Translating sport’s most complex issues into knowledge that informs, educates and brings people into the conversation.
We’re women-founded. Women-led.
Brazilian, Canadian and Indigenous.
A global collective
bringing specialist expertise,
lived experience & creativity to the stories shaping sport.
The Sports Ethics Examiner brings together PhD experts, doctors, Olympians, athletes and professionals from across the world.
Since 2020, we’ve combined their knowledge and experience with current research to create clear, evidence-informed content that brings complex issues in sport to wider audiences in ways they can understand and engage with, reaching up to 700,000 people each month across five continents.
Our work has been trusted, shared and amplified by the International Olympic Committee, Special Olympics, ILGA World, the Sport & Rights Alliance and Billie Jean King.
![Cape Verde’s draw against Spain has been framed as a classic World Cup underdog story.
But that framing misses something important!
For decades, African teams have often been praised for physicality while being denied full credit for their tactics, organization, intelligence, and preparation.
Cape Verde’s performance against Spain was not simply determination or luck.
It was a highly disciplined defensive display built on planning, communication, and collective execution.
And Cape Verde is not alone.
From Morocco’s historic 2022 World Cup run to the growing influence of the African diaspora across international football, a new generation of teams is challenging old assumptions about who produces football knowledge, tactical innovation, and elite performance.
In many ways, this is a decolonial development: using global networks to challenge hierarchies inherited from colonial rule.
If we want to understand Cape Verde’s success, we need to ask different questions.
👉🏿What is the team’s tactical plan?
👉🏾How does its federation operate?
👉🏽Who designs its strategy?
Because Cape Verde’s World Cup campaign is about more than a result.
It is part of a broader effort by African football to claim full legitimacy: tactical, organizational, and cultural, on the world stage.
And it is a reminder that football excellence does not belong to a select group of nations.
[note: this post is an update from a 2025 version which can be read in English and Portuguese]
#CapeVerde #WorldCup #FIFAWorldCup #spain](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/724072974_18108981167485698_6152119932639996884_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=j2Q9dtTvtA0Q7kNvwG5wp0M&_nc_oc=Adp74GeQm7z0aOjbR1AbZBKG8T0D0TZgdBWI6ToDHKKM3L7jhuY-CUKNtTv4ocVmYok&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIMQ9e-ifOm3EaS20oHN5zgYtzuSbMnjkFdOcMRSq2R10hJD-pM35d2aUtBBlzeewKwPxDINJD3&oh=00_AQIMmGG8YgZ-w9CHeAfqBUNUVHfXihJXKPMVqvN9ZbYCAg&oe=6AAE5704)
![A player selected for the #FIFA #WorldCup and deemed eligible to compete by football authorities may be unable to enter one of the tournament’s host countries.
That player is #ThomasPartey.
While Partey has pleaded not guilty to r*pe and s*xual assault charges in the United Kingdom, Canada’s reported decision raises questions that extend beyond one athlete or one visa application.
👉🏼Who ultimately decides participation in international sport?
👉🏽How should sport balance due process, public trust and accountability?
👉🏿And what do sport’s values require when difficult participation decisions arise?
[EDITOR NOTE: The post first page incorrectly refers to referee Omar Artan as being from Sudan, he is of course from Somalia🇸🇴]](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/723131321_18108701291485698_3219296171447603894_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=102&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=L75tFqIOaOwQ7kNvwFxAdLP&_nc_oc=Adodio2Tq6n4BkJyB4mzQnsoIWjk90ocFHy-9TzRJGI8fmPnAmi1ITS8Jd4Vo1_K7gk&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJDBLDvzrSKoaOK4YmAvYHGMt4cvIRaPv6jP9pT9KJezduIkJficc-_WTbRFF6Uj_T2iyHbuzS_&oh=00_AQIBdhjY_uXCANZWLgMsD7DvFaJbXz2qadHob_-JMxA5Ow&oe=6AAE5D6C)
![The Enhanced Games promised a new era of chemically enhanced greatness.
But the first day of competition suggested something far more… ordinary.
It’s no surprise that #enhancement alone may not be enough to produce greatness worth remembering.
What gives athletic performance lasting significance is whether people believe the achievement meant something.
Sport depends on shared limits, uncertainty, and the belief that greatness was *earned* rather than *engineered*.
And even if ‘optimization’ eventually succeeds [technically], the ethical tradeoffs do not simply disappear with faster times.
Once those limits begin shifting, the issues extend far beyond just performance.
They begin touching health, consent, commodification, legitimacy, and the kind of culture sport teaches people to admire.
People hold onto sport so deeply because it still represents one of the few places where discipline, sacrifice, uncertainty, and human limitation visibly matter.
So what exactly are we willing to sacrifice in exchange for optimization?
Swipe for quick thoughts from our ethicist-contributors and athletes, or read the deep dive on our substack [the sports ethics examiner].
Special thanks to #Olympic Champion and 29-year record holder (and sport ethicist) Kevin Young @hurdlegreat4678 for his thoughts, lived experience and his concerns about the next generation.](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/706377228_18106218542485698_5882045578821684826_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=WlM3lbNtllMQ7kNvwHWMrQO&_nc_oc=AdojplbhHlkXsWyR-4MjqtJpgh_w3xpxoN7lxgjh4SP9oETmIsfIXoorylw-VCCMKbg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKU1c3s1Jzb0P7nEuVgTbICil5bOJocoavKFku5dKaO7LPufJclqCrhELbMDHSGSM2bPMwcT0sH&oh=00_AQL4Bqcrsbe7zFRQ0vTaXq2KUeTuODFM6vf9bDal8VJamg&oe=6AAE3B4F)
![It’s been a difficult week in sport 🏳️⚧️✊🏼✊🏽✊🏿
The IOC’s decision to introduce universal sex testing for women and girls and ban #trans & #intersex athletes from participating in women’s categories has been marked by human rights experts, geneticists, scientists, trans advocates, heads of state, and athletes as a huge step backward.
This post debunks 10 common myths about trans inclusion and sex testing in sports, addressing some of the key ethical problems with this policy.
✊🏼It’s important we continue to speak out about issues that negatively impact women’s sport—
✊🏽But we must do it in ways that are transparent, informed by research, credible experts, and athlete experiences.
✊🏿When claiming to have the best interests of women in mind, we should expect people to be vocal about the issues that have been proven to affect women and girls on a daily basis including:
-unequal pay
-the existence/persistence of harassment & sexual abuse, -disparities in funding
-systemic racism
-systemic ableism
-the lack of representation in leadership.
These issues directly impact safety, fairness, and opportunities in women’s sports.
Despite decades of advocacy, these significant problems often receive far less attention.
Protecting women in sports is crucial, but if we have limited resources to allocate to women’s sport, then we should focus on the facts.
[repost from spring 2025 with updates]](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/656815646_18099485690485698_259856797075934470_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=3wJcURDeRLIQ7kNvwGox29K&_nc_oc=AdpfjoWDegqQIF44jov6OarJSj7aVGVGHGAvYF_2yBabouDzTbTyyWw8o6IDxpd9Rfo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKeoEJW2GaYFUrR4oGIiuZVy348TXjz1MV-oXUDK08-ovpo1MrPS5xsKMkQvYIjE_UE8GZBUSk8&oh=00_AQL3dpi_k5b1X8DY4XtgreutQw0IzRScfzURg1GqR-oDiw&oe=6AAE4902)
![Yes, the hair is iconic, and everyone loves an epic comeback story.
But this one isn’t about aesthetics, and it wasn’t just about gold.🥇
It is about what happens when an athlete centres her dignity, and proves that agency, not obedience, produces greatness.
Alysa Liu didn’t just return.
She reset the terms.
1️⃣ She Protected Her Body [athlete bodily autonomy]
2️⃣ She Took Control of Her Art [artistic self governance]
3️⃣ She Refused the “Arms Race” [redefining the Measure of Greatness]
4️⃣ She Rejected the Norms [authenticity as resistance!]
5️⃣ She Rewrote What Winning Costs [success without sacrifice]
6️⃣ She Widened the Mold [intersectional agency]
✨ Because when dignity is non-negotiable, greatness looks different.
Swipe for 6 ways her win reframed athlete-led success.
#milancortina2026 #olympics #figureskating #AlysiaLiu](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/640258606_18094804415485698_6310551404306229086_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=ypD4unWSyDsQ7kNvwHkxakr&_nc_oc=Adr4mdEuIdRzMjoKlDFnwIEzuOe4tvS_vIF-DamAjazZxig9CxI7x7qYxuIE_7ObQ7s&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJEOK6nB4REJujpDp6XSP4f6A1XNFTuF3oe4rIwn7rcomxc6SQqiXO-SZnwiAH4nMW8FeZ-85q-&oh=00_AQJP5bzYoLo3oLsgTQPLM33mYBMBfUytkD1q8JLRgFu8lA&oe=6AAE384C)
![After seven #PAOK supporters died travelling to France, the PAOK–Lyon Europa League match went ahead as scheduled.
This piece asks not whether the game could be played, but how it was played.
[Side note: New language unlocked! We have now produced ethical commentary on sport in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Arabic, Thai and now Greek!]](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/631128755_18093252497485698_7006767599708462284_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=ClXiJrQ8eeEQ7kNvwF0cyzU&_nc_oc=Adr9ZZ9zHgJYZlLopHj2tdd62W9JLFYuS-b1NhcOg5oxhlNAcD5KaLTF8OdP1H-Lzpg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=j74fIwoX89TOezThbsKMCA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJt1WxNQw3WF2SkM0UejXb2_nv-2pKLJrXDhCpPBCVBqhZu-OvOwrhWOV6PhXdcmT0GT8vlvA62&oh=00_AQLMIeQZOraWZCP8vldUUDQqljKHZPHcK9TmeeyvxNq5hQ&oe=6AAE4F62)
Latest on Instagram
How we work with sport institutions, organizations & brands
You have the knowledge. We help people understand it.
We bring seven years of experience translating research, evidence and complex, sensitive issues for athletes, fans, professionals and wider public audiences, without losing the context and nuance that matter.
From messaging and writing to visual design, we transform your existing research, findings and expertise into clear, engaging digital content built for social media and other online audiences.
You need to educate. We build it.
We develop evidence-informed education from the ground up, from research and audience strategy through to production, distribution and engagement.
Whether built around a priority issue, initiative or emerging event, we determine what audiences need to know, what will make it relevant to them and how best to communicate it, creating education that builds understanding, conversation and engagement.
You need new knowledge. We research & analyse it.
Independent research and analysis combining academic rigour with professional and lived expertise across sport.
Our research brings together PhD experts and specialists in sport ethics, anti-corruption, anti-doping, safeguarding, governance and human rights law with athletes, advocates and professionals across sport.
This allows us to examine complex questions through multiple disciplinary, cultural and lived-experience perspectives, producing insight that is rigorous, nuanced and grounded in how sport actually works.
You want to tell a story. We find the one others miss.
We turn ideas, values and moments in sport into original stories people want to read, share and talk about. Our creators are also sport ethicists, PhD experts, doctors, Olympians, athletes, advocates and legal professionals, giving us the depth to uncover perspectives and cultural tensions others often overlook.
Over seven years, we’ve learned how to turn that depth into compelling digital content that connects across audiences, from athletes and fans to researchers and industry leaders.
Our reach
Our audiences actively engage with our work, sharing it, saving it, returning to it and bringing it into conversations across sport and beyond.
700K
Up to 700K monthly views
4.5K
Monthly shares & reposts
1.2K
Monthly saves
90%
Reach beyond our followers
500+
Monthly comments & questions
Who we reach
Our work bridges audiences that rarely speak the same language, combining the depth professionals and researchers value with the clarity that engages athletes, families and fans, allowing the same work to inform research, journalism and decision-making while reaching the wider public.
Sport Participants, Fans
& Public Audiences
Athletes, Olympians, Paralympians, Deaflympians, fans, parents, families & wider public audiences.
Advocacy, Media
& Research Communities
Advocacy professionals, journalists,
educators, researchers
& students.
Industry &
Institutional Professionals
Sport organisations, federation staff, integrity professionals, lawyers, medical professionals & government officials.
Healthcare Professional
“As a medical professional, and as someone who reads everything with likely more of a critical eye,I appreciate the thoroughness and professionalism of your work. Your content can speak to wider audiences and that is not easy to do.”
On Trans Inclusion
International Paralympic Federation President
“This is one of the most important accounts in terms of keeping people safe. The subjects you cover are complicated and impact a wide range of persons involved in sport and life in general. Important lessons learned! Thank you!”
On Reaching Our First 7,000 Readers
University Student
“As a sports management graduate from Loughborough University I always find it hard to explain others why things are happening in the world of sports and your page is really educational, even for me and I am in this world for many years now. Thanks again!”
On Gender-Based Violence, Governance & the Rubiales case
Educator
“I am a sports lecturer (ages 16–19) so topics that you seem to be covering are always great conversation starters in a bid to get students to think differently and broaden their minds 🙌.”
On Pay Equity, Structural Inequality & the USWNT Settlement
Fitness Coach
“I’m learning to be a better ally to adaptive athletes, so this is exactly what I wanna read more about.”
On Improving Disability Inclusion in Community Sport
Sports Fan
“Excellent analysis!!! Thank you for educating and sharing with the wider public in a digestible way.”
On Race, Institutional Power and Black Athletes in the NFL
Athlete
“Thank you for your tireless research, analysis and exposure of these highly concerning issues. I do hope they are picked up by stakeholders and get shared, discussed, and most importantly, addressed officially by the International Olympic Committee.”
On Athlete Eligibility & Safeguarding
Sports Fan
“The media does not explain anything as clearly, in depth, and usefully as your page does. We need real facts and practical solutions, and I appreciate the actual substance here. I foresee this page becoming a go-to source because there is nothing like this out there.”
On Trans Inclusion
National Athlete
“Thank you for writing the most eloquent and incisive summary of the whole situation that I’ve come across - agree with so much of what you’ve said, and have been personally raging over really dangerous messages on interviews from people in power within the organisation. Thank you for writing.”
On Athlete Exploitation, Autonomy & the Ethics of the Enhanced Games
Our Streets Now | UK Anti-Sexual Harassment Organisation
“A great post! The difference between something being ‘legal’ and ‘ethical’ is never talked about enough in these situations or in safeguarding procedures.”
On Power Dynamics, Consent & Safeguarding in Coach-Athlete Relationships
Athlete
“This has got to be the most well written article regarding dignity and trust, not just with Horner and Red Bull but within any organization.”
On Leadership, Accountability & Organizational Culture in Formula 1
WHAT OUR READERS SAY
Our network
35+
EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS
Sport ethicists, Olympians, athletes, doctors, PhD researchers, advocacy, legal and industry experts contributing lived and professional expertise.
15+
LANGUAGES & DIALECTS
Languages & dialects represented, allowing our education and campaigns to reach audiences across languages, cultures and regions.
30+
NATIONALITIES
Nationalities from across five continents bringing lived, cultural & professional insight.