Nosso Jogo – Initiative for Global Fair Play

2016 lays under the sign of the Olympic (5 – 21 August) and Paralympic Games (7 – 18 September in Rio de Janeiro. Austria was and will be represented in Rio with more than 30 sports federations and around 100 active athletes. Additionally Austrian companies are directly or indirectly benefitting from Olympia.

Nosso Jogo uses the public attention on this global sports event for manifold educational work and information activities. Besides the respect for human rights at large sports events, the matter is presenting a differentiated picture of Brazil – without falling back on common stereotypes. “Nosso Jogo” is Portuguese and means “our game” and refers to the positive values of sports like fairness, inclusion, diversity, equality and internationality.

The networking initiative Nosso Jogo pursues three objectives:

• Drawing attention towards projects and activities relating to Rio 2016 and usage of the inclusive potentials and popularity of sports
• Making the public aware of a non stereotype, dynamic perception of Brazil as well as knowledge and expertise transfer towards development issues
• Internationale networking and lobbying for binding human rights standards at large sports events and set –up of strategic partnerships

Nosso Jogo is active in four thematic areas:

• Sports and development: including campaign days with sports associations and sports federations as well as a Stand-up Paddling project
• Education and youth: including a workshop program for out-of-school youth work, a training for workshop leaders and mobile reporting workshops for youth and young adults
• Advocacy: including national and international lobbying for human rights at large sports events, a new international petition and an „Austrian statement sports and human rights“ together with the Ministry of Sports and Austrian sports federations, a speakers tour and a hands-on activitiy for children and youth
• Knowledge and dialogue: including dialogue events on „business and sustainability“, a special edition of the periodical Frauen*solidarität on the topic „Olympia in Brazil, women and sports“, the further development of the resource pool and a study about the topic “challenges, potentials and corporate responsibility for human rights in the context of large sports events”

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) drafted the study “Olympia-Hoffnungen für österreichische Unternehmen in Rio 2016? Herausforderungen, Potentiale und unternehmerische Verantwortung für Menschenrechte“.

The authors Barbara Linder, Claudia Sprenger und Judith Tutzer analyzed and discussed here challenges, potentials and corporate responsibility for human rights in the context of the major sports events, specifically analyzing the situation in Rio the Janeiro.

Target groups are: Sports federations and sports associations, youth interested in sports, athletes, educational facilitators, children and youth organisations, media, politicians and public officials, companies, trade unions as well as migrant organisations.