Promotion of  Human Rights represented  an important part in a  decade of educating in  Human Rights, and a  decade of sport that has  epitomised concerns unique  to and reflective of social,  human enterprise and  dilemma.  

Hosted by the Human Rights  Council of Australia, the meeting  was the first of its kind, bringing  together sports men and women,  victims of human rights abuse,  academics, activists, sports  organisations and administrators  and that have contributed toward  human rights.  

The conference began on 1st  September with a welcome  message from the custodians  upon whose land the conference  was based, Bondi Beach.  

Members of the tribe greeted  delegates with ceremonial  dancing, which was received  with great respect. It had been  the ambition of the conference to  play host to the Millennium Stars  soccer team. Many of the squad  of 15 teenagers, aged 13 – 16 were  child soldiers during the Liberian  civil war between 1990 and 1997,  some of them forced to fight from  as young as eight years old.

The  Stars are now united by football  and have been able to put their  terrible past behind them, finding  the teamwork and co-operation  required by football a means by  which they can celebrate their  youth and forget their horrific  wartime experiences.  

However, sadly the children were  denied a visa for Australia and  were thus, unable to attend the  conference. At present, the Stars  are in the UK, touring the  premier league soccer clubs.  Their message to the conference  was read in their place and was  both moving and heartfelt by all.  Despite all they had been  

through, their concern for human  life prevailed in their thoughts  and all who were present felt  deeply upset to have not had the opportunity to meet these  remarkable people. By way of a  gesture to these absent friends,  the conference attendance will  send an Australian Rules football  to the Stars along with a signed  club shirt of the Swans Australian  Rules team with good wishes and  hope for the future.  

The conference was officially  opened by the Hon. Sir William  Deane, Governor General of  Australia, whose introduction to  the meeting was a perfect  compliment to the aboriginal  welcomes; together demonstrating the embracing  nature of the meeting.  

Throughout the three days of  lectures, various themes for the  conference were of interest that  reflected the interconnectedness  of human rights and sport.  Critical to the people of Sydney  was the way in which the 2000  Games would impact upon the  social climate and priorities of the  city and its people. Such  

concerns were informed by  papers that spoke about previous  Games and the bidding process  itself, the South African bid to  host the Games given by  Charlene Houston of the   Development Action Group in  South Africa most notable.  Throughout the bidding process,  it was made quite clear that the  rights of the host city’s residents  are, unacceptably, not always the  first priority for local  governments.  

Such concerns are furthered by  questions over the financial  benefits of hosting the Games  given the need to ensure a  programme of use and maintenance of the event facilities  after the games have taken place.  Nevertheless, the potential for  financial and social benefits from  hosting the Olympic Games were  well recognised.  

Of particular interest to  philosophers were themes of  Olympism, drug use, and the  ethics of sport. The ideals of   Olympism, brought into sharp  focus by the recent scandals of  corruption within the  International Olympic Committee  (IOC), were seen to reflect the  increased commercialisation and  professionalism within competitive sport.  

Despite purporting to bring  nations and people  together, concerns were  raised about whether sports  also serve to discriminate  against various peoples  

The very autonomy and independence of such mega events to be insensitive to  anything beyond producing the  spectacle for the world to see,  were argued as being  unacceptably so. Despite  purporting to bring nations and  people together, concerns were   raised about whether sports also  serve to discriminate against  various peoples, the Indigenous  and Gay Games of particular  interest.  

Drug use within competitive  sport has been of interest to sport  philosophers for many years.  Throughout the last couple of  decades, with the marked  concern that drug use and doping  methods are pervasive of the  athlete community, the question  of whether governing bodies  ought to prevent or deter athletes  from such methods of  performance enhancement has  arisen frequently.  

Furthermore, how governing  bodies go about ensuring athletes  are not ‘cheating’, brings into  focus that the organisation of  sport can make demands on  athletes that, outside of sport,  might be deemed unacceptable.  Thus, the taking of urine and  blood samples from athletes  bears directly on the privacy of  an athlete, such ideas furthered  by the prospect of genetic  enhancement and whether  governing bodies would be  entitled to require athletes to  disclose their genetic pattern.  

Questions concerning the ethical  status of sport were of key  interest to the delegates, with  papers discussing sexual   harassment and coach/athlete  relationships, fan (and athlete)  violence, the exploitation of child  athletes, and the racial prejudice  that is apparent within many  spectator sports. However,  throughout the conference it was  shared by all that such concerns  are most alarming since sport can  do so very much for the  expression and promotion of  human rights.  

This was made most clear by  Alwyn Morris’s keynote speech,  which spoke of his Olympic Gold  experience and his gesture for his  Mohawk people. Alwyn moved  the world in the 1984 Summer  Games when, upon receiving his  medal, he held aloft an eagle  feather to reflect his cultural,  aboriginal origins.  

This gesture spoke volumes to  the world, identifying that the  boundaries drawn by country do  not reflect sufficiently the world  of sport and all who participate  within it. Indeed, such a   statement is made most explicit  when recognising that the very  sports played within the Olympic  Games reflect a sophisticated  form of cultural bias.   

Of course, whether sports and  athletes should be used as some  political tool is also pertinent to  individual rights and liberties.  From one perspective, sport is an  environment separate from  society, operating within a micro society with its own rules, ethos,  and sanctions. However, with an  ever-increasing global and social  interest, sport seems torn from  such isolated roots.  

Thus, whilst such iconic figures  as basketball player Michael  Jordan and the British sprinter,  Linford Christie, can be seen as  being in a unique position to  further the interests of, for  example, the social standing of  black athletes, it must be   recognised that these individuals  are not sportspersons for their  being able to further such  interest; first and foremost they  are athletes, not black athletes.  

At the conclusion of the conference, the following  statement was drafted by  Professor Virginia Dandan from  the Philippines and read out to  the participants. Clive Linklater  from the First Nations in Canada  moved that it be adopted by the  conference and this was  approved by acclamation by  those present.  

"We, the participants of the First  International Conference on Sport  and Human Rights, recognize and  affirm that sport is inseparable from  human rights. We therefore resolve  to work individually and collectively with others towards the  

protection, promotion and  fulfilment of all human rights in  sport and through sport. We call on  the International Olympic  Committee to ensure that the Olympic Games and similar events  seek to promote and fulfil human  rights, and to establish a working  group to elaborate and adopt  

measures so the Olympic  movement can contribute to the  protection, promotion and fulfilment of all human rights."  

Links  

Human Rights Council of Australia:  http://www.aeo.com.au/hrca  

Opening Speech given by Sir  William Deane, Governor General of  Australia  

http://www.ozemail.com.au/%7Eh rca/Sir_William_Deane.htm  

Conference abstracts  

http://www.aeo.com.au/ABSTRAC T2.htm  

ABC Radio National Transcripts of  conference interviews  

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8. 30/sportsf/sstories/sf990910.htm