• the denial of basic legal rights, including through invasive sports integrity measures, the denial of the presumption of innocence and lack of access to an effective remedy. Indeed, players have been threatened with suspension when seeking to enforce their legal rights in human rights jurisdictions such as by challenging competition regulations, conditions and standards because they discriminate on the basis of gender; and there are a number of systemic human rights risks to and impacts on players: • the failure by States to uphold their duty to protect the human rights of players due to treating sport as an exceptional activity warranting specific laws; • despite articles 3 and 4 of the FIFA Statutes and the landmark FIFA Human Rights Policy of May 2017, the absence of clearly defined or applicable human rights commitments and obligations on the major actors in women’s football; • the absence of an effective process of player rights due diligence; and • lack of access to effective remedy. In recent months, significant attention has been given to the poor handling of the welfare and mental health of elite athletes, particularly in light of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Some athletes, including Laurel Hubbard, Naomi Osaka, and Simone Biles, have made statements on record regarding the stresses and pressures faced by elite athletes, and in particular the lack of support for mental health and athlete welfare. FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup Human Rights Risk Assessment • 25