Professor

Research Chair in Safety and Integrity in Sport

Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, Université Laval

Sylvie Parent, PhD, is a full professor in the Department of Physical Education at Université Laval. Her research focuses on violence in sport. More specifically, her current work focuses on four (4) themes: 1) measuring the prevalence of violence against athletes and the associated risk factors, 2) the impact of violence in sport on the physical and mental health of young participants, 3) the violence experienced by young officials in the course of their duties, and 4) the different contexts in which athletes are victimised (university environment, sexual minorities). In 2020, Ms Parent was given responsibility for directing the Research Chair in Safety and Integrity in Sport. The Chair's mission is to prevent violence in sport by mobilising a partnership between researchers, decision-makers and partners in the sporting community to support the production and mobilisation of knowledge on this important social issue.

In addition to her involvement in research, Ms Parent has been working with the Quebec government and the sporting community since 2004 to combat violence against athletes. Among her most notable achievements, she co-founded Sport'Aide in 2014, an organisation aimed at preventing violence in sport. In addition, she has been invited to sit on various ministerial committees (bullying, creation of an independent body to handle complaints of violence in sport, development of a ministerial declaration on violence in sport and design of the Sportbienetre.ca platform). She is also a regular researcher at the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur les problèmes conjugaux et les agressions sexuelles (CRIPCAS), an associate researcher at the Centre de recherches appliquées et interdisciplinaires sur les violences intimates, familiales et structurelles (RAIV) and a member of the International Network for Research on Violence in Sport (IRNOVIS).

Director Safe Sport

International Olympic Committee, Switzerland

Biography to come

Director of Crimes against Children Research Center

Co-director of the Family Research Laboratory, Professor of Sociology and University Professor, University of New Hampshire, USA

Biography to come

Associate Professor of Psychology

Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, United States

Biography to come

Professor

Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Science, Edge Hill University, UK

Melanie is Director of the Centre for Safeguarding and Child Protection in Sport (CPSS) and Professor of Child Rights Protection in Sport at Edge Hill University in the UK. Her research interests include child protection and abuse prevention in sport, gender-based violence in sport and children's rights in sport, with a particular focus on participation rights or children's 'voice'.

In a career spanning almost 20 years, Melanie has worked with child athletes and people who have experienced abuse, national and international sports federations, safeguarding professionals and coaching organisations on the development and evaluation of evidence-based child protection and rights in sport and physical activity.

She has provided training and advice on safe sport policy and practice to a range of national and international organisations, including the International Olympic Committee, the Council of Europe, the Coaching Association of Canada and the Association of Child Protection Professionals. She is a member of the Council of Europe's Committee of International Experts on Safety in Sport and the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport's Expert Group on Violence against Women and Girls in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport.

Professor-researcher

Department of Social and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany

Jeannine Ohlert is a senior researcher and sports psychologist at the German Sport University in Cologne. Her research focuses on safe sport, group processes and the personality development of athletes. She is particularly interested in the role and leadership style of coaches and their relationship to interpersonal violence in sports groups.Dr Ohlert is also involved in training coaches, sports psychologists and physical education teachers in safe sport and appropriate training styles.

Assistant Professor

Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, Université Laval, Canada

Stephanie Radziszewski holds a PhD in community psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Stephanie's research interests focus on power issues, in particular the impact of social structures on such issues and the prevention of their potential consequences. She is also interested in qualitative methods, participatory action research and programme evaluation.

Associate Professor, Education sector

Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Canada

Dr. Ashley Stirling is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. She specialises in athlete safety and is a leading expert in the prevention of psychological abuse in coach-athlete relationships. Her research, which has been widely published in recognised scientific journals and presented at international conferences, fuels her collaboration with sports organisations and advocacy groups to develop protective frameworks and educational initiatives aimed at giving coaches, parents and athletes the knowledge and tools they need to foster safe sports environments. She has developed training and participated in consultations for the Coaching Association of Canada, Sport Canada, U.S. Child Helpline and the European Union High Level Group on Gender Equality, to name a few. Her contributions have helped shape safety practices in sport and raise awareness of the importance of athlete well-being.

Unicef Sports Programme Specialist, United Kingdom

Liz Twyford has worked for UNICEF UK in England for over 15 years, in a role focused on protecting and promoting children's rights in, around and through sport.

She has been involved in the implementation and evaluation of International Inspirational, the international social legacy programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Unicef UK's partnership with the Commonwealth Games.

Liz is one of the founders and coordinators of the International Child Protection in Sport Initiative. She is also a member of the FIFA Expert Working Group on Child Protection and has supported the development of the FIFA Guardians programme.

Liz is the driving force behind UNICEF UK's involvement in the Children's Coaching Collaborative - a group of similar organisations working together to promote a rights-based, child-centred approach to coaching. She is also leading a project with a number of Premier League Academies, introducing child rights training for staff, parents or guardians, and young athletes, with a particular focus on the voice of children.

Prior to joining UNICEF, Liz spent many years in the development field, living and working for over two years in Bhutan, where she supported Save the Children's community sport work, and for a year in Cameroon, where she supported sport for development programmes in the North West Province. She has worked in more than 15 countries over the last 10 years.

Head of Regulatory Affairs, Brazilian Olympic Committee

Biography to come

Professor-researcher

Department of Forensic Psychology, Faculty of Applied Psychology, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium

Tine holds a master's degree in ethics and a master's degree in criminology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, as well as a doctorate in health sciences from the University of Antwerp. She heads the Safeguarding Sport and Society research team at the Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium and is a visiting professor at Ghent University. In addition, she acts as an external expert consultant for the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Sport Safety Unit, where she contributes to the development of evidence-based tools, policies and procedures to promote safety in sport.

Vertommen also coordinates the International Research Network on Violence and Integrity in Sport (IRNOVIS), funded by the Flemish Research Foundation. Her research focuses on the prevalence and prevention of interpersonal violence against children and adolescents in sport, with recent projects focusing on the development of bystander interventions in local sports clubs. Her expertise is widely recognised, as demonstrated by her role in drafting the IOC consensus statement on safe sport (2024). She is a member of the Council of Europe's committee of international experts on safety in sport and the European Commission's high-level expert group on gender equality in sport.