Play the Game 2017 launches sexual harassment theme, extends abstract submission deadline

American gymnastics, English football, Dutch cycling, Flemish judo, Danish orienteering … no sport, no country seems to be exempt from shocking stories on young athletes who have been victims of a variety of sexual assaults, harassment and abuse by the very coaches and officials who are entrusted to protect them against bodily harm.

Though it has been on and off the public agenda for decades, sexual abuse remains one of the most sensitive and unspoken issues in sport. The personal stories are told at great sacrifice, often after years of silent suffering, and the burden of proof extremely is difficult to carry. Simple solutions are hard to find in an environment where appropriate psychological and physical nearness between grown-ups and youth is an important quality.

Play the Game 2017 will highlight some current cases and discuss best practices in how sexual abuse can be prevented without creating a daily atmosphere of continuous mistrust.

Extended deadline for abstract submission
The very promising abstract submission process for the conference is well under way but in order to offer adequate time for persons who wish to qualify this new conference theme with their storyline, Play the Game has decided to extend the deadline for abstract submission.

The new deadline is 7 August 2017.

This new time frame also applies to all other conference themes. The complete list of conference themes is as follows:

• Governance in sport: Change or be changed?
• The global fight against doping: Facing a breakthrough or a breakdown?
• Mega-events and public rights: An intensifying battle
• Disrupting sport: Winners and losers in the era of technology
• The sports market: A crime scene with impunity?
• Who will guard the guardians? Whistleblowers and media under pressure
• Sexual abuse: Is sport a special danger zone?
• Open forum

See full description of themes

Submit an abstract

Help shape the 10th Play the Game conference
We invite academics, journalists, sports officials and other stakeholders to contribute with your knowledge, experience and opinions at Play the Game 2017 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from 26-30 November – the tenth edition of a conference that has become a world leader in the international sports debate.

Whether as an academic, journalist, a sports official or in any other function your engagement is essential in order to find the solutions that society needs for sport and physical activity:

• Academics can play a key role by bringing comprehensive data, scientific methods and analytical skills into the process.
• Journalists have a special responsibility as they are often a part of the sporting environment, and they exercise strong influence on which issues that appear on the political agenda.
• Sports officials face the double-edged duty of providing economic growth and increased participation, while at the same time ensuring more ethical governance, strict anti-doping measures and social sustainability.