Olympic and Youth Olympic games time
All participants have the right to safe sport – sport that promotes their well-being and is fair, equitable, supportive and free from all forms of harassment, abuse and neglect.
The safety and well-being of athletes and participants is paramount to the IOC and the entire Olympic Movement. Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the strategic roadmap of the IOC, highlights the IOC’s commitment to Safe Sport in Recommendation 5: Further strengthen safe sport and the protection of clean athletes.
Through this recommendation, the IOC has demonstrated its commitment to putting athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement and has taken significant steps to safeguard athletes and other participants from harassment and abuse in sport by recognising their right to enjoy safe and supportive sports environments.
To help protect athletes and other participants during Games time, the IOC has recently updated the “IOC Framework for Safeguarding Athletes and Other Participants from Harassment and Abuse in Sport (Games-time Period)”.
What is the IOC Games-time Safeguarding Framework?
The IOC Games-time Safeguarding Framework was first implemented at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Following the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the IOC Code of Ethics was updated to include new “Rules of Procedure with respect to alleged violations of the Olympic Charter or of any other decision or applicable regulation, other than anti-doping rule violations, issued by the IOC or any IF or NOC, including in relation to disciplinary proceedings, on the occasion of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games”. The IOC Games-time Safeguarding Framework has been updated to align with these wider “Rules of Procedure”, as the disciplinary processes included also apply for safeguarding violations during Games time.
This Framework does not replace any laws or regulations of the host country, IF or NOC, or any other IOC codes and regulations such as the Olympic Charter or the IOC Code of Ethics. Instead, the Framework is intended to supplement these with further specific information and guidance during the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games, in order to ensure that there is a safe and supportive environment for all accredited participants.
Specifically, the updated Games-time framework:
1.Provides the definitions and expected standards of behaviour that will underline the principles by which a participant’s conduct may be challenged as a violation of the Framework.
2.Provides guidance on how and where participants may report concerns, and the link to the IOC Rules of Procedure that describe the Games-time investigation and resolution procedures for different integrity issues after a report is made.
3.Includes a revised description of the role of the IOC Safeguarding Officers and the role of the NOC Welfare Officers.
4.Provides an update of the IOC safeguarding educational materials and new courses available. Unless there is a definition of a "Participant" provided, i.e. to make it an "official term", it should be lower case.
Who does it apply to?
The IOC Games-time Safeguarding Framework applies to all participants at each edition of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games as defined within the Framework.
When is the Games-time Safeguarding Framework in force?
The “Olympic Games- and Youth Olympic Games-time Period” means the time between the opening and the closing of the Olympic Village(s) for the purposes of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, as specified in the “Olympic Games Guide (OGG) - Olympic and Paralympic Villages” and “Youth Olympic Games Guide - Olympic Villages”.