International Safe Sport Steering Committee communique
Steering Committee Advances Safe Sport Regional Hub Initiative
30 April 2025 | Virtual Meeting
The International Safe Sport Steering Committee convened on 30 April 2025. Chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al Hussein (JOR), the Steering Committee, is comprised of a global panel of experts, representing athletes sport organisations, UN agencies, and safeguarding specialists to review progress related to the Safe Sport Regional Hub Initiative and supporting tool development, provide feedback and advise on the next steps.
The Steering Committee was presented with the inception reports of the two regional consortia, advancing the feasibility studies in the pilot regions:
🔹 Pacific Islands Hub – Led by the University of Queensland, the project highlights the urgent need for culturally grounded, community-driven safeguarding solutions. Initial findings point to high levels of interpersonal violence, especially gender-based violence, legal inconsistency, culturally specific barriers to disclosure and gaps in support systems for athletes. A Pacific Advisory Council has been formed to validate, extend the findings and guide local engagement for the next phase of the study.
🔹 Southern Africa Hub – Coordinated by the African Union Sports Council Region 5 with support from Child Helpline International, this study covers 10 countries and aims to design a regional safeguarding structure that integrates best practices and adopts a survivor-centred approach. The in-depth mapping and gap analysis of services and policies will shape effective referral resources to create a sustainable and contextualised support system, effectively addressing cases of interpersonal violence in sports and ensuring the needs of survivors are met.
Europe and Beyond
The committee also received an update on the SAFE HARBOUR project in Europe, led by the European Olympic Committees’ EU Office and co-funded by Erasmus+ and the Olympic Solidarity. With the collaboration of 24 partners, including National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs), and scientific expert institutions, this project aims to evaluate safeguarding readiness across Europe. The initiative will define a regional response and support national strategies, laying the foundation for a future European safeguarding hub.
Investing in Sustainable Impact
The Safe Sport Regional Hubs are to be established on a co-investment model, necessitating collaboration and co-investment from multiple stakeholders. This approach aims to develop sustainable strategies that ensure the long-term financial viability and operational effectiveness of the regional pilot hubs.
Global partnerships are being forged to enhance cooperation and coordination between safeguarding ecosystems within and outside of sport. Recognising that sport alone cannot achieve this, these partnerships aim to safeguard individuals through sport and sport-based programmes, together with Olympism365 programmes.
Raising Awareness
The Steering Committee reaffirmed its role in promoting transparency, ensuring diversity of thought in the initiative and outreach. A dedicated Safe Sport Regional Hub Initiative webpage is now live, with regular updates and advocacy materials to follow.
Next Steps
An in-person Steering Committee meeting will be held on 3 June 2025 at Olympic House in Lausanne, ahead of the Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World. The session will include presentations from regional consortia, training on trauma-informed practices, and strategic planning for future hub expansion. It will also include key updates on supporting tool development, including the International Safe Sport Framework, to harmonise standards in sport, and the International Classification Tool and Unified Response Framework.
🔗 Learn more at: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/safe-sport/safe-sport-regional-hub-initiative
📣 #SafeSport4All | Empowering safe, inclusive sport—region by region.