Council of Europe is pleased to announce that a Social Science Research (SSR) Collaboration Platform has been established in partnership with the European Commission, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to raise the visibility of SSR in Sport.

The SSR Collaboration Platform is an informal “community of practice” for international organisations that fund or support SSR in sport integrity matters. Its focus is to share best practices and raise the visibility of SSR to increase its usability and, ultimately, its impact on the sporting system. The organisations involved engage to share experiences using their collective insights to improve the benefits of SSR, including reducing duplication of research and importantly, improving the way in which SSR is disseminated, understood and adopted by stakeholders in the field of sport.

In order to promote this unique partnership, the SSR Collaboration Platform is pleased to publish jointly today:

1. A Communiqué that highlights the SSR opportunities available for stakeholders; and
2. A Survey designed to gather stakeholder feedback in the area of SSR as it relates to sport integrity. Stakeholders are asked to provide feedback by 31 May on their experience with SSR to help participating organizations learn the needs of the sporting community; and, improve their support and promotion of SSR in sport in the future.

As outlined in the Communiqué, while each of the organisations involved in the SSR Collaboration Platform has its own specific research priorities, the overarching research themes that capture all of the organizations’ common interests are:

• Athlete welfare/well-being
• Sport integrity
• Values-based education
• Sport governance
• Effectiveness of education
• Equality and inclusion in sport
• Athlete environment/influences on behavior
• Impact of technology on sport integrity

Council of Europe and its partners are confident that the SSR Collaboration Platform will have a positive impact on the sporting system and welcomes requests to join the Platform from other international and regional organizations that have a role in funding or supporting SSR in sport (including private organisations).

Should you have any questions regarding the new SSR Collaboration Platform, or any of the information outlined above, please contact the Monitoring Group to the Anti-Doping Convention Secretariat (T-DO).