Athletes’ rights
Athletes' Rights Declarations Explained: The IOC Declaration and Independent Athlete Charters
The IOC Athletes' Rights and Responsibilities Declaration is the Olympic Movement's athletes' rights declaration: a document of 12 aspirational rights and 10 responsibilities adopted by the 133rd IOC Session in Buenos Aires on 9 October 2018. It is one of several athlete-rights texts that differ in who wrote them, what they cover and whether they can be enforced.
What does the IOC Athletes' Rights and Responsibilities Declaration contain?
The Declaration describes itself as developed by athletes for athletes through a worldwide consultation process. It outlines a common set of aspirational rights and responsibilities for athletes within the Olympic Movement, is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and aims to guide the Olympic Movement's actions.
Its wording is deliberately soft. All members of the Movement, particularly the IOC, international federations and National Olympic Committees, 'will strive to promote respect' for the rights, and they are encouraged to develop mechanisms for effective remedies. Athletes are encouraged to use those mechanisms.
Which rights and responsibilities does it list?
The rights range from non-discrimination and a clean, transparent sporting environment to privacy, freedom of expression and due process. The responsibilities include upholding Olympic values, competing clean and not manipulating competitions, and acting in accordance with the IOC Code of Ethics, including reporting unethical behaviour. The fifth responsibility asks athletes to respect others and to refrain from political demonstration in competitions, competition venues and ceremonies.
Other responsibilities cover complying with applicable national laws and the rules of competitions and of the Olympic Charter, acting as a role model by promoting clean sport, participating in hearings and giving truthful testimony when requested, and taking part in athlete representatives' elections.
| No. | Right, summarised |
|---|---|
| 1 | Compete without discrimination |
| 2 | A transparent, fair and clean sporting environment |
| 3 | Timely and clear access to information |
| 4 | Education and the option to work or study while training |
| 5 | Opportunities to generate income from name and likeness, within rules |
| 6 | Fair and equal gender representation |
| 7 | Protection of mental and physical health and from abuse and harassment |
| 8 | Elected athlete representation |
| 9 | Report unethical behaviour without fear of retaliation |
| 10 | Privacy and protection of personal information |
| 11 | Freedom of expression |
| 12 | Due process, a fair hearing and an effective remedy |
Source: Athletes' Rights and Responsibilities Declaration, IOC, 2018
What is its status under the Olympic Charter?
The Olympic Charter in force from October 2023 lists, among the tasks of the IOC Session, adopting or amending the Declaration upon recommendation of the Athletes' Commission and promoting respect for it within the Olympic Movement. The Declaration therefore sits inside the IOC's own governance framework rather than outside it.
The Declaration's own closing line states that it was presented to and adopted by the 133rd IOC Session in Buenos Aires on behalf of the Olympic Movement, and the document carries the date 2018.10.09. Its text does not set out a sanction or complaint procedure of its own, leaving remedies to mechanisms that Movement members are encouraged to develop.
How have athlete groups responded?
In a letter dated 2 October 2018, signatories including AthletesCAN, the British Athletes Commission, the DOSB Athletes' Commission, the Track and Field Athletes Association and the USOC Athletes' Advisory Council asked the IOC to postpone adoption. They said that definitions of rights and access to remedies were limited and unclear, and called for a human rights policy grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The letter also raised process concerns. It said that stakeholder engagement and transparency were lacking, that the signatories had been refused access to the most recent draft, and that the steering committee was not seen as representing the broader athlete community. It asked for review by human and labour rights experts and said the process could not be rushed in under a year.
Independent texts took a different route. The World Players Association unveiled the Universal Declaration of Player Rights on 14 December 2017, presented as a standard against which international sports bodies can measure their duties to protect, respect and guarantee players' rights.
Global Athlete, an athlete-led movement, has published surveys and statements rather than a codified declaration on the pages the desk reviewed. Its survey on athlete rights, welfare and representation, launched in September 2019 and released on 24 February 2020, drew 491 athletes from 48 countries. Top concerns were verbal abuse, unfair team selection and fear of retaliation, and respondents wanted half of the voting power in sporting bodies on rules that affect them.
Its statements ground freedom of expression in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the same instrument that the IOC Declaration names as its inspiration. In a statement of 3 January 2020 Global Athlete wrote that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and that sport rules should not have the ability to limit it.
