Dr Colin Harris

GBR

Role

Former Professional Footballer & Academic

Organization

University of Brighton

Dr Colin Harris is an academic with both research and teaching roles at the Universities of Sussex and Brighton.

In 2016, Harris disclosed that he was sexually abused by his coach during his time as a footballer for Chelsea FC in the early 1970s. Since then, he has been working with multiple organisations to help those who have been affected by abuse to bring about positive changes that would benefit those who are currently in or entering sport. Much of Harris’s work has been with the EU-funded VOICE project, which aims to create awareness of harassment and abuse in sport by using the voices and experiences of those who have been affected by it.

At the Olympism in Action Forum, Harris will share his experiences with abuse in sport and his struggle to find his own voice to speak out on the issue.

The speakers

Using the unique power of sport to bring people together, the Olympism in Action Forum saw a range of global players, including Olympic Movement stakeholders, athletes, private and public sector leaders, NGO representatives, academics, artists and the media come together to talk on topical contemporary issues. Chosen because of their ability to effect change and their wide range of sometimes differing opinions, the speakers led lively debates and seeked to challenge received wisdom to inspire new ways of thinking.