Roundtable 'The Olympic Agenda 2020: The devil is in the implementation!'

In December last year, the IOC Session adopted a highly publicised reform package: The Olympic Agenda 2020. The Agenda 2020 has been presented as a turning point for the Olympic movement. The IOC has, on paper at least, embraced the need to put human rights and socio-economic sustainability at the centre of the Olympic project. This is a much-welcomed awakening after the disastrous Sochi games, which combined widespread environmental damage with human rights violations. 

We have now entered the implementation phase of the Agenda 2020, which probably constitutes its biggest challenge. The lofty ideals promoted need to trickle down into the day-to-day policies of the Olympic movement. Will the IOC manage to change its institutional culture to fully accommodate concerns related to the social-environmental sustainability and long-term legacy of the Olympic games? How will the new bidding procedure translate these concerns? How will the compliance of future host cities with the new human rights and environmental goals be ensured? All these questions need to be addressed if the Agenda 2020 is to go beyond mere window dressing. 

This roundtable aims to discuss the outcome of the IOC’s Agenda 2020 process and assess the pitfalls and opportunities of its implementation. 

Speakers:
Henk Hulshof is the coordinator of the sport and human rights programme for Amnesty International and a consultant on human rights for various international organisations. 

Ryan Gauthier is a Phd Researcher at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School. His research is on the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, and their effect on human rights in the host countries. 

Antoine Duval is a Senior Researcher in European and International Sports Law at the ASSER Institute in The Hague. He has actively taken part in the public debate over the Olympic Agenda 2020.

Time: 17.00 - 19.00hrs

Registration: Please register for this free event at www.asser.nl/OlympicAgenda2020/register

>> Download the flyer (pdf)

Photo: picture-alliance/dpa - Thomas Bach