Ahead of Olympic Day 2026, FISav President Dr Julie Gabriel joined international leaders, safeguarding specialists and sports organisations for the United Through Sports Global Safeguarding Webinar, contributing to an important discussion on creating safer sporting environments for athletes around the world.
United Through Sports brought together experts from across the global sports movement to explore how safeguarding can be strengthened through education, governance and collaboration. Speaking as President of the Fédération Internationale de Savate (FISav) and Vice-President of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS), Dr Gabriel presented the work being undertaken through the AIMS Integrity E-Learning Platform and highlighted the importance of sport-specific integrity education in developing safe, respectful and inclusive sporting environments.
Her presentation emphasised that safeguarding is not simply about policies and procedures, but about fostering a culture where athletes, coaches and officials understand their responsibilities and are empowered to act with integrity.
During the webinar, Dr Gabriel reaffirmed FISav's commitment to protecting athletes at every level of participation, stating:
"Creating safe sporting environments is a responsibility shared by every federation. Our collaboration with United Through Sports and initiatives such as this safeguarding webinar demonstrate a common commitment to protecting athletes, raising awareness, and ensuring that sport remains a positive, safe and empowering experience for all participants."
The webinar was opened by United Through Sports President Stephan Fox, who underlined that safeguarding is fundamental to achieving the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Throughout the event, speakers explored a wide range of topics including athlete welfare, human trafficking, organisational culture, inclusion, governance, integrity education and safeguarding implementation. Other contributors included representatives from Mission 89, Special Olympics, IGNITX, the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union and several international sports and governance organisations, demonstrating the collective commitment across the sporting community to strengthen safeguarding worldwide.
For FISav, participation in this international forum reflects the Federation's continued commitment to promoting integrity, education and athlete welfare as fundamental pillars of its strategic development. Through its Fair Play and safeguarding initiatives, educational programmes and international partnerships, FISav continues to play an active role in supporting a sporting environment where every participant can enjoy sport safely, confidently and with respect.
As part of this commitment, FISav encourages all Member Federations, clubs and officials to make use of the educational resources available through the Federation. These include access to the AIMS Integrity E-Learning Platform as well as FISav's own Integrity and Fair Play educational resources, developed to support athletes, coaches, officials and administrators in fostering safe, respectful and inclusive sporting environments. Member Federations wishing to access these resources or learn more about the available programmes are invited to contact the FISav Office for further information.
As safeguarding continues to evolve as a global priority, FISav remains committed to working alongside international partners to ensure that the values of respect, inclusion and protection are translated into meaningful action across the worldwide Savate community.