The Council of Europe’s Pool of International Experts on Safe Sport held its 4th annual meeting on 13-14 November 2025 in hybrid format (Paris, France, and online).
In the framework of the meeting, a seminar on creating safer environments for children in sports associations was organised in co-operation with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF). The seminar brought together different stakeholders working to protect children from all forms of violence and abuse in sport, and in particular child safeguarding officers and other staff members of sports associations. High-level international experts addressed key issues and provided practical guidance on implementing safeguards within sports organisations that work with children. Speakers covered a wide range of topics, including how to support persons with lived experience of abuse and whistle-blowers in football; the investigation of cases; safeguarding children from exploitation and trafficking in sport; and strengthening safeguarding efforts globally.
The Pool presented its deliverable for 2025, the Guidelines on Safer Recruitment in Sport. The Guidelines aim to advise states as well as sports bodies and organisations on how to develop effective processes to recruit professionals and volunteers to work with children in sport, in a way that aligns with international human rights standards, to ensure that they can carry out their roles and are appropriately screened.
The annual in camera meeting of the Pool included discussions on the preparation of the 19th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport (Monaco, 3-4 November 2026), which will revolve around “Safer and healthier sport for all children”.
The Council of Europe’s Pool of International Experts on Safe Sport is the single entry point to a unique source of multi-disciplinary expertise covering all forms of violence and abuse against children in sport. It brings together policy-makers, researchers and academics, specialists supporting people with lived experience, child safeguarding officers, trainers/consultants and agents of change. It is a vehicle for peer-learning, capacity-building and fostering exchanges between all those who have a role to play in preventing and combating violence and abuse against children in sport. The Secretariat support to the Pool is provided by the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) within the “Start to Talk” project.
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