tvangsarbete_tjizjovka_arena

Forced labour and violations of human rights have taken place in direct connection with the organising of the Ice Hockey World Championships in Belarus.

Yet, neither the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIF), nor its main sponsors have acted so that human rights will be respected during the Championships.

The country of Belarus has one of the most repressive regimes in the world and is one of Europe’s last remaining dictatorships. The Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and Sochi in 2014 have demonstrated that human rights situations risk worsening when repressive regimes are granted major competitions. This same problem has faced the Ice Hockey World Championships in Belarus.

The report Mänskliga rättigheter på hal is (”Human Rights on Thin Ice”) shows that the Belarussian regime has used forced labour in the construction of the Tjizjovka arena. Defenders of human rights have been threatened and expulsions of addicts and the homeless have taken place. Several persons on the European Union’s list of sanctions of Belarussian persons and companies connected to the violations of human rights sit on the organising committee of the Championships.

In the report, the SIF and its main sponsors; Svenska spel, Scandic Hotels, ŠKODA, Kyocera and Bauhaus, state that the situation in Belarus is problematic. But despite the fact that SIF voted for Belarus as host, and despite the Championship in Minsk being a part of the sponsors’ value chain, neither SIF nor the sponsors have conducted human rights due diligence in connection with the event.

The report recommends that SIF adopts a policy for human rights and makes efforts for clear requirements to be placed on future host countries. Sponsors are called upon to follow the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, meaning that they have a responsibility to minimise negative impacts on human rights through their own activities and the activities of their business partners.
Please find the english summary to the right. The full report has not been translated.

Read also Swedtach’s report The Olympic Violations from January 2014, showing how the Swedish Olympic movement lacks a human rights policy. Following the report, the Swedish Olympic Committee and its sponsors united to place stricter requirements on future Olympic hosts.

Made in collaboration with: LO-TCO biståndsnämnd

  • Focus Areas: Civic space
  • Industry: Machinery and construction
  • Publication: Report
  • Region: Europe

Press contact

jenny-sv
Jenny Haraldsson Molin

This website uses cookies

Cookies consist of small text files. They contain data that is stored on your device. To enable us to place certain types of cookies we need to obtain your consent. At SWEDWATCH, corp. ID no. 802415-4737, we use the following kinds of cookies. To read more about which cookies we use and storage times, click here to access our cookies policy.

Manage your cookie-settings

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies are cookies that must be placed for basic functions to work on the website. Basic functions are, for example, cookies which are needed so that you can use menus on the website and navigate on the site.

Functional cookies

Functional cookies need to be placed on the website in order for it to perform as you would expect. For example, so that it recognizes which language you prefer, whether or not you are logged in, to keep the website secure, remember login details or to be able to sort products on the website according to your preferences.

Cookies for statistics

For us to measure your interactions with the website, we place cookies in order to keep statistics. These cookies anonymize personal data.

Personalization cookies

In order to provide a better experiance we place cookies for your preferances

Cookies for ad-tracking

To enable us to offer better service and experience, we place cookies so that we can provide relevant advertising. Another aim of this processing is to enable us to promote products or services, provide customized offers or provide recommendations based on what you have purchased in the past.

Ad measurement user cookies

In order to show relevant ads we place cookies to tailor ads for you

Personalized ads cookies

To show relevant and personal ads we place cookies to provide unique offers that are tailored to your user data