Council of Europe Adopts Resolution to Protect Children in Sport
Ministers meeting in Monaco approved measures including criminal record checks for coaches and child protection officers in federations.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Olympics
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The 19th Conference of the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport, held at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum with some 300 participants including EU representatives, concluded with a resolution aimed at better protecting children in sport. The resolution calls for criminal record checks for coaches and training to prevent violence, including gender-based violence.
Why it matters
Young people must first be welcomed into an environment free from violence and excessive pressure in order to learn democratic rules of good governance. The measures target safeguarding gaps within sports federations across member states.
The resolution was adopted by ministers after a one-day conference attended by about 300 people, including EU representatives. Implementation progress across member states is not yet known and will be assessed by a Council of Europe report due in 2027.
The players
Alain Berset
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who spoke to Agence Europe after the conference.
Council of Europe
Pan-European intergovernmental organization that promotes human rights, democracy and rule of law across its member states, and whose sport ministers conference adopted the resolution.
The details
The resolution recommends criminal record checks for coaches, training to prevent violence including gender-based violence, the appointment of child protection officers in sports federations, and better reporting procedures with protection for whistleblowers. It was adopted at the close of the conference, which was held as a one-day series of discussions.
Timeline
November 4, 2026: Conference concludes with adoption of the resolution in Monaco.
2027: Council of Europe's EPAS platform is due to present a report on national progress in implementing the measures.
Season Trajectory
The resolution extends the Council of Europe's longstanding sport-governance work through its EPAS platform, which will assess national progress in 2027. It positions child safeguarding as a standing expectation for European sports federations rather than a one-off initiative.
Sports federations across Council of Europe member states may need to introduce criminal record checks for coaches and designate child protection officers. Parents and young athletes can expect clearer reporting channels, with protections for whistleblowers.
The takeaway
Safeguarding children in sport is moving from voluntary guidance toward standing governance expectations across Europe. Federations that have not yet appointed child protection officers or reviewed coach vetting may want to start that work now.
What happens next
The Council of Europe's EPAS platform is scheduled to present a report in 2027 assessing national progress on the resolution's measures.
Further reading
For broader context on sport governance and athlete welfare, see Olympics coverage.
More information
Read the Council of Europe sport-resolution text on child protection for the full set of recommendations.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Agence Europe.
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