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zero tolerance policies on racism in sport. On the subject of inter-agency cooperation, he
noted that there were common meetings where good governance was being discussed.
135. The representative of Greece welcomed the introduction of the theme on racism and
sport to the program of work of the Committee and referred to the country’s activities at
the Human Rights Council on the issue of promoting human rights through sport. She
specifically referred to the participation of Greece as one of the main sponsors of the
resolution “Promoting Human Rights through Sport and the Olympic Ideal” and to the
“Joint Statement on Sport and Human Rights” that Greece presented, together with China,
at the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council. She also stressed that Greece had set the
fight against racism as a top priority in its National Action Plan on Human Rights. The
delegate stated that the Advisory Committee would present a study on sport and human
rights during the 30th session in September. She also stressed that, especially on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of its adoption, the ICERD is an important instrument in
the universal efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate racism. She then queried if there was
existing cooperation between sport organisations on the issue of discrimination.
136. The representative of South Africa cautioned that it was inadvisable that the
suffering of victims be trivialized in the context of presentations to the Ad Hoc Committee.
The representative inquired about the high level business model in the United States where
white managers managed black players. She also queried in what ways players wearing a
head scarf could impede the sports matches.
137. Ms. Douglas agreed with the South African representative and illustrated that the
discussion on the issue of the hijab or head scarves became more salient after 9/11. The
expert highlighted the importance of questioning sporting rules and regulations, as the
agendas behind the rule and regulations are important to keep in mind. The expert also
expressed a danger in asserting the notion of universality in regulation, because the issues
being considered are not homogenous.
138. The representative of Ghana questioned if it may be a good practice to alert
audiences that discrimination was forbidden by printing such a statement on tickets. He
then noted that there were clear rules against racism in sport in many countries, but the
problem was enforcement and stated that education and related sectors needed to be
strengthened in order to address this important issue.
139. The representative of Argentina highlighted the efforts of the country against racism
and described the work of the Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el
Racismo (INADI) in the area of sport and racism. Additionally, the delegate explained
Argentina’s current efforts to conduct studies in the area of fan behaviour and racism in
sport.
140. The discussion on racism and sport continued at the 10th meeting of the Ad Hoc
Committee on 20 July. Gerd Dembowski, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Manager at
FIFA Sustainability Department, briefed the Committee on FIFA`s strategic approach and
actions on non-discrimination. He said that it was of importance that FIFA pursued a
strategic approach to combating racism in FIFA rather than acting on a case by case basis.
The strategy was based on the FIFA statutes, particularly Article 3 on non-discrimination.
All other existing FIFA codes drew from Article 3.
141. The strategic approach of FIFA to anti-discrimination had five main pillars:
Communications, Controls and Sanctions (individual bans, fines, and point deductions),
Education, Regulations, Networking and Cooperation. Only FIFA games and competitions
were covered. Currently, FIFA organised 860 games “on the road” to Russia.
142. The expert explained that while regulations and sanctions were important portions of
FIFA’s anti-discrimination strategy, but education was an equally vital aspect. He stated
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