Members of the media watch as the Olympic Flame is transported to Japan, at Haneda international airport in Tokyo on March 18, 2020. CPJ recently joined a call for transparency and press freedom at the Olympics and other major sporting events. (Reuters/Issei Kato)
Members of the media watch as the Olympic Flame is transported to Japan, at Haneda international airport in Tokyo on March 18, 2020. CPJ recently joined a call for transparency and press freedom at the Olympics and other major sporting events. (Reuters/Issei Kato)

CPJ joins call for transparency in Olympics and other sport events amid COVID-19

The Sport and Rights Alliance, a coalition of non-governmental organizations co-founded by the Committee to Protect Journalists, issued a statement on March 20 calling on global sports organizations to maintain high standards of transparency and press accessibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic as assessments are made around sporting events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The statement sets out guiding principles for conducting sporting events during the pandemic, including a respect for human rights, a wide decision-making process, and that people are entitled to high-quality information and a free press. It states that the free flow of information is necessary “in order to enable especially athletes preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to draw their own conclusions regarding ongoing investment in training efforts.”

The statement addresses the International Olympic Committee and other global sport organizations, and was co-signed by the World Players Association, a coalition of athletes’ organizations. CPJ is a founding member of the Sport and Rights Alliance, and sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, which includes the International Olympic Committee, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), and other major sporting bodies.

The statement can be read here.