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Safeguarding in sport is often addressed after harm occurs — but prevention depends on education, awareness, and power redistribution.
In this episode, we examine the role of awareness-raising and education in building safe sport environments, questioning how safeguarding can move beyond reactive, scandal-driven responses toward proactive, human rights-centred systems. The discussion explores how educational programmes are currently designed, who they are intended for, and why generic approaches frequently fail to address real risks.
A key focus is the need for tailored safeguarding education. The episode considers how different stakeholders — including children, coaches, parents, administrators, and boards — require distinct forms of training, adapted to local, cultural, and social contexts. Particular attention is given to intersectionality and the importance of starting from the margins, prioritising those most exposed to harm, including LGBTQ+ athletes, athletes with disabilities, and communities in the Global South.
The conversation also addresses the absence of binding international safeguarding regulations, comparing education-based approaches with enforcement models used in anti-doping and match-fixing. Finally, it examines how awareness-raising can either instrumentalise survivors or genuinely empower them as agents of change.
This episode features Joanna Maranhão, Olympic swimmer, human rights advocate, researcher, and survivor of abuse in sport, whose work spans legal reform, education, and international safeguarding advocacy.
This episode was recorded in July 2025.
Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode:
• IOC consensus statements: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sport (2007, 2016, 2024).
• Sports & Rights Alliance videos and resources.
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Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you.
Credits
- Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank
- Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs
- Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez
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