THE RAFA NADAL FOUNDATION PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE “THE FIGURE OF THE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILD PROTECTION IN SPORTS ENTITIES”

The Rafa Nadal Foundation has been present at the Conference “The figure of the person responsible for child protection in sports entities” organized by Athletic Club together with Fútbol Más España and the Fundación Deporte Joven of the Higher Sports Council.

It is a space for dialogue, debate and work on the practical application of child protection policies within sports, educational, and leisure and free time entities.

The conference was attended by experts in various matters related to the protection of children in sport. Round tables, presentations and dialogues have been developed whose main objective is to reflect on the current situation of implementation of the LOPIVI (Organic Law for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence) in the field of sport. Likewise, good experiences have been reviewed and fundamentally the pending challenges for the coming months.

The day has been made up of round tables and presentations in which different issues related to the protection of minors in sports entities have been discussed.

Eunate Gómez, project manager of the Rafa Nadal Foundation and head of Child Protection of this entity, has participated in the round table “The figure of the Child Protection Manager in sports organizations with socio-educational intervention: present and future challenges ” providing our approach to this issue and exposing some of the keys to good practice in projects.

Sport not only has to do with competition, but also constitutes an important tool for socialization and social transformation. Entities that work with boys and girls in socio-educational intervention projects also have challenges in terms of child protection in sport.

The forum began with the round table, ‘Reference material for work on child protection in the field of sport’, in which Raúl Arnaiz, director of Programs in Spain at Save the Children; Gonzalo Jiménez Illana, Partner Legal & Compliance manager of Above Sport Associates, and Noelia Romero García, managing partner of Becompliance.

Subsequently, Iñaki Alonso, Athletic Club’s Head of Child Protection, and Carmen Molina Muñoz, Unicef’s Director of Awareness and Child Policies, presented the “SAFE ALLIES Project. Implementation of the LOPIVI regarding the person in charge of child protection: pending challenges’.

Subsequently, Gloria Viseras, responsible for Projects of the Safe Sports Unit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Belén Lara, head of the Project Area of ​​the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the CSD have opened the third table, ‘I-Protect Project . Alliances for work on child protection.

Finally, ‘The figure of the person in charge of Child Protection in sports organizations with socio-educational intervention: present and future challenges’ has focused the fourth table, with the participation of Aitor Hernández, executive director of Fútbol Más España; Eunate Gómez, Head of Projects at the Rafa Nadal Foundation; Ángela Domínguez Pérez, president of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Association, and Aauri Bokesa, head of the ‘Sport for Life’ Project.

Eunate Gómez has contributed the perspective and experience of the Rafa Nadal Foundation in this very important matter, explaining the position of the entity, which always relies on institutions that are ahead, such as Athletic Club, with which it has recently signed a collaboration agreement.

The Rafa Nadal Foundation has a policy for the protection of minors to safeguard the well-being of the boys and girls who are part of its projects, it has provided training to professionals, they have a person in charge of protection, a code of conduct and a protocol of action in case of any incident.

The great success of participation with more than 100 people attending live and the commitment of the Higher Sports Council to make this issue a priority matter stands out from this event.