...sport is a human right. According to whom, you might ask? The International Olympic Committee... which has seven “fundamental principles of Olympism” (IOC 2020). The fourth fundamental principle reads:
The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.(IOC 2020, 11)
It’s important to note that the Olympics is only concerned with competitive sport. So the right to sport isn’t merely about recreational or nonelite sport; rather, the Olympics are only concerned with the most elite levels of competitive sport. Thus, the right to sport is a right to competitive sport, even at the elite levels provided the athlete qualifies.