In commemoration of this year's Safe Sport Day, we take a brief look at the Athletes' Declaration, a valuable resource developed by athletes and for athletes through a worldwide consultation process.
This ground-breaking document, which gathered the views and opinions of more than 4,200 elite athletes from 190 countries, was formally adopted in October 2018 and has become a vital tool to support athletes, no matter what their sport, age, or nationality.
The Declaration was specifically designed to support athletes of all levels globally and acts as a reference point for athletes’ rights and responsibilities.
Below are some key points captured in the document.
ATHLETES’ RIGHTS
The declaration aspires to promote the ability and opportunity of athletes to:
- Practise sport and compete without being subject to discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other immutable status.
- Be part of a transparent, fair and clean sporting environment, particularly one that fights against doping and competition manipulation, and provides for transparent judging/refereeing, selection and qualification processes, and appropriate competition schedules, including training schedules at such competitions.
- Access general information on athlete and competition-related matters in a timely and clear manner.
- Access education on sports-related matters as well as to work or study while actively training and competing, should the athlete choose to do so and where practicable.
- Leverage opportunities to generate income in relation to their sporting career, name and likeness, while recognising the intellectual property or other rights, rules of the event and of sports organisations as well as the Olympic Charter.
- Fair and equal gender representation.
- The protection of mental and physical health, including a safe competition and training environment and protection from abuse and harassment.
- Elected athlete representation within sporting organisations of the Olympic Movement.
- Report unethical behaviour without fear of retaliation.
- Privacy, including protection of personal information.
- Freedom of expression.
- Due process, including the right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial panel, the right to request a public hearing and the right to an effective remedy.
The Declaration encourages athletes to:
- Uphold the Olympic values and adhere to the Fundamental Principles of Olympism.
- Respect the integrity of sport and compete as a clean athlete, in particular by not doping and not manipulating competitions.
- Act in accordance with the IOC Code of Ethics and be encouraged to report unethical behaviour, including instances of doping, competition manipulation, prohibited discrimination and abuse and harassment.
- Comply with applicable national laws, and the rules of the qualification processes and competitions, of the sport, and of the relevant sporting organisation, as well as the Olympic Charter.
- Respect the rights and well-being of, and not discriminate against, other athletes, their entourage, volunteers and all others within the sporting environment, and refrain from political demonstration in competitions, competition venues and ceremonies.
- Respect the solidarity principle of the Olympic Movement, which allows assistance and support to be provided among athletes and members of the Olympic Movement.
- Act as a role model, including by promoting clean sport.
- Inform themselves and be aware of their responsibilities.
- Participate in hearings when requested to do so and provide truthful testimony in such proceedings.
- Participate and vote in athlete representatives’ elections.
In light of this year's Safe Sport Day, all sporting organizations and groups are therefore encouraged to commit or recommit to safeguarding, which is fundamental in ensuring athlete's safety, mental and emotional balance and freedom.
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