The kick – off event of the new EU funded project “Safeguarding children in sport – GUARD” took place in Zagreb, Croatia on the 20^th of February 2024. The consortium consists of the Olympic Committees of Greece, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, under the coordination of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

The three-year project (January 2024 – December 2026) aims to ensure a healthy and safe environment for the children who practice sports, through the creation of new procedures, production of appropriate educational material and the conduct of training sessions for 20 selected representatives from member federations (1 representative per federation). After the completion of the project, the latter, who will act as “Child Safeguarding Officers” will, in turn, train the member clubs of the Federations using a “train the trainer” approach.

The kick – off meeting commenced with welcoming remarks by. Morana Paliković Gruden, Vice President of the Croatian NOC, and Natalija Havidić, Director of Strategic Planning, Digitalization, and EU Funds at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia.

Upon completion of the works, all partners left with the strongly belief that the project will contribute significantly and decisively not only to the creation, but also to the effective implementation of a mechanism for the protection of our children in their sport clubs.