Could you tell us about yourself and about the activities of the institution you represent?
Guido: The Centre for Sport and Human Rights is a dedicated human rights organisation for the world of sport. Our mission is to advance a sporting environment that fully respects and promotes human rights—by raising awareness, building capacity, and driving meaningful impact across the global sports ecosystem. As Head of Partnerships and Institutional Affairs, my role is centered on building strategic bridges across the sport movement—whether with federations, NGOs, governments, the private sector, or international institutions. I work to initiate and strengthen collaborations that advance the sport movement toward a more responsible, inclusive, and values-driven model of sport.
Daniela: As Senior Advisor Research and Education and Senior Project Lead Remedy, I coordinate the Centre’s research and education activities, in the form of setting up and creating content for the Global Sport and Human Rights Academy and maintaining the Global Sport and Human Rights Research network, with the goal to bridge research and practice. I also lead the projects we do on access to remedy, such as the ‘Roadmap to Remedy’ project, to support sport bodies in understanding and acting upon their responsibilities to provide access to remedy when human rights have been harmed and help build a more just world of sport.
How do you see the relationships between sports and our discipline of education on human rights and democracy and also with the academic research in the field?
Daniela: Human rights apply to every aspect of life, meaning that they also apply in the world of sport, and to the people within that world. That is individuals who attend their local clubs’ sport practice every week, or participate as referees or other type of volunteers in matches or tournaments that are organized, but also professional athletes that show up to their daily routines and check-ups. They as well are human beings first and athletes second.
Furthermore, if you look at the values that sport promotes, you will find that many of these values are very closely linked to human rights. In most statutes of sport federations you will find references to fundamental values such as respect, equality, or unity, and most statues of international federations and many national ones have specific provisions on non-discrimination. Also sport’s impact and legacy, are linked to human rights in the way that sport is trying to create lasting benefits for a community. Similarly, sport integrity issues, and many of the relevant policies and regulations, deal with questions that can and need to be assessed from a human rights-based approach, in addition to the sporting perspective. And also the way sport develops, and how it is used for development, and development and peace, has links to the respect for and the promotion and protection of human rights.
So while this shows that there is an inherent link between sport and human rights, it is important that we understand this link both in a positive and negative dimension. While on the one hand, many of the issues that sport is struggling with are examples of its negative human rights impacts, on the other hand, sport offers a great platform to promote human rights and other values like democracy, not just to raise awareness, but to actually break down barriers and fight inequalities. It is often said that sport is a mirror of society, meaning that societal issues are reflected in sports. But this mirror actually works both ways, and sport can lead by example and be a place for trying to solve these issues and reflect lessons learned into wider society.
And for that, we need research as well as education. We already know a lot about how sport and human rights are linked, but we need more data to keep building our work on a solid evidence base that highlights the positive and negative dimension to keep driving change.
You had participated in the 8th online GC Global Campus of Human Rights conversation caring for generating a foundational reflection, study and debate for the near future. In your opinion what will be the most important challenges we will need to address in the near future in the sports field and how human rights defenders, activists and professionals of our network could contribute?
Guido: In my view, the major challenge sport faces today is avoiding its instrumentalization in complex geopolitical situations—where it risks becoming a vehicle for nationalism, hate, and violence. Linking sport to the international human rights framework is key to preserving its true promise: unity, inclusion, and respect. But here lies the opportunity. Sport has a unique ability to rise above geopolitical tensions and serve as a platform for peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding. In a divided world, it remains one of the few spaces where people from different backgrounds can come together through shared values like fair play, perseverance, and respect.
When used wisely, sport can challenge divisive nationalism and promote a healthier sense of identity rooted in dignity and solidarity. It can give voice to the marginalized, spotlight global issues, and build bridges where politics often fail. The task, then, is not just to shield sport from misuse—but to unlock its full potential as a force for positive change.
Initiatives such as the GC Conversation help all actors involved recognize the important role they play in showcasing the power of responsible sport, enabling it to serve as a true catalyst for sustainable development.
Any particular projects that you have in your heart also for the activities of the Center that you would like to share with us?
Guido: Joining forces with relevant institutions, such as the Global Campus, on campaigns that combine arts, visuals, human rights, and responsible sport is a very promising project we are currently working on. In general, one of the most rewarding aspects of our work is when engagement and trust-building lead to honest conversations about the internal and external barriers that prevent organisations from taking certain steps. This openness enables us to develop projects focused on finding solutions, create joint strategies, meaningfully engage all stakeholders, and build internal capacity to mitigate risks.
Could you give a message to students, professors, partners and staff of our more than 100 Universities of our academic network of the Global Campus of Human Rights?
Daniela: If we agree that education research is essential for building a strong evidence base to drive meaningful change, then it’s clear that universities and academic networks have a vital role to play in shaping a better sporting world. We need these institutions to foster innovation in responsible sport practices—through research, experimentation, and by setting an example of how sport can fully respect human rights.
Just as importantly, universities are key to disseminating the knowledge and insights gained from such research to the broader world of sport. We should also make a more conscious effort to engage students—especially student-athletes, coaches, and staff—not only to raise awareness but also to include their perspectives in shaping the future of sport.
Furthermore, there is significant room for improvement when it comes to integrating sport and human rights into relevant educational programmes and learning formats—whether through courses, workshops, debates, case studies, field trips, or other methods.
In my view, education is one of the most powerful and sustainable ways to advance the sport and human rights movement. I’ve had the privilege of leading numerous initiatives to develop programmes, courses, masterclasses, teaching materials, and more in this space. It’s exciting to witness the steady growth of this field, with an increasing number of courses being offered to explore the connection between sport and human rights—especially sport’s responsibility to respect and protect those rights.
For me, there is no better place to drive this movement forward than within the university setting.
For more information contact our Communications and Press Offices:
Elisa Aquino – Isotta Esposito – Carlotta Brunetta
pressoffice@gchumanrights.org - communications@gchumanrights.org
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