Sport Coach+: supporting coaches to create safe and supportive sporting environments for young people affected by displacement
Sport Coach+ is an innovative project which aims to equip 2,500 sports coaches in Ukraine and surrounding countries with the skills to more effectively manage young players who may have experienced trauma as a result of their forced displacement.
While the IOC's Solidarity Fund for Ukraine is focused on supporting Ukrainian athletes and their entourage to ensure the best preparation for Paris 2024, this was too important an initiative for Ukrainians to not lend support, and I am very happy to be involved.
The project is a collaboration between the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Psychosocial Reference Centre. In the context of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) celebrated earlier this month, Sport Coach+ is another example of the Olympic Movement’s contribution to building more peaceful and inclusive societies through sport.
For young people experiencing the stresses – and often trauma – of displacement, it is essential that sport is delivered in ways which are safe and supportive. Sport Coach+ is intended to help maximise the positive contribution of sport to the mental health and well-being of young people as part of a holistic response in forced displacement contexts.
