The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has launched the Nigeria Safeguarding in Sports Policy, a comprehensive framework designed to protect athletes and other sports participants from abuse, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, neglect, and misconduct.
Speaking at the policy launch in Abuja on Tuesday, NOC President, Engineer Habu Gumel, described the initiative as a major milestone in promoting athlete welfare and creating safer sporting environments across the country.
Gumel said the policy aligns with International Olympic Committee (IOC) principles and global best practices, stressing that every athlete deserves to train and compete in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment.
He explained that the policy establishes clear standards, reporting channels, and accountability mechanisms to address safeguarding concerns from grassroots sports programmes to elite national teams.
“The policy represents our commitment to zero tolerance for abuse in sports and reinforces our responsibility to protect all participants, especially vulnerable groups,” he said.
Gumel urged national sports federations to adopt and implement the policy by appointing safeguarding officers and strengthening education and awareness programmes.
He emphasized that the welfare and dignity of athletes, particularly children, women, and persons with disabilities, must remain central to sports development efforts.
Chairman of the NOC Safeguarding Commission, Dr. Olajide Adebola, said safeguarding extends beyond physical protection to include psychological, emotional, and sexual well-being.
According to him, many safeguarding violations stem from power imbalances between athletes and coaches, officials, or administrators.
He noted that verbal humiliation, intimidation, sexual misconduct, neglect of athletes’ welfare, and even non-payment of allowances can constitute safeguarding breaches.
Adebola explained that the policy introduces confidential reporting mechanisms, investigation procedures, sanctions for offenders, and preventive measures such as training programmes, background checks, and the appointment of safeguarding officers during sporting events.
He also revealed that preliminary findings from a safeguarding assessment conducted during the recent National Sports Festival showed that abuse, neglect, and harassment remain prevalent within parts of Nigeria’s sports ecosystem.
The findings, he said, highlight the urgent need to empower athletes to report misconduct without fear of victimisation.
Representing the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Assistant Commander General Dara Kolo Shinaba Mohammed linked safeguarding efforts to the fight against substance abuse among young people and athletes.
Mohammed described the policy launch as a collective commitment to protecting athletes, officials, women, children, and other vulnerable groups from abuse, exploitation, bullying, discrimination, and drug-related harm.
He called for increased investment in sports as a tool for prevention, character development, and social inclusion, while pledging NDLEA’s support through awareness campaigns, preventive education, and youth engagement initiatives.
A major highlight of the event was the formal adoption of the safeguarding policy by several national sports federations, including the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Nigeria Netball Federation, and Nigeria Teqball Federation.
Stakeholders at the event described the policy as a significant step toward strengthening athlete welfare, promoting integrity in sports, and aligning Nigeria’s sporting system with international safeguarding standards.
They expressed confidence that effective implementation of the policy would create safer sporting environments and enable athletes to pursue excellence free from fear, abuse, and exploitation
By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
About The Author
