Athletes must be able to speak out about rights abuses such as racism and discrimination without fear of reprisals, UN human rights chief Volker Turk insisted on Monday ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Turk noted the importance of the Games' imminent start on 26 July. "Unfortunately, they will take place against a backdrop of war. In this context, he praised the courage of athletes who highlight human rights violations.

The UN President spoke at the UN Human Rights Council alongside Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). During the debate, Russia reacted angrily to its exclusion from Paris 2024 over the Ukraine conflict. It accused the IOC of "dirty tactics" and "collective punishment" of its athletes. Turk responded to the Russian accusations by saying: "Sport, like human rights, promotes fairness, respect and equal opportunities.

"Some worrying issues are more visible than others: racist or sexist incidents, abuse, violence against women, corruption; discrimination based on religion or religious dress, disability, nationality or sexual orientation and gender identity," he said. Turk pointed to an unprecedented event that could be significant and change the course of the future: The conviction in Spain last month of three football fans for racially abusing Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian footballer won the case and may have set a precedent in this area.

The leader highlighted that more and more athletes are speaking out and daring to denounce injustice. "This takes enormous courage and must be honoured," he said. "There must be support and protection for these athletes", he said. 

However, Bach said the IOC could not solve "human rights issues that generations of politicians have failed to resolve". "It has never been more important to build inclusive communities in these divisive times, with wars and conflicts on the rise. Sport is the low-cost, high-impact tool for all countries to do this," he said.

Russia insisted on denouncing 'discrimination'. It is worth remembering that Russia violated the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, within a week of the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Games. The IOC duly sanctioned Moscow and its ally Belarus.

Russia's representative on the Human Rights Council also spoke out. He said: "Athletes from some countries are being 'illegally banned' for 'geopolitical reasons'. He also accused the IOC of "double standards, segregation and discrimination based on nationality", calling it a "violation of basic human rights".

"The leadership of the IOC and Western countries are not shying away from the dirtiest tactics: bribery, threats and blackmail in their efforts to eliminate Russian and Belarusian sport," he said.
First the UN president spoke, then the IOC president, and the opinions of the parties involved, such as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, were also heard.

The Ukrainian representative replied: "Russia has killed more than 450 Ukrainian athletes, including world champions", while the Russian military has "destroyed more than 500 sports facilities" in Ukraine.

From Ukraine to Gaza. The Palestinian delegation was also heard, speaking about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and accusing Israel of violating the Olympic Charter. "We call on the IOC to expel Israeli apartheid from the Paris Olympic Games," he said. "We call on all member states to refuseto participate in any event where Israeli apartheid is present," he concluded.