Development

European Athletics is committed to the principle of safeguarding in our sport and has developed a new safeguarding and abuse prevention programme, its Safeguarding Programme.

This is to ensure the protection and safety of everyone involved in athletics, whether they are athletes, officials, leaders, staff, volunteers, partners or contractors.

This programme is designed to safeguard people regardless of a person's background, age, ethnicity, origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

“Safeguarding is instrumental to our sport, Athletics is a place where we should be able to express our passion and feel safe regardless of our role,” commented European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.

As an Area Association, European Athletics is following the lead of the global governing body World Athletics and acting as a role model and facilitator for its Member Federations to implement their own programme withing the guidelines of its Safeguarding Policy (which can be downloaded here) which was launched in June 2022.

The European Athletics Safeguarding Programme is based on two pillars.

Firstly, European Athletics aims to ensure World Athletics policy and guidelines are being enforced within Europe and provide easy access to the European Athletics reporting platform (known as the European Athletics Integrity Platform) ensure a proper and speedy response when cases are being reported.

Secondly, European Athletics will focus on awareness raising, education and support to its own members of Council, committees, working groups and staff as well as to its Member Federation Leaders.

European Athletics support for its Member Federations includes raising awareness of safeguarding issues by providing prevention and educational activities via its communication campaigns and also establishing forums during various events including the European Athletics Convention, the Young Leaders Forum, and the CEO Conference. 

Member Federations are being strongly encouraged to create or reviewing their own national safeguarding policies with a view to implementing the measures outlined by European Athletics in its Safeguarding Polices by the end of 2023.

Everyone in the European Athletics family is responsible for ensuring that no one suffers abuse, harassment, or exploitation. 

If anyone has any suspicion that abuse, harassment, or exploitation occurred to someone they should report it through the dedicated and confidential European Athletics Integrity Platform (further details and access can be found here). 

This Platform is fully secured and independent from European Athletics and reports can be made anonymously. 

European Athletics have appointed a Safeguarding Officer, Mathilde Grenet, who can be contacted confidentially at: [email protected]  (phone: + 41 75 425 50 00).