The IOC released a progress update last month that is thought to be an important step towards adopting a human rights strategic framework.

"The International Olympic Committee should immediately adopt and entrench human rights across its operations and add protecting and respecting human rights to the Olympic Charter as a fundamental principle," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.

"Though overdue, this is a critically important step.

"It is a testament to what happens when athletes, activists, fans, journalists, workers and communities come together to make change."

The IOC's progress report acknowledges its responsibility to respect human rights in accordance with the United Nations' guiding principles.

It also makes a commitment to "amending the Olympic Charter to better articulate human rights responsibilities".

"The IOC report is right to say that athletes sit at the heart of sport, and the IOC’s human rights strategy must deliver for them," said Brendan Schwab, executive director of the World Players Association.

"This means defining athlete rights in accordance with international law, recognising the right of athletes to organise, and ensuring that bodies such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport will enable athletes to access justice where their human rights have been violated.

"The IOC has long purported to advance athlete rights without respecting international human rights standards."

Despite the landmark document taking a step in the right direction, the Sports and Rights Alliance (SRA) has found gaps in the report and have called for them to be addressed in the final IOC Human Rights Strategic Framework paper, scheduled to be launched in September.

Most notably, the IOC failed to acknowledge people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minority groups, spectators, and journalists as "particularly at-risk populations".

The report was developed without direct input from representatives of these communities, something which the SRA feels needs to be amended as soon as possible.

"Given the declared launch date of September 2022, the IOC should immediately engage representatives for all affected groups - including spectators, journalists, children, survivors, athletes, LGBTQI+ population and people with disabilities - in meaningful and ongoing consultations for the next steps," said Andrea Florence, acting director of the SRA.

"It is only through transparent participation of people and communities directly impacted in decision-making processes that the IOC will actually understand how to prevent and address human rights harms related to their operations."