Two CCSE members were recently invited to present at the Northern Ireland Sport and Human Rights Forum. Dr Callum McCloskey and Zara Grant attended the event, which was hosted in Belfast by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The focus of the event was on the 2026 ‘summer of sport’ – with speakers addressing the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the United 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Dr Callum McCloskey presented on a recent paper he co-authored alongside his CCSE colleagues: ‘Institutionalizing human rights in sports mega events: a case study of the United 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup’. He talked through the process of conducting research for his PhD, which explored the extent to which human rights promises set out within the successful bid for United 2026 have been enshrined in the planning and delivery processes of the tournament, as well as the implications for FIFA and the host nations. The presentation was met with praise and a host of questions, especially given that the tournament is currently underway.
Zara Grant, a PhD researcher at CCSE who is currently working as an embedded researcher with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Company, presented on her work – which seeks to evaluate the Games’ contribution to social impact. She highlighted some of the positive steps being taken by the Organising Company ahead of the Games – which begin on 23rd July – as well as reflecting on challenges faced and progress made from previous iterations of the Games.
Joining Dr Callum McCloskey and Zara Grant on the panel were Shubham Jain, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, and James Flanagan, Disability and Inclusion Fan Network Coordinator at Football Supporters Europe. Shubham Jain provided an overview of an upcoming event which will take place on the sidelines of this month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Conference on Reparatory Justice in and through Sport will be hosted by the Centre at Glasgow City Chambers on 31 July in partnership with Commonwealth Sport and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
James Flanagan addressed some of the barriers faced by football fans trying to access the United 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. James addressed some of the positive progress being made by Football Supporters Europe in that spectators are finally being viewed, not just as consumers but as stakeholders. He also highlighted current efforts by his organisation to achieve the increased involvement of supporters in tournaments and how enabling fans’ participation in decision-making can ensure improvements in safety, accessibility, inclusion, accountability, and information-sharing.
The event provided a valuable opportunity to share research output from CCSE and opened doors for potential future collaboration. Many thanks to Conal Heatley, CEO of Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland and Chair of the Northern Ireland Sport and Human Rights Forum for the invitation to present.
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