The European Athletes and Players Association (EAPA) notes with concern the recent comments attributed to IOC President Kirsty Coventry regarding the remuneration of athletes.
At a time when the rights of professional athletes are receiving increasing recognition at international level, such statements risk undermining important progress made towards ensuring fair and sustainable working conditions in sport.
Earlier this year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted Guidelines on the Application of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and on Violence and Harassment in the World of Sport. Developed through social dialogue involving governments, employers and workers’ representatives, the Guidelines recognise that professional athletes are entitled to fundamental rights and protections in the workplace.
For EAPA, this represents an important milestone. Professional athletes dedicate their careers to training, competition and performance. They generate significant value for sport and should be recognised accordingly, with appropriate rights, protections and fair economic participation.
As discussions continue around the future of the European Sport Model, EAPA believes there is a significant opportunity to place athletes’ rights, dignity and representation at the centre of sport governance. The recognition of athletes as workers is not a threat to sport; it is essential to its long-term sustainability.
Athletes are not volunteers in a professional sporting ecosystem. They are professionals whose contribution deserves recognition, protection and respect.