Protecting athletes from harassment, abuse and unsafe coaching is the focus of a three-day national programme at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), where sports professionals, researchers and athletes have gathered to discuss ways to improve safety in Indian sport.

The Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education (BCORE), based at RRU in Gandhinagar, opened its Foundation Programme on Safe Sport and Athlete Safeguarding on 21 October. The residential programme runs until 23 October and brings together representatives from National Sports Federations, Central Armed Police Forces, Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres and high-performance academies.

The opening day also saw BCORE sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Olympic Studies and Research Centre (CEROUEN) at the University of Rouen Normandy in France. The centre’s vice-president, Dr Philippe, joined the signing process, which took place online. BCORE also released Olympic Intersections: The Games at the Crossroads of Global Research, a book published by Routledge and edited by Wolfgang Maennig, Bimal N. Patel, Gaurav Singh Kushwah and Utsav Chaware.

The programme comes as athlete welfare receives greater attention in international sport and India develops rules for sports governance. The National Sports Governance Act, 2025, provides for a Safe Sports Policy covering activities run by national sports bodies, with provisions to protect women and underage athletes. It also provides for internal systems to address complaints.

The Act gives the safeguarding discussion a clear legal setting. The practical test will be whether sports organisations put suitable policies in place, make reporting easier and respond fairly when athletes raise concerns.

At the opening ceremony, Dr Utsav Chaware, Director of BCORE, explained the programme’s aims and the sessions planned for participants. A video message came from Dr Charilaos Tsolakis, President of the International Olympic Academy in Greece, an institution dedicated to Olympic education.

The keynote address on Olympism, athlete-centred sport and safe sport was delivered by Rose Mae, a safe sport advocate and co-founder of Safe Sport Philippines. Other experts taking part include Sanjana Kiran, a high-performance sports psychologist in Singapore and CEO of AITF, India, and Dr Khyati, a medical doctor and sports medicine specialist.

Speakers scheduled across the three days include Indian triathlete Pragnya Mohan; Professor Mary Woessner, Acting Associate Director for Research Engagement and Impact at IHES, Victoria University, Australia; Jhanvi Sonakia, Programme Assistant for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO; Kunal, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; Professor Michael L. Valan of Jindal Global Law School; and Ranjith Bajaj, founder and director of Minerva Academy Football and Cricket Club.

Participants represent several parts of India’s sporting system. Delegates have come from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Army Sports Institute. SAI centres represented include the National Centres of Excellence in Imphal and Gandhinagar.

The Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, Ice Hockey Association of India and Fencing Association of India have also sent representatives. GoSports Foundation, Reliance Foundation Sports and academies working in badminton, gymnastics, table tennis and kho kho are among the other participants. The Vijayi Bharat Foundation team includes Eric Hollingsworth, its High Performance Director.

Researchers and sports science professionals from IIT Bombay, BRAC University in Bangladesh, MFP Psychology Consulting and Ahmedabad Education Society add academic and regional experience to the discussions.

The programme uses group work, case studies, role-play exercises and expert panels to examine how safeguarding policies work in practice. The first day brought athletes, coaches and administrators together to discuss Olympic values, duty of care, safety, harassment and abuse, with participants then working in mixed groups.

The second day, 22 October, places athletes at the centre of the sessions, while coaches and administrators observe. Topics include athletes’ rights, representation, consent, personal boundaries, mental health, culturally informed protection and how to report concerns. On 23 October, coaches and administrators lead discussions while athletes observe. Sessions cover safe coaching, risk assessment, institutional policies and India’s legal provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (POSH), the Juvenile Justice Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

These subjects reflect concerns recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its 2016 consensus statement on harassment and abuse in sport identified psychological and physical abuse, sexual misconduct and neglect as risks affecting athletes. A 2024 IOC consensus statement further examined interpersonal violence and safeguarding, stressing the need for better prevention and support.

The workshop is expected to produce draft policy points and action plans that participants can take to their own organisations. Its discussions will also contribute to policy recommendations for Indian sport and BCORE’s third International Olympic Research Conference, planned for January 2027.

The France partnership adds an academic link to this work. The IOC’s Olympic Studies Centre officially recognised CEROUEN in August 2023. The book released in Gandhinagar records the First International Olympic Research Conference held in India at RRU from 27 to 30 January 2025, which brought together researchers, Olympians and sports practitioners.

Established in June 2024, BCORE is based at Rashtriya Raksha University, an institution of national importance specialising in national security and policing. It works on Olympic studies, sports governance, anti-doping education, major sporting events and the social legacy of sport.

For Indian sport, the challenge now is to turn discussion into daily practice. Athletes need clear ways to report abuse, trained people to respond, and organisations that take complaints seriously. The Gandhinagar programme seeks to help sports bodies develop those systems as the country’s new governance rules take shape.

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