European Athletics celebrates Human Rights  Day – European Athletics

22 September 2025 On International Human Rights Day (10 December), European Athletics reaffirms its strong and unwavering commitment to placing human rights at the heart of our sport.  In 2025, the “Race for Respect” initiative did more than raise awareness of this critical issue.

Through visible, practical actions, including postcard campaigns, dedicated safeguarding spaces at events, strengthened TV broadcast guidelines, and educational workshops—European Athletics continues to lead by example, integrating human rights principles across all areas of governance and operations.

By recognising the importance of human rights and embedding these principles into the way we govern our sport, European Athletics is strengthening the structures that respect and protect every person who takes part in our events.

„Guiding principle“

„Through the Race for Respect campaign, European Athletics is raising awareness, educating the athletics community, and reinforcing a culture where dignity, safety, respect and fairness are the standard for athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers alike. „The reflections shared by athletes show clearly why this work matters. Their experiences underline the importance of creating environments that support mental well-being, celebrate diversity, and empower individuals to speak up when something is not right.

„European Athletics will continue working closely with our Member Federations and Local Organising Committees to advance these values across all our championships,” said European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.

“Human rights are not a mere agenda item, they are a guiding principle for everything we do.”

Chair of the Human Rights Working Group, within the European Athletics Governance and Integrity Commission, Mr. Toralf Nilsson said:

 “Based on the recommendations approved by the Congress in Belgrade 2023, European Athletics, with valuable support and expertise from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, have been working intensively over the last two years to integrate human rights requirements in the bidding process of European Athletics events and events’ lifecycle.

“There is still more to be done, but we should be proud for what we have achieved so far, for example embedding European Athletics commitment into relevant event documents and developed human rights knowledge among staff and Member Federations. 

“In November, we delivered a well received in-person workshop in Geneva for the Local Organising Committees for our Major Events in the coming years and the respective European Athletics project leaders, as well as bidders for the upcoming editions of the European Athletics Championships indoors and outdoors”.

Athlete support_ Furthermore, the ambitions and values of “Race for Respect” were being upheld and celebrated by the many athletes who had competed at European Athletics events in 2025. Each athlete has different lived experiences, but were united in their support of education, awareness, and reporting mechanisms in all aspects of the sport.

You can read the full interviews and article on our website.