NI Sport & Human Rights Forum explores mega sporting events and human rights

The NI Sport & Human Rights Forum met on 29th June to explore mega sporting events and their impact on human rights, in the context of two major sporting events taking place in the summer of 2026. Expert speakers from sporting institutions, universities, human rights groups and supporter clubs shared in the discussion with Forum members. The Forum is chaired by Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland, with Conal Heatley, CEO of CGNI, welcoming attendees to the meeting and introducing the topic.

The first speaker was Zara Grant, PhD researcher from the University of the West of Scotland who is embedded at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Zara gave a presentation on her work at the Games, focusing on social impact and the key impact drivers including delivering a greener more inclusive event, where everyone feels involved. Zara also highlighted their human rights working group, which created a human rights statement for the 2026 Games. 

The Forum then heard from Shubham Jain, Research Fellow at the Centre for Sport & Human Rights. Shubham provided an overview of the 'Conference on Reparatory Justice in and through Sport' that CSHR is hosting at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026, in partnership with Commonwealth Sport and the UN Human Rights Office, inviting Members to take part. The conference will explore how sport can acknowledge, understand, repair, and address the ongoing consequences of historical injustices, such as colonialism, slavery, and human rights violations in and through sport.

Dr Callum McCloskey, Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland, followed with a presentation on his recent academic work, ‘Institutionalising human rights in sports mega events: a case study of the United 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup’. Callum talked about the tumultuous relationship between mega sporting events and human rights, giving examples of how corporate interests are being prioritised over human rights concerns.

Following this, the Forum heard from Football Supporters Europe, a supporters club representing 53 UEFA nations. James Flanagan, Disability and Inclusion Fan Network Coordinator, spoke about some of the barriers faced by fans in relation to the World Cup 2026, as well as Football Supporters Europe’s work in and around mega-sporting football events.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Alyson Kilpatrick, commented:

“This meeting of the NI Sport and Human Rights Forum has come at a crucial time, with two mega sporting events taking place in the summer of 2026 for which human rights concerns were anticipated before they had even begun. 

The human rights implications surrounding mega sporting events have been clearly explained in this meeting, from the role of sport in recognising and addressing historical injustices like colonialism and slavery, to the human rights violations faced by migrant workers at mega sporting events, and the social impact on local residents and the communities where these events take place.  

It was encouraging to see such a topical and important subject explored in this Forum meeting, and to hear from the speakers about their areas of work in ensuring human rights is kept on the agenda at mega sporting events. I would like to extend my thanks to them for their time and valuable insights, and to all Forum members for engaging in the topic.”

ENDS

To sign up for updates or to attend the next NI Sport and Human Rights Forum, please email info@nihrc.org. 

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