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Major sports events, such as the Olympic Games, should be targeted by the media and used as a catalyst to highlight human rights abuses in host countries, according to a new report from a German University.

Researchers at the Institute of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies (IESD) at the German Sport University in Cologne claimed that not enough scrutiny is levelled at the hosts of major events - especially after the event is over.

IESD’s researchers Karen Petry and Till Müller-Schoell analysed press coverage before, during and after the three major sports events in 2014 - the Sochi Olympics, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Their findings in the Children’s Rights and Mega Sporting Events in 2014 report show that the UK rated the highest of 12 countries assessed for quantity of human rights coverage, while Russia came last – despite hosting the Sochi Games.

Russia’s coverage of human rights issues connected to sports events comprised only 0.49% of the total analysed.

The Netherlands, the smallest country sampled and one which didn’t host a major event, produced 10.04% of all coverage.

The report also suggests that while at its highest in the two to five month-period before the events, coverage of human rights issues dies out afterwards almost completely.

Petry suggested “it seems to be a general pattern that attention for human rights and children’s rights issues increases and peaks directly before major events.

“But it drops during the events and vanishes afterwards. This trend may suggest more work needs to be done to ensure that coverage and scrutiny of these events continue in the months - and even years - after they take place.”

The analysis was conducted on behalf of Terre des Hommes – an international children's rights charity - in connection with its Children Win campaign, which highlights the impact of major sports event on children. The campaign calls on sports governing bodies to ensure that these events do not cause or exacerbate child rights violations in their local communities.

The publication of the report was planned to coincide with celebrations to mark one year until the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Click here to read the full Children’s Rights and Mega Sporting Events in 2014 report.

Image courtesy of Sport Without Borders.

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