The Building European Safe Sport Together (BESST) project took the spotlight across three major events within one week, underscoring its growing influence in the movement for safe and ethical sport practices. The project was presented at the following significant occasions:
Safe Football Development Programme in Nyon, Switzerland (30.09.2024)
BESST was presented to an elite audience, including representatives from the FIFA Safeguarding Team, UEFA Children’s Foundation, Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, as well as the Moldovan and Polish Football Associations. This event, which focused on safeguarding in football, highlighted BESST’s relevance across various sports and its potential to shape safety standards beyond Olympic disciplines.
EOA Congress 2024 in Olympia, Greece (27.09.2024)
As part of the 6th European Olympic Academies (EOA) Congress, the BESST initiative was presented by Bastian Grueger and discussed in a follow-up workshop by leading experts in sport education and safeguarding. The historic setting of Olympia provided a powerful backdrop for conversations around fostering safe sports environments across the continent.
EOC Seminar in Budva, Montenegro (26.09.2024)
During the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Seminar, the BESST project attracted the attention of National Olympic Committees, which recognised the urgency of safeguarding efforts in sport. Discussions centred on expanding BESST’s influence within national frameworks for safe sport.
Approximately 300 participants from National Olympic Academies, Olympic Committees, and organisations from the football sector could be reached to engage in meaningful discussions on the latest project outcomes and their implications for sports practice.
Earlier this year, project BESST released its report on the conceptual framework of transgressive behaviour and safeguarding legal frameworks for sports organisations. The project partners are currently working on an awareness and education toolkit and legal framework for sports events.
About the project BESST
The BESST initiative aims to develop a modern unifying definition, a legal framework and an awareness and education toolkit for National Olympic Committees, sport federations and clubs and guidelines for European sports event organisers to provide the organisations with the necessary support to make sport safer for everyone involved.
The BESST project team consists of the following organisations: European Olympic Academies, IGNITX, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Rudi Hiti Academy, UEFA Foundation for Children, NOC of Netherlands (NOC*NSF), and NOC of Slovenia.
Presentation and Update on the Erasmus+ project BESST at the Sixth EOA Congress in Olympia. © EOA/Bourou Aggelakou Georgia 
Presentation and Update on the Erasmus+ project BESST at the Sixth EOA Congress in Olympia. © EOA/Bourou Aggelakou Georgia 
Presentation and Update on the Erasmus+ project BESST at the Sixth EOA Congress in Olympia. © EOA/Bourou Aggelakou Georgia 
Presentation and Update on the Erasmus+ project BESST at the Sixth EOA Congress in Olympia. © EOA/Bourou Aggelakou Georgia 
Speaker Bastian Grueger on the Erasmus+ project BESST at the Sixth EOA Congress in Olympia. © EOA/Bourou Aggelakou Georgia
