Bangkok, Thailand, December 5, 2024: One of the global leaders in the safe sport movement, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, encouraged participants at the OCA Safeguarding Workshop to be “flexible and creative” in their thinking.
The International Olympic Committee Executive Board member, who is unable to attend the workshop due to commitments in Lausanne, Switzerland, addressed the participants via video message during the opening ceremony.
After thanking the OCA and National Olympic Committee of Thailand for organising the workshop, Prince Feisal said: “From the grassroots to the elite level, the safety and well-being of all participants in sports must be our No. 1 priority. This is vital for the very future of sport.
“Sports must be an inclusive, thriving and fun place to be – a place where parents feel it is safe to leave their children and where athletes, coaches and administrators feel safe to practice sport.
“We need to build a system that is founded in integrity and the highest standards of safeguarding - a system that gives all those involved in sports the confidence that the environment that they play and work in is fair and free from all forms of physical, mental or sexual harassment and abuse, whether in the physical or digital world.
“We must prioritize our work on safe sports across the Olympic Movement. Having recently led the International Olympic Committee’s work in this area as chair of the IOC working group focused on coordinating safeguarding in the Olympic Movement, I am single-mindedly focused on improving the safeguarding of our global sports community.
“I know that collaboration and knowledge-sharing are essential in order to make sports a safe space; while this is a collective responsibility, as NOC safeguarding leads you must, indeed, lead your organizations through education and establishing systems for addressing complaints.
“I encourage you to engage with your peers during this workshop. Share your experiences, be flexible and creative in your thinking and make the most of this precious opportunity.
“Together we can make a difference. Together we can make the necessary changes to ensure safe sports at all levels. I look forward to hearing your feedback and wish you all a productive workshop.”
Prince Feisal is the President of Jordan Olympic Committee and an OCA Executive Board member as Chair of the OCA Peace Through Sport Committee.
