Throwing yourself headlong down a sheet of ice

Over the past few days I have enjoyed watching the winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. While I have no desire to throw myself headlong down a sheet of ice at speeds faster than I would drive, I am nevertheless amazed at the skill, courage and grace of these athletes. Seeing the way the athletes interact with each other, their coaches, families and supporters, and even some of the political developments going on in the background reminds me of the incredible potential of sport to bring out goodness, beauty, and all that is best in our humanity.

Sadly, though, sport also carries the potential for some of the worst in humanity. And Barry Bennell’s conviction last week on 43 charges of sex abuse against young people under his care as a football coach truly highlights that. As has been shown now in so many different areas, striving for excellence also brings vulnerability. And that vulnerability can be exploited.

I am pleased that FIFA and other bodies in sport are taking their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They have a long way to go to ensure that children are safe in sport, and it won’t be an easy road. But it is a road that must be travelled.

Safeguarding in, around and through sport

Four years ago, at a summit in Johannesburg, Unicef launched its ‘International Safeguards for Children in Sport’. This ground-breaking initiative was based on research by Daniel Rhind and colleagues from Brunel University. I am really pleased that Daniel will be presenting at the BASPCAN 2018 child protection congress, exploring the development, implementation and evaluation of these international standards.

This presentation will consider safeguarding in, around and through sport. Safeguarding ‘in’ sport concerns the prevalence of the different forms of abuse along with the factors which may make children more vulnerable to abuse. Safeguarding ‘around’ sport will be discussed with reference to research on how mega sports events can impact children. Safeguarding ‘through’ sport concerns how participation can help to safeguard children beyond the context of sport.

 

To join the congress and hear Daniel’s talk, or to find out more about the other great presentations and opportunities to get involved, take a look at the congress website:

https://www.baspcan.org.uk/congress-2018/