2025 Summit

Examine a range of global and domestic issues at the intersection of sport and human rights.

Sport is anchored in human rights values. It promotes fairness, non-discrimination, respect, and equal opportunities for all. As it reaches billions, including young people, it is a conduit for advancing human rights standards around the world. Wherever people are at play, they are always, without exception, rights holders. But sport, often referred to as “the forgotten right,” also faces many challenges. Too often, those who claim to love sport fail to uphold its standards. Available research and data across the globe highlight repeated and serious violations of human rights in sport, including racial and sexual discrimination, financial exploitation, and neglect and curtailment of participatory rights and freedom of expression.

Believing in the transformative power of sport to promote and protect human rights, the University of Connecticut is pleased to host the second bi-annual Dodd Human Rights Summit October 22-24, 2025 at the Dodd Center for Human Rights.

The Summit, titled Sport and Human Rights, brings together prominent professional and collegiate athletes, thought leaders, policymakers, activists, scholars, students, artists, and business leaders from around the world to examine the promise, too often unfulfilled, of sport as a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for everyone, no matter one’s color, race, religion, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, socioeconomic status, gender or sexual orientation.

The Summit will serve as a critical venue for sharing insights, building relationships, and inspiring action to align the world of sport with the principles of human rights. Through a mix of high-profile keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions, the Summit will engage a range of global and domestic issues at the intersection of sport and human rights, including: Gender, Sport, and Human Rights; Race, Sport, and Human Rights; Disability, Sport, and Human Rights; Business, Sport, and Human Rights; Children, Sport, and Human Rights; and History, Sport, and Human Rights.

Keynote Bios

Tommie Smith made history at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, winning gold in the 200-meter race with a record-breaking 19.83 seconds. His iconic raised-fist salute on the podium became a powerful symbol of Black power, liberation, and solidarity. This courageous, unexpected worldwide event propelled Tommie Smith into the spotlight as a human rights spokesman, activist, and symbol of African American pride at home and abroad. His autobiography, Silent Gesture, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Honored with numerous accolades, including the ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award and induction into multiple Halls of Fame, Smith’s legacy as an athlete, activist, and educator continues to inspire. His impact is immortalized in museums, documentaries, and global recognition.

John Carlos earned the bronze medal in the 200-meter run at the1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, breaking the 200-meter world record. During the awards ceremony, alongside his teammate Tommie Smith, Carlos raised a black-gloved fist on the podium in a powerful stand for racial equality. Carlos later excelled in track, played pro football, and became an educator. In 2008, he accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his salute, at the ESPY Awards and was recognized at the White House by President Obama in 2016. Carlos continues to work for human rights and is a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

Bill Rhoden is an award-winning sports columnist and editor-at-large at Andscape, a Black media platform. Before joining Andscape in 2016, he spent 34 years at The New York Times, including 26 years as a Sports of The Times columnist. A respected voice on sports and race, Rhoden's journalism career spans nearly five decades of which he contributed to ESPN’s The Sports Reporters for nearly 30 years. An author of two acclaimed books, he has won a Peabody and an Emmy and is a member of both the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame as well as the National Sports Media Association's Hall of Fame.

Pablo Torre is the host and executive editor of Meadowlark Media’s Pablo Torre Finds Out, which won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting in 2024, and was a finalist for the Peabody Award in 2025. PTFO was also named “Best Sports Documentary Podcast” at the 2025 Sports Podcast Awards, recognizing The Sporting Class as the “Best Sports Business Podcast.” Since 2012, Torre has worked as a TV host and commentator for ESPN, regularly appearing on Pardon The Interruption, and Around The Horn. Torre is a contributor and co-host of NBC’s and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, The 11th Hour, and Deadline: White House.

Victoria Arlen was 11 years old when she came down with a rare viral disease, transverse myelitis, which she battled for five years including four years in a vegetative coma and left her without the use of her legs for nearly a decade. A lifelong swimmer and elite athlete, Arlen never gave up her dream of competing in the Olympics. In 2012 she qualified for the London Paralympic Games in four events, winning gold and three silver medals. Arlen is now an on-air TV personality with ESPN reporting for numerous programs, including the X-Games, the Invictus Games, the ESPY Awards, espnW, the Frozen Four, the Special Olympics World Games, and SportsCenter.

Human Rights Summit

Sport & Human Rights

Keynote Presentations

A Keynote Conversation with Tommie Smith & John Carlos, Moderated by Bill Rhoden

Sport & Human Rights: A Keynote Conversation with Pablo Torre

Locked In, But Not Locked Out: The Power of Gratitude with Victoria Arlen

Summit Schedule

Wednesday, October 22

Thursday, October 23

Friday, October 24