Countdown to Safer Sport Day 2020
August 7, 2020
On the 8th of August, sport organisations around the world will celebrate Safer Sport Day and we want you to join us! Championed by the International Safeguards for Children in Sport Initiative, a coalition of more than 60 organisations working together to make sport safer for children, Safer Sport Day is about raising awareness and taking action.
The 2020 theme, ‘Take the Pledge’, encourages organisations working with children in sport to show their commitment by pledging to embed safeguarding across their work. With a goal of using sport to educate and empower children, the initiative looks to help build essential life skills and better futures while driving sustainable social change in safe and supportive environments.
Built on the beliefs that it is every child's right to be safe during sport and that it is every organisation's resposibilty to protect them, the coalition upholds that one incident of abuse in sport is one too many. 
Safer Sport Day 2020 highlights this issue and aims to connect organisations to resources that will strengthen safeguarding in their work.
The International Safeguards for Children in Sport is free to download and is designed to guide organisations on their safeguarding journey. Available in 11 languages, the eight Safeguards were developed with input from organisations across six continents. From large International Federations and Agencies, and professional topflight sports clubs, to local grass roots NGOs operating in resources poor settings, all are united by a single aim: for all children, everywhere, to be safe in sport.
A draft set of Standards (now called Safeguards) were developed by a partnership of organisations working together for the 2012 Beyond Sport Summit in London. These were further developed through an extensive piloting phase over the next two years, with the finalised version launching at the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards in October 2014. The Safeguards lay the foundation for a holistic approach to ensuring children’s safety and protection in all sports contexts internationally.
To find out more about Safer Sport Day and to view the eight steps that every organisation can take to make safe sport for children, click here.
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Beyond Sport continues to support UNICEF on International Safeguards for Children and has pledged our support for Safer Sport Day 2020.