At this summer’s major European Athletics events, safeguarding has taken on a more prominent role than ever before.
At the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships on 7-12 June, the “Race for Respect” programme was launched, embedding a more robust safeguarding framework to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all participants at European Athletics events.
Safeguarding prioritised
This month’s European Athletics U18 Championships in Banska Bystrica on 18-21 July will demonstrate the continued growth and development of the “Race for Respect” initiative,
Roma 2024 saw the deployment of dedicated safeguarding officers from both European Athletics and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the first time.
The whole issue of safeguarding also had much greater visibility at the event, with procedures and communications displayed on posters and was also prominent on digital channels to raise awareness among athletes, officials, volunteers, coaches, team staff, media, event staff, event partners and spectators.
The topic was also given prominence at the Future Leaders Forum, which took place alongside Roma 2024 and was greatly appreciated by all the participants.
The event also featured a giant canvas in the athlete areas, where athletes and coaches could write and express what safeguarding and safe sport meant to them. This initiative garnered significant interest, and by the final day of Roma 2024, the board was fully filled with messages.
Safe space within Race for Respect
The European Athletics Safeguarding Officer, Mathilde Grenet conducted a safeguarding briefing during the Teams Leaders’ Technical Meeting and was also available to schedule with the Team Leaders safeguarding briefs at the respective national teams’ meetings. Plus, there was also a Safe Space, where any team member could get further information or advice from her in a discreet environment.
"This was the first event where both European Athletics and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) had an officer for this topic,” she said.
“To address any concern anyone on Safeguarding but in the future we will request the European Athletics events’ hosts to take safeguarding into consideration when they plan for an event, especially in terms of how to work with local authorities, how to ensure safeguarding procedures, and make sure there is someone on site to deal with concerns.”
All of the features of the “Race for Respect” campaign delivered in Rome 2024 will be repeated at Banska Bystrica 2024, overseen by the European Athletics Safeguarding Officer and the LOC Safeguarding Officer. This will be the first time such a wide-ranging safeguarding programme has been implemented at the European Athletics U18 Championships.
European Athletics looks forward to team leaders and each team supporting Race for Respect, putting safeguarding at the forefront of their work and implementing safeguarding procedures internally.
Commitment to safeguarding
The prioritisation of safeguarding underlines the commitment in the European Athletics Strategic Roadmap 2024-2027 to "secure a safe environment for all European Athletics family members (including guests, staff, officials, volunteers) and with a focus on athletes."
European Athletics is committed to providing a safe environment for everyone involved in any European Athletics event, making it free from any form of harassment, abuse and exploitation.
European Athletics also calls for the whole community to champion a culture of safety and respect, ensuring that every participant feels valued and protected at every event.
A beacon for respect
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov said “It is really crucial that anyone who comes to a European Athletics event, particularly young athletes, feel safe and secure.
“Our sport should always be a beacon for respect and provide a positive environment in which everyone feels welcome. It is not something we should ever take for granted and it is why “Race for Respect” is such an important initiative.
“Not only does “Race for Respect” set new standards for safeguarding at our events, but sets an example for the wider athletics community across Europe to embed safeguarding into all of our activities for the greater good.”
