Play Fair: Embedding Children’s Rights in Sport.

Despite the transformative power of sport in children's lives, it remains a space where many children face heightened risks of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This presentation critically examines the persistent gaps in the protection and promotion of children's rights within sport and calls for urgent, systemic alignment with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at all levels of sport, local, national, and international.

It argues that children involved in sport must be recognised first and foremost as rights-holders, not merely athletes, beneficiaries, or performers. Yet, across many sporting organisations, children's rights remain marginalised or inadequately understood. As such, there is a pressing need to mainstream children's rights within governance, policy, practice, and accountability structures across the entire sporting ecosystem.

The presentation also explores the application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) (the Ruggie Principles) in the context of sport. It emphasises the corporate responsibility of sporting bodies, sponsors, and other actors to respect human rights, including the specific rights of children. From safeguarding to participation, from remedy to transparency, this paper will outline a framework for giving real and practical effect to these principles, ensuring that the sport sector no longer overlooks its responsibilities toward children.