Legal framework and issues of countering discrimination in sports

Aim. The paper aims to identify and assess the main forms of discriminatory behaviour in sports, analyse the current trends in differentiating discrimination and ensuring the equality of athletes in sports competitions, develop proposals for improving non-discriminatory inclusive policies and anti-discriminatory activities. Materials and methods. The paper includes the study and assessment of international sports law provisions and the analysis of coaches’ and general court decisions with respect to discriminatory behaviour in sports, as well as the results of medical and associated research. The study is based on a set of general and specific scientific methods applicable in legal research for assessing the conceptual and categorical apparatus. Results. The authors identified potential limitations for expanding normative notions of discrimination in sports and provided their assessment of the current practice of countering discrimination arising from racist and xenophobic opinions. An attempt has been made to delimit discrimination as a deliberate act from possible restrictions on the equal opportunities of athletes in sports competitions. The authors justified the need for establishing clear ethical standards in sports competitions. Conclusions. The authors substantiated the need to use an integrated medical-legal approach when deciding on the participation of non-binary athletes in competitions, differentiated manifestations of discrimination in sports and proposed ways of forming a unified sports-legal approach to their prevention.