Third National Event of the GRASS Project in Slovenia

The National Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Association of Sports Federations (OKS-ZŠZ) organized the National Event of the Safer Grassroots Sport (GRASS) project as part of the OKS-ZŠZ Days in Portorož. The event aimed to strengthen knowledge, exchange experiences, and develop good practices in the field of safe sport environments in Slovenia.

The conference, held on the 22nd and 23rd of October 2025 at the Grand Hotel Bernardin, brought together experts in integrity, ethics, and safeguarding in sport, as well as representatives of national and international sport organizations.

The first day featured a roundtable discussion titled “Strategy in the Field of Safe Sport Environment”, with the following distinguished speakers:

Prof. Dr. Miroslav Cerar Jr., President of the OKS-ZŠZ Integrity Commission,

Prof. Dr. Verica Trstenjak, Vice-President of the OKS-ZŠZ Integrity Commission,

Dr. Maja Smrdu, Member of the Ethics Commission of the European Olympic Committees,

Dr. Rožle Prezelj, Athlete Ombudsman, Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport,

Joana Gonçalves, Project Manager, National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Portugal, representing the Erasmus+ GRASS project.

The second day focused on the presentation of the GRASS project, led by Joana Gonçalves, Project Manager at the NOC Portugal. She presented the project’s goals, implementation process, and consortium partners, and showcased two key project tools – the Safe Sport Self-Assessment Tool and Safe Sport Digital Toolkit.

The Slovenian perspective was presented by Peter Dokl, OLY, Head of the Department for Athletes and Olympic Values at OKS-ZŠZ. He introduced the four Slovenian clubs involved in the project, outlined the implementation approach taken by the National Olympic Committee of Slovenia and shared examples of good practices from Slovenia. He concluded with a reflection on the broader importance of safe sport environments for children and youth and called on national federations to share these insights with their member clubs.

The conference emphasized the importance of a systematic approach to safeguarding in sport, including the development of guidelines, education of professionals, and the creation of a culture of zero tolerance toward violence and abuse in sport. The Erasmus+ GRASS Project is coordinated by the NOC Portugal, with the National Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Association of Sports Federations among its key partners.