Athletes’ Social Protection – ISG at the SOPROS Conference
Last week, the international conference “Athletes’ Social Protection in Europe: From National Practice to European Coordination?” took place in Zagreb, with PhD Paweł Zembura representing our foundation.
The conference provided a unique platform for international dialogue. Two panel discussions were held: “Good and bad practices in social protection at the national level”, “The role of social protection in the European Model of Sport”.
PhD Paweł Zembura, who attended the event, shared a valuable insight with us:
“The conference shows how complex and challenging the social protection system is for athletes to navigate. Not only must they manage within complicated and constantly changing frameworks, but they also have to think about these issues while being fully focused on their athletic careers.
At the same time, we can observe encouraging initiatives at both the international and national levels aimed at strengthening athletes’ social protection. A notable example is FIFA’s regulations, which resulted from FIFPRO’s efforts to introduce maternity-related benefits for professional female footballers.”
What do the studies reveal?
In recent years, the issue has increasingly made headlines. While many of these reports highlighted tragic accidents, topics such as pension rights, access to healthcare, and maternity protection have also entered public discourse.
Research conducted within the EMPLOYS project indicates that limited social protection remains a daily reality for many athletes competing in Olympic sports across Europe.
Support systems often rely on ad-hoc arrangements, and the lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities between public and private entities presents a significant challenge.
Fortunately, there is a growing recognition at the European level — through initiatives such as the Council of Europe’s actions in 2021 and the International Labour Organization’s efforts in 2020 — of the need for systemic reform.
Moreover, the increasing involvement of athletes in decision-making processes highlights that social protection must become a fundamental pillar of modern sport.
The SOPROS Project – Concrete Actions for Change
In response to these challenges, ISG is actively participating in the SOPROS project, co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme.
The project aims to promote integrity and values in sport by:
- Developing self-assessment tools for athletes, sports organizations, and public authorities to gather data on the real status of social protection in Olympic sports,
- Preparing an Evaluation Report based on the collected data,
- Creating a Manual for the Implementation of Athletes’ Social Protection,
- Piloting negotiations on social rights for elite athletes,
- Organizing national and international workshops, as well as public conferences.
The project builds on the foundations laid by the EMPLOYS research and moves towards implementing concrete actions to improve the conditions of athletes across Europe.
Get Involved and Make a Difference in Athletes’ Social Protection!
At the current stage of the project, we have launched a study among Olympic athletes and representatives of sports federations in Poland.
The study focuses on assessing the existing social protection systems for athletes, identifying barriers, and gathering opinions on the needs and expectations for improvements in Poland.
If you are an athlete or someone engaged in this topic — your input is invaluable to us!
Complete the short survey – Click here to access the survey
Your voice matters!
