Prince Feisal highlights safety at ‘Women and Sports’ seminar

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) and member of the International Olympic Committee's executive board, participated in a seminar on "Women and Sports" organised by the Panam Sports Organisation in conjunction with International Women's Day.

During the seminar in Panama, Prince Feisal, who serves as the head of the Protection from Harassment and Abuse in Sport group and deputy chairman of the Gender Equality Committee of the International Olympic Committee, emphasised the importance of promoting sports safety as fundamental for the sustainability of sports. 

He also noted that all parties must work together to end mistreatment in sports and guarantee a safe environment, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In a statement released by the JOC on Thursday, Prince Feisal highlighted the International Olympic Committee's remarks to modify the Olympic motto to be "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together." 

"We cannot begin to move and contribute to changing the world unless we work together," the prince said. 

Prince Feisal praised the role of the National Olympic Committees in the Panam Sports Organisation, which confirms the importance of providing a safe environment for sports, and noted that the International Olympic Committee has developed a protection certificate to provide expertise to those working in sports to ensure that athletes and other parties are protected.

Prince Feisal urged all National Olympic Committees to encourage and nominate at least one person for a protection certificate to ensure the implementation of safety programmes, not only in the National Olympic Committees, but also in programmes related to sports clubs, centres, and federations, noting that "in this way, we can work more effectively and systematically to address the issues of harassment and mistreatment".

The prince also shared his personal experience in managing protection and gender equality before discussing the need for institutional and cultural changes to ensure that sports are safe for everyone, as this change will be a “significant challenge” during the implementation phase. He emphasised the importance of collaboration to ensure the success of these efforts.

"This will be a challenge, but this is the idea of the Olympic Games, which are about challenging difficulties to develop and become better, stronger and faster, and to do your utmost to serve sports. Here, in terms of achieving our goal, it is not very different from that, and requires seriousness," the prince said.

IOC President Thomas Bach opened the symposium with a recorded message, and after Prince Feisal’s keynote speech, the prince participated in a panel discussion on gender-based violence with sports experts and athletes.

Deputy President of the IOC, Nicole Hoevertsz, and IOC member and first female President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, and Regional Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Maria-Noel Vaeza, also shared their experiences in their speeches.