Report: Cup of Human Rights

On 17 September 2022, the Cup of Human Rights took place at the KSV square in Rustenschacherallee. Around 120 participants braved wind and weather to set an example for the respect of human rights at major sporting events:

The Human Rights Cup, organised in view of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar starting in November, focused on global justice, anti-discrimination and social sustainability.

The tournament was mainly open to people from communities who work on construction sites and in households in Qatar, who are affected by homophobia and gender discrimination, or whose rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press are curtailed. The tournament, which promoted values such as solidarity and fair play, consisted of a small-sided football and cricket tournament, with teams of 7 players each, and a Mamanet-Cachibol hands-on station.

After a short introduction to the project Our Game for Human Rights, in the course of which the tournament was organised, and the distribution of the starter bags, Oliver Prudlo and Tauqir Asif started the football and cricket tournament:

For six hours, 11 teams competed for the Human Rights Cup, which was awarded to the team that best represented human rights through fair play and team structure. In the end, the jury decided to award the Cup of Human Rights to Team Adler, who stood out not only because of their low average age, but also because of their diversity.

High-quality games, a friendly atmosphere and a committed field of participants characterised the entire tournament. Highlights of the day were not only the goalie workshop with Richard Strebinger, but also the top-class line-up of the cricket tournament, which also included teams from Austria's highest cricket league.

Other highlights were the musical accompaniment by DJ Katja Schröckenstein, who heated up the players with international beats, and the all-day childcare station.

We would like to thank all the players for their participation and invite everyone to stay in touch with us. We are already looking forward to the 2nd Human Rights Cup!

The Cup of Human Rights was organised by the fairplay Initiative at the VIDC in cooperation with the players' union Vereinigung der Fußballer (VdF), the migrant sports and cultural association NEUER START, as well as the international sports movement Mamanet, and is significantly supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADA).