Elite Athletes and Worker Status
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy; legal analysis and normative commentary without primary empirical data.
OpenAlex W4401595777 · doi:10.1093/indlaw/dwae025
What was done
The author analyzed the contractual, regulatory, and legal frameworks governing elite Olympic athletes across the European Union, Norway, and the United Kingdom to examine their employment status and access to labor protections.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data or quantitative findings. It reports that most elite athletes in the examined jurisdictions are excluded from formal employee or worker status by national legislation or contractual terms, leaving them without statutory employment and social benefits such as pensions and maternity protections.
Why it matters
The paper challenges the prevailing legal treatment of elite Olympic athletes, arguing that the reality of their service within national elite sports programmes warrants their recognition as workers with associated social and labor rights.
Limits
The paper is a legal analysis and conceptual commentary rather than an empirical study. The abstract reports no sample size, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown, or quantitative metrics.
Cited by
- supports The International Olympic Committee does not pay prize money to athletes for winning Olympic medals.