The Sports Safety and Gender Equality Commission, together with the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, is advancing the initiative "Safe Thai Sports" by organizing the country's first 'Safeguarding in Sports: From Policy to Practice' training.
The Sports Safety and Gender Equality Commission collaborated with the National Olympic Committee of Thailand under Royal Patronage to hold the academic seminar 'Safeguarding in Sports: From Policy to Practice' under the theme 'Protection and Creating Safety in Sports: From Policy to Practice' on Friday, 28 August 2026, from 08:30 to 16:30 at the Convention Hall, The Grand Four Wings Hotel, Bangkok.
Assistant Professor Pimol Srivikorn, Chair of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, Dr. Suwanna Silpa-archa, Vice Chair, and Minister Nikhom Somklang from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security joined the opening ceremony, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and advancing safeguarding efforts in sports.
This training was organized to actively implement the National Safeguarding in Sport Policy by building knowledge, understanding, and practical approaches applicable to Thai sports, aiming to make sports a safe, equal, and dignified space for everyone.
This initiative marks a significant step toward developing a Thai sports system that prioritizes the protection of athletes and personnel at all levels, especially children and youth, including preventing abuse, harassment, and violence in sports, promoting gender equality, and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can safely participate.
The event featured knowledge exchanges from experts covering key topics including:
Safeguarding in Sport: Protection and creating safety in sports.
Digital Safety & Cyberbullying in Sports: Safety in the digital world and prevention of cyberbullying in sports.
Rights & Well-being of Athletes: Athletes' rights and welfare.
Gender Equality & Protection against GBV in Sports: Gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence in sports.
Protect Young Athletes: Protection of children and youth in sports.
From Policy to Practice: Driving policies, society, and stakeholders into practical implementation.
Throughout the training, participants had opportunities to learn and share experiences on building a safe Thai sports system by linking government, sports sectors, society, and stakeholders to ensure the safeguarding concept can be practically applied in sports organizations and operations.
The National Olympic Committee of Thailand emphasizes creating sports environments where athletes, children and youth, coaches, parents, staff, and personnel can participate safely. This training serves as a mechanism to build shared understanding and to extend knowledge toward developing safeguarding policies and systems in Thai sports.
A key approach of the event was to foster cooperation among government, sports sectors, society, and stakeholders to turn "policy" into concrete "practice" and establish safety standards that can be continuously applied.
After the opening ceremony, Assistant Professor Pimol Srivikorn, Chair of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, said, "The Olympic Committee of Thailand prioritizes this issue, and I have been tasked to work with Khun Kae, who has been very active."
"Today, I would like to congratulate Khun Kae on successfully launching this event, which had an excellent start."
Meanwhile, the key organizer "Dr. Kae," Dr. Suwanna Silpa-archa, added, "The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary-General entrusted me to oversee athlete care because this is an issue that we in the sports community must pay attention to."
"We focus only on results, and as sports associations, we think about how to win medals for Thailand. This causes us to overlook the mental health and well-being of our athletes."
"I have received many cases, honestly, many athletes have been harmed. Today, we want to address this seriously. What we are doing now is prevention."
"We must emphasize this because sports must be a safe space for every athlete. They come to play sports and must have a safe environment. Parents must be confident their children are in a safe place."
"We, the sports community and administrators, besides striving for medals for Thailand, must also care for our athletes to ensure they can bring honor to the country with dignity."
Participants in the program will receive an electronic certificate (E-Certificate) after completing the training.
The 'Safeguarding in Sports: From Policy to Practice' project represents another step in Thai sports toward cultivating a new culture that values safety, rights, equality, and welfare for all, ensuring sports venues and environments are places where everyone can grow, learn, and confidently pursue their dreams.