Over 100 Athletes Participated in the Croatian Olympic Committee’s Safeguarding in Sport Education; Thursday Dedicated to Education for Coaches

The first day of the two-day event, focused on sport as a safe environment for all stakeholders, was opened by Croatian Olympic Committee President Zlatko Mateša. He emphasized the importance of such gatherings, noting that parents need to be aware of the environment in which they are placing their children for training. He added that, given Croatia’s poor demographic picture, the mission is to attract as many children as possible to sport from a small base of about 700,000 people under the age of 19.

Renowned Olympian and Croatian Olympic Committee Vice President Barbara Matić highlighted the importance of feeling safe in sport, “as many athletes spend a large part of their lives in it.” She told young athletes they must not tolerate any form of discrimination or violence. This message was echoed by Morana Paliković Gruden, Chair of the Croatian Olympic Committee’s Gender Equality in Sport Commission, who stressed that the most important thing is to become aware of and recognize the problem, and to find methods for addressing and eliminating it.

On the topic “What is Safe Sport?”, Associate Professor Dr. Zrinka Greblo Jurakić from the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, and a member of the EU Council’s international expert team on safeguarding in sport, gave a powerful presentation. One particularly engaging part addressed both the positive and negative potentials of sport. She pointed out that “in environments where athletes’ personal well-being is subordinated to athletic success, various forms of abusive behavior are more frequent, which can have a strong negative impact on athletes’ physical and mental health, performance, and motivation to continue participating in sport.”

During the interactive lecture “STOP Violence in Sport: Recognizing Online and Sexual Violence,” the Ombudsperson for Children, Helenca Pirnat Dragičević, and clinical psychologist Ella Selak Bagarić, head of the Youth Health Centre, managed to actively engage the audience and obtain some relevant responses. The Ombudsperson stated that 52 reports related to child protection in sport were received last year, but none were submitted by athletes themselves. She emphasized that athletes have the right to protect their physical and mental integrity and to operate in a violence-free environment, and that they are obligated not to remain silent but to report any misconduct to the appropriate authorities. Psychologist Selak Bagarić pointed out that violence in sport increasingly manifests through digital communication channels, especially social media. As for sexual violence—a very complex form of interpersonal abuse—she warned that it may be masked by authority, closed structures, and a culture of silence in sport.

In the third lecture, titled “Coping with Pressure: How Your Behavior Can Change Your Path to Success?”, mental coach Sandra Đurijanček also managed to engage athletes in active participation. Concepts such as mental training, positive and negative stress, intensity and focus, and circles of control were familiar to many participants, who now received guidance on how to manage them in daily life, particularly in relation to training and competition rhythms.

The panel discussion “The Coach–Athlete Relationship Over Time” featured honest and experience-based insights from current and former athletes: Damir Martin and Mirna Rajle Brođanac (rowing), Matea Parlov Koštro and Andrea Ivančević Petrač (athletics), Mia Šimunić (water polo, now head coach of the women’s national team), and coaching duo Mladen Katalinić (athletics) and Dinko Kremić (wrestling).

Reflecting on the event, surveyed athletes most often described the education as: useful, necessary, educational, interesting, and encouraging.

PROGRAMME – DAY 2 OF THE EDUCATION EVENT

On Thursday, 15 May, from 10:00 to 14:00, the Croatian Olympic Committee will host the second day of the education programme, designed this time for coaches.

The session will open with Dr. Zrinka Greblo Jurakić’s lecture “Safe Sport – The Foundation of Athletes’ Personal and Professional Development” (10:15). This will be followed by a joint presentation from Ombudsperson for Children Helenca Pirnat Dragičević and clinical psychologist Ella Selak Bagarić titled “Recognizing Violence Among Athletes – Cyberbullying and Sexual Violence” (10:50). At 11:50, Dr. Igor Jukić, Director of the Centre for Research and Development of High-Performance Sports Training, will speak on “The Sports Coach – Provider and Seeker of Protection.”

The two-day programme will conclude at 12:30 with a lecture by mental coach Sandra Đurijanček titled “Recognizing and Coping with Stress and Performance Pressure.”