Podcast: Sports are human rights champions with Mary Harvey

“If we look at the ethos of sport and what the values…sport espouses when it is healthy and vibrant, respects human rights and promotes human rights,” said Mary Harvey.

Harvey is the Chief Executive for the Centre for Sports and Human Rights, a group that works toward advancing a world of sport where human rights are respected and promoted. An athlete herself, Harvey spent years as part of the USA women’s football team and won Olympic gold with the team in 1996. She also played in the very first FIFA Women’s World Cup and was part of the team that had the winning bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to North America in 2026.

In this episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, Harvey discusses how sports helps make human rights more accessible.

“If we are trying to make human rights something that is more every day, sport provides that, that connection to people in an everyday way,” she said. “It is a wonderful way to educate people about human rights and that makes it very relevant for everyone.”