Analytical Study on Measures for the Protection of Minors during Sports Competitions

In general, child protection is a responsibility of everyone individually, respectively, children can have an essential role in ensuring their protection and of the other children, but the main responsibility rests with adults. Thus, child protection measures must have a complex and non-discriminatory character, if we refer to the fact that in some cases disabled minors may be subject to greater risks of abuse. As practice shows, currently the main forms of work in this field are the organization of contests, posters, stands, presentations and essays, as well as classes, debates and trainings on topics related to the protection of minors during sports competitions. Minors can be involved in sports activities, in order to prepare them to participate in various sports competitions on different sports events. In this context, coaches are responsible for the actions of minors during training or sports events, including the proper management of their competitive activities, in the direction of achieving sports results. Transparency and openness are essential to ensure child protection during sports events, as the risks or degree of abuse, harm can be increasingly identified among employees, volunteers, children, families and even the sports community. In the Codes of ethics, of professional conduct, sports entities must provide explicit requirements with reference to the protection of children during sports events (organized and carried out), as well as principles that establish the behavior expected from each participant (children and adults) and the prohibited ones. One is also important to establish in these codes, the method and the specific requirements regarding the collection of anti-doping samples from minors that must be strictly followed during the testing procedure. Moreover, it is a right for minor athletes to be informed of their selection for doping control, especially in the presence of an adult, so that they can request to be accompanied by a representative of their team during the sample collection procedure. The regulation and correct application of measures for the protection of minors during sports competitions must be a national priority with the reflection of this issue in state policy documents.