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Clean sport vision to be discussed at virtual forum
Leeds Beckett University is playing a leading role in a global forum which will bring together athletes, practitioners, policymakers and researchers to discuss a range of anti-doping topics and issues.
The second annual Clean Sport Insight Forum is organised by the Clean Sport Alliance as part of the RESPECT project, led by Leeds Beckett University.
The event, held virtually over two days from December 8 to 9, will see a range of topics and trends covered.
Sessions will include exploring athletes’ views on what clean sport means to them and the barriers and enablers to promote a clean sport environment.
The latest advances in anti-doping education, including a new international standard and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) strategy, will be discussed, as will a vision for the future of clean sport over the next ten years.
Professor Sue Backhouse, Director of Research for Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, said the Clean Sport Insight Forum was an important event and built on the positive work already in action to move anti-doping policy and practice forward.
“We are excited to bring together the clean sport community through our virtual event and help foster high quality research and evidence-informed doping prevention,” said Professor Backhouse.
“The Clean Sport Alliance is a pan-European initiative and is built on the complementary portfolios and cumulative strengths of anti-doping researchers, practitioners and athletes. It seeks to bridge the gap between anti-doping research, policy and practice to deliver effective anti-doping education.
“By bringing together these key stakeholder groups and prioritising collaboration, co-production and collective action, we are helping to drive meaningful change and positively shape the future of sport.”
Professor Backhouse said much progress had been made in encouraging athletes’ voices to be heard regarding clean sport, with the creation of the forum marking another important step.
“Research by Leeds Beckett University, in partnership with WADA, earlier this year found that policy makers and sporting bodies need to change the cultural landscape around reporting on wrongdoing if they want to create doping-free sporting environments,” she said.
“Athletes and coaches themselves want to see an end to the current ‘fix the bad apple’ approach and a move to one that encourages the sporting community to speak up and protect the integrity of sport.
“This includes environments being created that enable athletes to talk openly and confidently about the pressures they face in sport – including upholding the rules of sport. WADA’s strategic plan prioritises an athlete-centred approach to clean sport, and athletes welcome their inclusion in co-creating policies and practices that directly impact their lives.
“Our research concluded that it is only through the collective effort of every person involved in sport, including those accountable at the top, that an athlete’s right to compete in doping-free environments will be realised.
“I believe much progress continues to be made to create and promote a clean sport environment and important events like the Clean Sport Insight Forum are another vital step on this journey. We are creating a network capable of creating change for the future of clean sport and Leeds Beckett University is proud to be hosting this forum. We would encourage anyone interested in sport to register.”
During the forum, attendees will become familiar with the outputs from the RESPECT project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. They will also hear about the extension to the work of the Clean Sport Alliance via a new three-year EU funded study focused on understanding the perspectives of para-athletes and athlete support personnel, the RESPECT-P project.
The RESPECT Project and the Clean Sport Alliance is driven by a collaboration between three universities (Leeds Beckett University, University of Birmingham and Kingston University London) and five national anti-doping organisations from Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK.
For further information and to register for the Clean Sport Insight Forum visit https://www.cleansportalliance.org