Leaders gathered in London to assess sport’s human‑rights agenda and forge practical solutions.
The Sporting Chance Forum 2026 took place on 10 and 11 November at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium in London. Co-hosted by the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) and Sky Group, the two-day gathering brought together senior figures from sport, government, business and civil society to examine the state of the sport-human-rights agenda.
Participants included former heads of state, CEOs of major media firms, sports federation officials and human-rights advocates. The forum’s remit was to take stock of real progress, confront hard challenges and shape concrete, actionable solutions that can be implemented across the global sport ecosystem.
Opening day: setting the tone
The conference opened with a plenary session that underscored the intertwined nature of sport and human rights. Speakers highlighted that sport can be a powerful vehicle for social change, yet it also carries risks of exploitation, discrimination and forced labour.
The session used the definition of responsible sport as a framework for subsequent debates, emphasizing accountability, inclusion and sustainability.
Key voices and their messages
Among the most prominent figures was Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and founding patron of CSHR. Robinson called for a “global charter” that would embed human-rights standards into every tier of sport governance. Dana Strong, Group CEO of Sky plc, announced a multi-year funding commitment to amplify human-rights storytelling across Sky’s platforms.
Laura McAllister, UEFA Vice-President, outlined the federation’s new policy on gender equality and highlighted pilot programmes aimed at increasing women’s participation in leadership roles. Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association and board member of FIFPRO, stressed the importance of protecting athletes’ labour rights, especially in lower-tier leagues where contracts are often opaque.
Other notable contributors included Ebru Köksal of the European Football Clubs Foundation, who presented a roadmap for club-level human-rights due diligence, and Decius Chipande, head of the African Union Sports Council, who shared insights on leveraging sport for post-conflict reconciliation in Africa.
Concrete topics tackled
The agenda covered a spectrum of issues: climate justice, forced labour, gender parity, and the legacy of major tournaments. Seán McCabe, head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemian FC, illustrated how clubs can integrate carbon-reduction targets into their operational models. John Morrison of the World Economic Forum’s Global Data Partnership highlighted a new data-sharing platform designed to track forced-labour indicators in supply chains linked to sport merchandise.
Brazil’s Raquel Ribeiro, General Coordinator for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, discussed the tournament’s commitment to gender-responsive procurement and community-engagement strategies. Meanwhile, Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reminded attendees that the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights remain the benchmark for all sport-related enterprises.
Outcomes and the road ahead
By the close of day one, participants had drafted a set of “priority actions” to be refined on day two. These include a pledge to adopt standardized human-rights impact assessments for all major sport events, the creation of an inter-sectoral task force chaired by CSHR, and a commitment to publish an annual transparency report on progress.
The final session emphasized collaboration between broadcasters, clubs, federations and governments. With Sky’s media reach, UEFA’s regulatory authority, and the UN’s normative framework, the forum positioned itself as a catalyst for systemic change. The second day promised breakout workshops to translate the high-level commitments into sector-specific implementation plans.
