Building a Human Rights Culture Across the Entire World Rowing Organisation

World Rowing Completes Organisation-Wide Human Rights Training

Human rights training has now been completed across the entire World Rowing organisation, with every World Rowing employee, Council member and Commission member completing the Introduction to Sport and Human Rights for World Rowing course.

Human rights are part of sport. They shape how sport is governed, how decisions are made and how people experience it.

For World Rowing, understanding these principles and how they apply in practice is a shared responsibility – one that extends across both the professional staff of the organisation and its governance structures.

That is why every World Rowing employee, every member of the World Rowing Council and all World Rowing Commission members have now completed the online course created by the Centre for Sport and Human Rights and hosted on the Global Sport and Human Rights Academy.

The course is the latest step in a close collaboration between the Centre and World Rowing that began in 2023. It is also an important part of World Rowing’s commitment to good governance and responsible practice.

“This is about more than completing a course. It gives the whole organisation a common foundation and a shared language when it comes to human rights,” said Ludovica Caprino, World Rowing Governance & Integrity Manager. “Having our staff, Council and Commission members all complete the training means that human rights are now part of a shared understanding across World Rowing, including at the level where important decisions are discussed and made. It strengthens our ability to consider human rights in our work and to put these principles into practice throughout the organisation and across the rowing community.”

From Knowledge to Practice

The three-module course explores the relationship between sport and human rights and gives participants the knowledge and mindset to apply these principles in their work.

The course includes recorded lectures, supported by a comprehensive package of resources, practical tools and additional learning materials. Participants who complete the course and the final knowledge check receive a certificate of completion.

For World Rowing, however, the certificate is not the end goal.

The organisation’s influence reaches athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, national federations, event organisers, partners and communities around the world. The decisions World Rowing makes – and the way it works with others – can therefore have an impact far beyond its own offices.

Having a common understanding across the organisation helps ensure that human rights considerations can be part of those decisions, regardless of where or by whom they are being made.

It means that the people working within World Rowing and those serving in its governance structures share a foundation for identifying potential risks, considering the impact of decisions, and seeking ways to prevent harm and promote dignity and respect.

It also reinforces an important principle of good governance: responsible governance is about more than structures and rules. It is about how an organisation puts its values into practice.

A Shared Responsibility

The Centre for Sport and Human Rights is a human rights organisation focused on the world of sport. Its mission is to bring the sporting community together to understand and address shared human rights challenges, build capacity for responsible policies and governance, and develop joint actions that protect people and advance human dignity.

Its work is built around five interconnected priorities: raising awareness of human rights risks and responsibilities; building collaboration across sport; supporting institutions to prevent harm and provide access to remedy; identifying systemic and emerging risks; and sustaining a credible and independent platform for long-term action.

World Rowing’s collaboration with the Centre reflects the importance of taking a collective approach to human rights in sport.

With the completion of the course by all staff, Council members and Commission members, human rights training now spans the entire World Rowing organisation – from its professional workforce to its governance and technical bodies.

This provides a common foundation for the organisation as it continues to consider how human rights principles can be reflected in its policies, decisions and everyday work.

The objective is not simply to understand human rights, but to put those principles into practice – in how World Rowing governs itself, how it works with others and in all the areas where the organisation has an impact.