In response, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) has launched its refreshed Responsible Sport Strategy 2026–2030, setting out an ambitious roadmap to ensure that respect for human rights becomes embedded within the day-to-day operations of sport rather than remaining an aspirational commitment.

A Sector at a Tipping Point

The strategy arrives at a time when sport faces increasing scrutiny from athletes, fans, sponsors, governments and investors. CSHR argues that while sport has enormous power to unite communities, inspire participation and promote social progress, many organisations still underestimate the human rights risks associated with their activities. Fragmented governance structures, overlapping responsibilities and a lingering belief that sport is inherently positive have often allowed these risks to remain hidden.

As Dr Epsy Campbell Barr, Honorary Chair of CSHR and former Vice-President of Costa Rica, notes in the strategy foreword:

“The question is not whether sport can inspire; we know it can. The question is whether sport at all levels will seize this moment to demonstrate what responsible leadership looks like.”

From Governance to Event Delivery

Rather than attempting to address every issue individually, the strategy concentrates on the two areas where decisions have the greatest impact on people: sport governance and event hosting. These are the places where power is exercised, policies are established and accountability is either strengthened or weakened.

The Centre’s approach is grounded in internationally recognised standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Sporting Chance Principles. The aim is to ensure that human rights due diligence, stakeholder engagement and access to remedy become routine elements of sporting operations, from grassroots participation through to major international events.

Five Priorities for Responsible Sport

At the heart of the strategy are five interconnected priorities designed to drive systemic change by 2030:

• Raise Awareness of human rights risks and responsibilities across sport.
• Build Collaboration between governing bodies, commercial partners, governments, athletes and civil society.
• Drive Implementation through practical tools, guidance and training.
• Shape the Agenda by addressing emerging risks and opportunities.
• Sustain an Enduring Institution capable of supporting long-term progress across the sector.

Particular attention is given to athlete welfare, the continued growth of women’s sport, non-discrimination and ensuring that affected communities have a meaningful voice in decisions that impact them.

Creating a Space for Collective Action

Alongside the strategy launch, the Centre has also unveiled the Responsible Sport Council, a new multi-stakeholder platform intended to translate commitments into practical action. The Council brings together sports bodies, event hosts, commercial partners, governments, trade unions, civil society organisations and international institutions around a shared commitment to responsible sport.

Importantly, the Council is not designed as a networking forum or endorsement vehicle. Instead, it aims to provide a structured environment where organisations can engage in frank, evidence-based discussions about some of sport’s most difficult challenges. Topics range from labour exploitation and athlete welfare to discrimination, censorship, sponsorship ethics, environmental impacts, data privacy and the rights of refugees and people with disabilities.

In many respects, the Council may prove to be one of the most significant elements of the Centre’s new strategy. While frameworks and policies are essential, meaningful progress often depends on creating spaces where organisations can learn from one another, challenge existing practices and collectively develop solutions to systemic problems.

From Aspirational to Operational

At the heart of the Responsible Sport strategy is a simple but powerful objective: making human rights operational. By 2030, the Centre envisions a sport ecosystem in which human rights protections are recognised as fundamental to legitimacy and sustainability, where participatory governance reduces fragmentation and where prevention of harm and access to remedy are embedded throughout the sporting landscape.

Mary Harvey, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, believes achieving that vision will require collaboration across the entire sector.

For sport, the challenge is no longer understanding why human rights matter. The challenge is embedding them into governance structures, event planning, commercial partnerships and everyday decision-making. The launch of both the Responsible Sport Strategy and the Responsible Sport Council signals an important shift in focus—from awareness to implementation, from principles to practice, and from promises to accountability.

If successful, the next chapter of sport’s sustainability journey may be defined not by what organisations say they stand for, but by how consistently they protect and respect the people who make sport possible.