THE RAFA NADAL FOUNDATION CENTER IN PALMA HOSTS THE CHILD PROTECTION CONFERED ORGANIZED BY THE young sports foundation

The training session for Child Protection Officers in Sports, held at the Rafa Nadal Foundation Center in Palma, brought together representatives from numerous sports entities in the Balearic Islands.

• The Rafa Nadal Foundation is firmly committed to Child and Adolescent Protection in Sports.

• The training session was conducted by Iñaki Alonso, an international expert in Children’s Rights in Sports and Humanitarian Aid, with extensive experience in the field and the driving force behind Kunina Consulting.

• The Young Sports Foundation of the Higher Sports Council promotes this and other training in the field of child protection to help entities, clubs, and federations correctly implement the LOPIV.

The Rafa Nadal Foundation Center in Palma hosted the training session for Child Protection Officers in Sports, organized by the Young Sports Foundation of the Higher Sports Council, with the collaboration of the Rafa Nadal Foundation.

The training session is part of the ESID Project (Safe Environments for Children in Sports) of the Young Sports Foundation, aimed at extending the work of preventing violence against children, protection, good treatment, and the application of the LOPIVI in Spanish sports entities and federations to create safe spaces in sports for children and adolescents.

The conference, focused on developing the skills and practical competencies necessary to create safe and protective environments so that all children and adolescents can practice sports without any form of violence, was previously held in Madrid on March 19 and, after its development in Palma, will be replicated in more Spanish cities.

Perelló and Sanz highlighted that both foundations share the goal of placing people at the center of their actions and opening the door to a more hopeful future, allowing children to aspire to dreams they had never considered due to limited environments. Ultimately, sports are a way of life focused on well-being, health, and the skills to build a future full of possibilities.

During the opening, Íñigo Martínez de San Vicente, director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation Center in Palma, emphasized the efforts made by his team of professionals to offer safe spaces to the more than 250 children and adolescents they serve each year at the center, and the importance of doing so from all entities working with minors.

For his part, Félix Jordán de Urríes, general director of the Young Sports Foundation, emphasized the foundation’s belief that minors should access safe environments and that we all need to create the necessary spaces to achieve this. And for that, training is essential.

Children’s Rights and Safe Environments

The conference was conducted by Iñaki Alonso Romero, an international expert in Children’s Rights in Sports and Humanitarian Aid, who delved into basic concepts of children’s rights and safe environments for children, as well as clarifying the concepts and types of violence against children in sports.

Additionally, he discussed the general and specific implications of the LOPIVI for individuals and entities and detailed the obligations of sports entities and their staff following the enactment of the law. Iñaki Alonso also addressed the concepts and types of violence in sports, concluding with an analysis of the role of the Child Protection Officer and the presentation of a practical case.

Rafa Nadal Foundation and Child Protection

The Rafa Nadal Foundation is firmly committed to Child and Adolescent Protection in Sports. As explained by its Project Manager, Eunate Gómez, the organization has a comprehensive protection system, an action protocol, a code of conduct, and all its professionals are trained in the field.

Maria Francisca Perelló, director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation, who closed the conference, pointed out that sports should be a space of well-being, happiness, and freedom for children. Therefore, the foundation is committed to continuously improving its child protection system and remaining aware of this crucial issue. Additionally, she expressed pride in being pioneers in this field and making significant progress in implementing protective measures.