During a recent online forum, Athletes’ Perspectives on Safe Sport, prominent athletes shared their personal stories and insights on tackling transgressive behaviour and ensuring safe sport practices. The forum provided a valuable space not only for discussing the challenges athletes face, from abuse to the need for trauma-informed approaches, but also for amplifying their voices.
All athletes, including survivors of abuse, openly shared their experiences, emphasising the urgent need for education and a cultural shift within sport. The forum underscored the importance of creating a safe environment in sport to protect all participants and safeguard the integrity of the sport itself.
This event was part of the EU-funded Building European Safe Sport Together (BESST) project’s ongoing commitment to advancing safe sport practices across Europe. The video recording of the forum is available here: Link to YouTube
Andreja Leskovšek McQuarrie, Olympian in Alpine Skiing from Slovenia and the forum’s moderator, framed the discussion, stating: “All of us participating in this forum share a deep love for sport and recognise its immense positive impact. It is precisely because of this passion that we are committed to protecting it by addressing the challenges of transgressive behaviour and unsafe practices that threaten its integrity.”
Catherine Moyon de Baecque, French Olympic discus thrower, recounted her landmark case in 1994, which set a historic precedent, revealing the responsibility of the state and federations in addressing sexual violence in sport. Despite immense challenges, including threats and harassment, Catherine called for stronger actions at all levels to combat abuse: “Without a strong and assertive will at the highest levels, nothing will really change.”
After surviving violence in sport as a young athlete, Giulia Pairone, a former professional tennis player from Italy, has turned her experience into a driving force for raising awareness, pushing for policy change, and supporting others in reclaiming their power and voice. She highlighted the overwhelming shame athletes feel after violations, making it nearly impossible to speak out. “It is crucial that those receiving disclosures of violence listen, believe, and provide unwavering support. Athletes need reassurance that they will be heard and believed when they come forward. Trauma-informed approaches are essential to creating a safe environment for reporting.”
A youth ice hockey national team player for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amar Bajramović, believes athletes tolerate transgressive behaviours to secure their place on the team, especially rookies who fear criticism or losing playing time. He’s witnessed coaches using humiliation to push players harder, actions once seen as ‘normal’ but now recognised as harmful, causing lasting physical and mental harm.
Raša Sraka Vuković, one of the most accomplished judokas from Slovenia, Olympian and President of the Athletes’ Commission at the Slovenian Olympic Committee, discussed the problematic normalisation of harmful behaviours in sport, explaining how coaches’ abusive actions are often overlooked because of their success: “Protecting the coach becomes a higher priority than protecting the athletes, creating an environment where abuse continues unchecked, and the athletes pay the price. It is also troubling to see how deeply ingrained transgressive behaviour has become in sport. I once told an athlete, whom I had witnessed being abused by a coach years earlier, that I believed the coach could achieve the same high-level results using a more positive approach. Her response seemed to defend the coach, saying, ‘This is just the way he is, and he doesn’t know any other way.”
Zorana Arunović, Serbian Olympic Champion from Paris 2024 in sport shooting and member of the EOC Athletes’ Commission, reflected on how the IOC safeguarding course helped her identify and name harmful behaviours that have been accepted in her sport: “The course gave me the words to describe these actions and the courage to recognise them as abuse and harassment, which are often normalised in my country’s culture. I hope to make a difference in my community by sharing information, so younger generations know they don’t have to endure such behaviours. We cannot be just bystanders.”
Claudia Bokel, multiple World and European Champion, silver Olympic medallist in fencing for Germany, former IOC Executive Board Member and President of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, shared the challenges of addressing the issue of transgressive behaviours in sport: “Safe sport is a challenging topic to address because sport is celebrated for its positive impact and transformative power. Many fear that acknowledging its negative aspects might diminish its value.” Claudia also emphasised the importance of engaging athletes directly in these discussions to ensure their perspectives are widely heard, and explained a successful initiative in Dordrecht, where sports clubs were required to undergo a yearlong training and sign the Safe Sport Code to receive financial support, illustrating the necessity of action at all levels. “We didn’t want it to be a box-ticking exercise, but to ensure genuine understanding and proper implementation.”
This inspiring forum was a testament to the power of athlete voices in driving meaningful change toward a safer sporting environment. A heartfelt thank you to all the participating athletes for their courage, honesty, and unwavering commitment to creating a better future for sport. If you missed the event, you can relive the compelling discussions and personal stories by watching the full video below. Together, let’s continue to amplify these voices and advance safe sport practices across Europe!
About project 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 European sports environment free of transgressive behaviours. 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 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.
The project aimed:
- To develop a modern definition of transgressive behaviour in sport, with an extensive literature review of the most recent studies.
- To assess the statuses level of European sports organisations and event organisers.
- To develop legal frameworks with policies and procedures proposal for European sports organisations.
- To provide an awareness and education tool kit, facilitating the entities to use their communications channels to educate their communities about transgressive behaviour.
If you are interested in “walk the talk” and join our dissemination efforts, we invite you to get in touch with us at the email address below.
Contact:
Bastian Grueger, Project Coordinator
info@eoaolympic.org
