Olympic Host Cities Hosting Human Rights Abuses: The International Olympic Committee's Moral Responsibility (2016)

Undergraduate: Amanda Sztein

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Weiler
Department: Economics

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The International Olympic Committee has a great deal of global influence and as such has a moral obligation to protect human rights of athletes, journalists and host city residents. While this responsibility is purported in the Committee's Charter, it is largely ignored. This work analyzes human rights infractions in the 2008 Beijing Games, 2012 Sochi Games and 2012 London Games to assert inclusion of human rights in host city selection and contract enforcement. The Olympic Games are a unique opportunity to set an example for other sporting mega-events, including the FIFA World Cup. The Committee can be a catalyst for human rights improvement in a similar fashion to the European Union's role during the eastern expansion of 2004-2007. In the past, the Committee has declared themselves apolitical, a statement contradictory to the Olympics' role in nearly all global conflicts, including apartheid, the Cold War and World War II. The economic, political and cultural investment inherent in hosting the Olympic Games can be a breeding ground for either great improvements in human rights regimes or a breeding ground for rights abuses. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games will be a tipping point for health, safety, speech and privacy aspects of human rights, especially given the recent surge of global terrorism. It is vital that the International Olympic Committee enacts human rights policies consistent with their own Charter's rhetoric- and soon.