Episode 27: Sports & Rights Season – Who Can Hold the Sports World Accountable? Artwork

The Keeper: A Human Rights Podcast

Hosted by Lantos Foundation President, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, The Keeper features in depth conversations about the most pressing matters of human rights and justice around the world and welcomes some of the most important human rights figures of our time as guests.The Keeper takes its name from the personal conviction of the Lantos Foundation's namesake Congressman Tom Lantos, fully lived out in his own life, that we have a moral and ethical obligation to be our brother and sister’s keeper. This guiding principle led Congressman Lantos to found the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and use his eloquence, leadership, and personal passion to advocate fiercely on behalf of those whose human rights were being trampled in every corner of the world.

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The Keeper: A Human Rights Podcast

Episode 27: Sports & Rights Season – Who Can Hold the Sports World Accountable?

December 13, 2024 • The Lantos Foundation • Episode 27

Episode Notes

In the last episode of our Sports & Rights season, we dove into the subject of sportswashing and the nefarious use of sports as soft power. At the end of that episode, we posed a few questions: Who plays a role in ensuring that sports aren’t just about profits over power? Who can guarantee that human rights get their due in these huge, lucrative businesses? In this episode, we try to answer those questions by talking to athletes, activists, and experts in sports ethics. We also touch on recent events, such as FIFA accepting Saudia Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup, which underscore just how important the topic of sports and human rights continues to be.

We’ll be back soon with our final episode of this season!

Sport & Rights Alliance

“We did not help build women’s tennis to have it exploited by Saudia Arabia,” Opinion by Chris Evert and Martin Navratilova, The Washington Post

“Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup – a controversial pick,” NPR News

Producers: Chelsea Hedquist, Brittany Smith

Audio editor: Brittany Smith

Music: Riorr by Audiorezout