Thirteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

From the Berlin Games (1936) to those of Beijing (2022) through those of Moscow (1980) or those of Sochi (2014), the history of the Olympic movement has been marked by the granting of the organization of the Olympic Games to host cities located in countries whose respect of human rights is questioned. In the context of more global criticism, the International Olympic Committee has adopted the 2020+5 agenda, which aims to adopt several corrective measures to improve respect for human rights. This has resulted in the inclusion of a clause in the contract between the city of Paris and the IOC for the organization of the 2024 summer games. In this sense, article 13.2 of the host city contract aims at a general respect of human rights and explicitly targets the prohibition of discrimination and the fight against corruption. An interesting element is the reference to “in a manner consistent with international agreements, laws and regulations applicable in the Host Country and consistent with all internationally recognized standards and principles, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, applicable in the Host Country”. Moreover, this paper is the first in the chapter devoted to “essential conditions”, which indicates a certain importance given to these issues. The objective of our study is to question this practice and its effectiveness.