Building European Safe Sport Together

What is BESST?

The project Building European Safe Sport Together (BESST) is funded by the Erasmus+ programme from the European Commission. BESST developed a unified definition for the foundation of a harassment and abuse-free European sports environment. With strong partners delivering academic research, a continent-wide network of organisations for dissemination, legal and project management, events delivery and sports organisations, the project has a full circle range of professionals with four key deliveries that effectively raise the maturity of the European sports on its safeguarding readiness.

The project delivered:

1. Definition of Abuse and Harassment

Development of a modern definition of transgressive behaviour in sport, based on extensive literature review of the most recent studies.

2. Legal Framework for Sports Organisations

Assessment of safeguarding statuses of European sports organisations and event organisers based on extensive research, survey and interviews with sports organisations.

3. Legal Framework for Sports Events

Legal frameworks with policies and procedures proposal for European sports organisations.

4. Awareness & Education Toolkits

Awareness and education toolkits designed to help sport organisations educate their members and networks about transgressive behaviour through their communication channels.

The two-year project, with a very consistent dissemination process, was able to provide effective change in terms of safeguarding for the continent based on the horizontal value of digitalisation – together with inclusion through the dissemination across a wide range of European countries with different languages, cultures, economic performances and sporting realities.