SINGAPORE – After nine months of consultation with over 200 experts, athletes, parents and stakeholders, the Safe Sport Commission launched the Safe Sport Unified Code on Tuesday (Nov 23) to provide the sporting community with clear guidelines on what constitutes inappropriate behaviour.
The code includes standards of sexual, psychological and physical misconduct, as well as other inappropriate acts such as grooming.
Representatives from Sport Singapore, the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) also signed their commitment to the code on Tuesday at the Sport Singapore Auditorium. This was witnessed by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.
Chan Yen San, chairperson of the Safe Sport Commission, said the launch of the code is another milestone in creating a conducive and safe sporting environment for all.
She said: “Many of us know that sport has the ability to bring communities closer together, inspire people and influence our lives positively.
“This can only be achieved if it is done in a safe environment that is free from abuse and harassment. But the question is, what is abuse and harassment?
“That is why it is very important to have a common language in defining misconduct in the sporting environment.”
She also thanked the participants who took part in the consultation process as their input “helped us gain a better understanding of what constitutes abuse and harassment, the concerns and issues faced by the sporting fraternity”.
The code will form the foundation of the Safe Sport Programme, which will be the framework for the sports ecosystem to effectively implement the code.
Under the programme, member organisations will receive support including training of safeguarding officers, access to safeguarding resources to aid policy making and training and education resources.
They can also use the Safe Sport Support Network which comprises qualified counsellors and trained befrienders to provide psycho-social support to affected individuals. The network was formed through a partnership with the Athletes’ Commission, SNOC’s Women in Sport Committee and Team Nila.
National sports associations as well as members and affiliates of the SNOC and SNPC will be progressively added to the Safe Sport Programme in 2022.
Other sporting organisations who want to be part of the programme can apply to be in a pilot programme in 2022. Outreach to the various organisations will be done in phases from 2022 to assimilate the larger sporting community with the Unified Code.
The Safe Sport Commission was launched in 2019 to clamp down on harassment and misconduct against athletes.