International Congress on Safe Sport Research
As part of our links with the Research Chair in Safety and Integrity in Sport (SIMS) at Laval University, Quebec, Canada, led by Professor Sylvie Parent, CPSS was involved in organising the 1st International Congress on Safe Sport Research conference, which took place from 18-20 June 2025 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
The conference was the first globally to focus exclusively on the latest research in the area of what has become known as ‘safe sport’. It was attended by over 300 academics, researchers, sport and safeguarding practitioners and policymakers, and graduate students researching any aspect of safeguarding, child protection, children’s and human rights, violence, abuse and injury prevention across all levels of sport.
CPSS’ Professor Melanie Lang was a member of the Scientific Committee for the event, which featured keynote addresses from: Professor Sylvie Parent of SIMS and Laval University (Quebec), Professor David Finkelhor of the University of New Hampshire (USA), Dr Ashley Stirling of the University of Toronto (Canada), Dr Tine Vertommen of Thomas More University (Belgium), Kirsty Burrows, Head of the International Olympic Committee Safe Sport Unit, and Liz Twyford, sports programmes specialist at UNICEF.
Melanie presented the closing keynote alongside colleagues Dr Jeannine Ohlert of the German Sport University Cologne, Germany, and Dr Ashley Stirling of the University of Toronto, Canada, discussing the future of ‘safe sport’ research and practice. Melanie said, “This was a fantastic event, and a rare opportunity to bring together a community of like-minded researchers, scholars, practitioners and policymakers all with the vision of improving the evidence base and policy and practice to make sport safer. It was a privilege to be involved in developing the conference and a great learning and networking event.”
Abstracts of presentations from the event are available here: https://www.icssrqc2025.com/en/home
The next conference will take place in Belgium in 2026 and we’ll promote this here.
The CPSS Online Seminar Series: Wednesday 12 February 2025
Perceptions and Experiences of Sexual Violence Among School-Aged Athletes: Insights from University Athletes
Speaker: Andrea Saenz Olmedo, University of the Basque Country, Spain
Wednesday 26 June 2024, 1pm–2pm (BST)
What can we learn from elite athletes’ lived experiences about athlete sustainability?
Dr. Astrid Schubring
Wednesday 10 April 2024, 12pm-1pm (GMT)
Developing trauma-aware approaches within youth sport coaching
Dr Thomas Quarmby, DR Rachel Sandford, Oliver Hooper and Dr Shirley Gray.
Tuesday 8 November 2023, 12pm-1pm (GMT)
(Re)imagining sport in Lithuania: Young people’s promotion of safe sporting spaces
Dr Laura Purdy, Dr Rutenis Paulauskas, and Dr Melanie Lang.
Wednesday 8 March 2023, 12-1pm (GMT)
Bullying in sport: Definitions, prevalence and prevention
Dr Miguel Nery, Universidade Europeia (Lisboa), Lisbon, Portugal.
Schedule of seminars 2021/22
Wednesday 10 November 2021, 12:30-3pm (GMT)
The impact of gender on safeguarding and protecting athletes in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
Dr Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Öbrero University, Sweden
Sexual discrimination and harassment in elite sports coaching
Professor Leanne Norman, Leeds Beckett University
Wednesday 15 December 2021, 12-1pm (GMT)
Eyes Wide Open
Athlete activist, former elite gymnast and leading campaigner for change within gymnastics
Wednesday 9 February 2022, 1-2pm (GMT)
Instagram policies and the online abuse of elite women in strength sports
Dr Catherine Phipps, Southampton Solent University
Wednesday 11 May 2022, 1-2pm (British Summer Time)
Exploring the wellbeing of professional academy footballers
Dr Jimmy O’Gorman, Edge Hill University