The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the German Sports Youth (dsj) fundamentally supported the establishment of a center for safe sports in a position paper published on Wednesday entitled “Protection from Violence in Sport”.

“We, organized sport, expressly welcome the establishment of a center for safe sport, which is anchored in the coalition agreement.

Christopher Becker

sports editor.

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The center can and should help to close gaps in protection in sport and to supplement and support the existing measures and activities of sports associations and clubs in a meaningful way," DOSB CEO Torsten Burmester said in a press release.

The position, which was developed in a dialogue process lasting several months, is to be introduced into the so-called "stakeholder process" of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, with which the structure, equipment and design of the Center for Safe Sport are to be designed.

High number of unreported cases

In sport, a high number of unreported cases of abuse and violent attacks can be assumed. Against this background, the federal government decided in the coalition agreement to establish a center for safe sport.

The paper emphasizes the "primary responsibility" of associations and societies to ensure protection against violence.

The center should become active if "they do not act or cannot and should not act due to a required independence".

In addition, the development of the center "must not be at the expense of the funds already made available for protection against violence in sport", according to the position paper by the DOSB and dsj.

processing in organizations

In plain language: The construction of the center is to be financed with additional tax money in order to protect existing offices that deal with the prevention and processing of abuse in the sports organizations.

According to Christina Gassner, managing director of the dsj and DOSB board member for youth sports, the center develops its protective effect by "supporting, relieving and strengthening existing structures".

With regard to the specific work assignment and scope of tasks of the Center for Safe Sport, the position paper is at least open to interpretation in some places: a clearing house should "supplement existing structures in organized sport" and "be called by all stakeholders", on the basis of an agreement to be made "by the stakeholders”.

Arbitration procedures of the clearing house should be subject to associations and clubs transferring corresponding competencies.

The athletes' representation Athleten Germany, pioneer for the establishment of a center for safe sport, welcomed the position of DOSB and dsj "in the overall view" as "another milestone in the fight against violence and abuse in sport".

At the same time, there are a few points in the position paper that should be viewed critically.

For example, this leaves an investigative function of the center "largely unmentioned".

In addition, the center should not only be financed by the federal government, but also by the federal states and the sport itself.

In this way, sport would also assume institutional responsibility for its success.