Strategy Aramco Houston Marathon Campaign In January 2024, HRF launched a campaign during the 2024 Houston Marathon to protest Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship of the half-marathon event. HRF was present on the ground engaging with attendees and athletes to raise awareness of the Saudi regime’s human rights abuses.
Strategy Empty Box HRF joined grassroots activists and concerned global citizens to urge democratic nations to refuse to send official representation to the Beijing Olympics – to leave their Olympic box seats empty in protest.
Strategy Football Club Tracker HRF’ launched an interactive tool tracking the authoritarian regimes linked to football clubs in the five most popular leagues in the world. The tool debuted at the 2024 Oslo Freedom Forum.
Blog Post Oct 18, 2024 A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 4: Soviet Sports propaganda When Tsar Peter I — better known as Peter the Great — visited England in 1689, he arranged what has been called the “first international boxing match” in the garden of the nobleman’s home.
Blog Post Sep 6, 2024 A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 3: Post-WWII Soft Power Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging.
Publication Aug 27, 2024 US senators call out NBA’s relationship with Rwanda dictator Paul Kagame: ‘Putting profit over principle’ Two United States senators have accused the NBA of “putting profit over principle,” which was detailed in a letter sent to commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday.
Publication Aug 27, 2024 Oregon Sen. Merkley raises concerns over reported NBA ties to Rwandan dictatorship Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley sent a letter to National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday, raising concerns over the organization’s reported ties to dictators.
Publication Aug 27, 2024 NBA under fire: U.S. Senators slam league’s ties to controversial Rwandan leader The NBA finds itself in the hot seat once again, but this time, it’s not over a controversial call or a player feud-it’s a matter of global ethics.
Blog Post Aug 9, 2024 A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 2: The Rise of Fascism Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging.
Publication Jul 26, 2024 How the NBA got into business with an African dictator In the summer of 2018, inside a national arena that felt more like a small-college gym, the NBA commissioner shot free throws with the president of Rwanda.
Publication May 17, 2024 Bad Business In my Impromptus today, I have some sports — starting with Simone Biles — and some presidential politics — a lot of that — and some language — the shape-shifting of English — and other matters. Try it here.
Blog Post Feb 9, 2024 A History of Sports and Dictators, Part 1: From Ramses II to Rome’s Bread & Circuses In the Olympic Games of 416, Athenian statesman and military general Alcibiades fielded seven teams in one of the most prestigious Olympic events, the four-horse chariot race known as the quadriga.
Blog Post Jan 12, 2024 Fueling Ambition: Aramco’s pivotal role in Saudi Arabia’s sports expansion In November 2023, news broke that Aramco—Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and energy giant—was set to complete a “significant sponsorship” deal with FIFA that would make it the football governing body’s biggest sponsor over the coming decade.
Blog Post Jan 21, 2022 The Ignorance and Reluctance of the Rich and the Famous In a recent episode of the podcast “All-In,” Chamath Palihapitiya, billionaire venture capitalist, stakeholder of the Golden State Warriors, and Chairman of Virgin Galactic, commented that “nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs… Of all the things that I care about, it is below my line.”
Press Release Jan 4, 2022 HRF & Lantos to Democracies: Leave Your Olympic Box Seats Empty in Protest With the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics one month away, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice (Lantos Foundation) call on democratic governments to commit to a diplomatic boycott of the Games, and refuse to send official representation.
Press Release Dec 7, 2021 HRF Applauds Biden Administration’s Diplomatic Boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics NEW YORK (December 7, 2021) – The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) welcomes the Biden administration’s announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Publication Nov 9, 2021 Justin Bieber Slammed by Human Rights Activists Ahead of Saudi Arabia Concert Justin Bieber is being accused by a human rights organization chaired by former chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov of becoming a “pawn” of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman if he performs in Saudi Arabia next month.
Press Release Nov 9, 2021 HRF to Justin Bieber: Cancel Performance in Saudi Arabia NEW YORK (November 9, 2021) — On December 5, 2021, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is scheduled to perform at the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021
Press Release May 26, 2021 HRF & Lantos to Olympics: Don’t Invite Dictators to the Opening Ceremonies NEW YORK (May 26, 2021) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice (Lantos Foundation) today launched the “Empty Box” Campaign
Press Release May 25, 2021 HRF to NBA: Don’t Play Ball With Rwanda’s Warmonger NEW YORK (May 25, 2021) – This week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) sent a letter to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Commissioner
