Background

The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union made as one of its priorities the combat against hate speech in sport. The conference will provide the opportunity to present the progress in combating hate speech in sport in each of the participating countries through the lens of each stakeholder category: Extent of the problem, Potential impact if ignored, Benefits, Challenges and Impact of the project.

The Conference will set the stage for national governments and international sport organisations to commit to working together to change behaviours within and around sport fields, promote a general renewal of European sport and reframe the discussions of sport narratives in accordance with human rights. The conference will showcase examples related to prejudice and hate (ethnicity, physical abilities, sexual orientation, etc) going beyond verbal violence and violence, looking into the roots of hate motivated speeches and ways to raise awareness for preventing, combating, imposing punitive and rehabilitation measures.

 Objectives of the conference

The strategic approaches and the #Sport IS Respect campaign will be presented, the Council of Europe Combating Hate Speech in Sport Resource Centre will be launched. The Centre will include:

  • Innovative actions to raise awareness, in the form of Good practices in the six countries of the project
  • Tools to improve competences for combating hate speech in and through sport by promoting respect: Strategic framework, Funding mechanism, Campaign design, Trainings, #Sport IS Respect Event toolkit.

The Conference will provide: 

  • Lessons learned in this joint EU CoE innovative project
  • Achievements and the outcomes of the project: the conceptual frameworks for constructing strategies for combating hate speech in sport, for implementing the Sport IS Respect campaigns with stakeholders, and the educational toolkits accessible online in the Resource Center
  • Recommendations for successfully combating hate speech in sport
  • The commitment from national governments and sport organisations to work together for countering Hate and promoting Respect in and through Sport: #Sport IS Respect  

 

Target audience

The conference brings together high-level authorities from a wide range of sectors:

  • Council of Europe and European Commission representatives from relevant departments;
  • representatives of the Committee on Safety and Security at Sports Events (T-S4) and of the EPAS Governing Board and Consultative Committee;
  • representatives from sports ministries;
  • international and national sports organisations;
  • athletes, coaches and supporters exposed to hate speech in their sport environments; and
  • experts and researchers who have carried out case studies on the subject of hate speech in sport.

Experts and representatives of partner organisations from the Sport Movement will be welcome to attend the conference remotely. The link will be sent by the organisers.