Human right activists and proponents of the power of sport as an agent of social change advocate that sport should be treated as a human right. While the perceived value of sport is generally accepted by most people, there is no agreement on how to translate sport as a human right into action. Regardless of the general acceptance and inclusion of sport as a human right in many international treaties and declarations, the implementation and enforcement of this right is a task that is left to the mercy of the local laws of each country. A critical step when implementing human rights in sportHuman rightsin sport is working in promoting the right to participate. The case of the swimming programs implemented through the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation serves to illustrate when a public organization is working in the right direction. Many countries proclaim sport as a right, but it mostly remains an opportunity affordable to wealthy families or talented elite athletes. In New York City it is possible to find many public programs that offer affordable access (many for free) to sport facilities as well as well-rounded programs to people of all ages and backgrounds. Leaders in the city of New York not only understood that the value of public recreation was a right for the people, but also by making it accessible to them it was also good for the promotion of other fundamental values and rights.