Safe Sport Awards 2026
Presented at SafeSport26 Global Conference | 25–27 May
Celebrating individuals, organisations, researchers and athletes advancing safer sport around the world.
Celebrating leadership and impact in safe sport
The Safe Sport Awards recognise people and organisations whose work is helping turn the vision of everyone, everywhere safe in sport into reality.
Presented during SafeSport26 at the University of Cape Town, the 2026 awards celebrated leadership, research, athlete voice, innovation and sustained commitment to strengthening safeguarding across sport.
The awards recognise not only individual achievement, but the collective effort required to create sporting environments in which safety, dignity and wellbeing are fundamental.
SSI Young Professionals Essay Competition
Emerging professionals and young leaders (under 30) were invited to submit an essay exploring the future of safeguarding in sport.
Essay Question – “In an ideal world, what would safeguarding in sport look like from a young person’s perspective and what solutions could transform the current space to reflect this?”
Minimum 800 words, maximum 2000 words. Open to: those under 30 years of age
Winner: Kwamena A. N. Hammond
Recognised for the essay “Beyond the Playbook: A Youth-Led Vision for Safeguarding in Sport”, which described safeguarding as the invisible infrastructure of trust that allows sport to flourish and placed young people at the centre of shaping safer, more inclusive sporting experiences.
SSI Athlete Voice Award
Recognising an individual, group or organisation that has elevated athlete voices as a guiding force in safe sport.
The award celebrated initiatives that bring athlete voices together, demonstrate trauma- and violence- informed approaches and have had a positive impact on the safe sport field.
Winner: Balamu Community Outreach Program (BACOP)
Recognised for creating athlete-led forums and safe spaces that empower young athletes, particularly girls, to share experiences, influence decisions, challenge discrimination and actively contribute to safer sporting environments.
SSI Kari Fasting International Research Award
Named in honour of Professor Kari Fasting and recognising an individual or research group that has significantly advanced knowledge and understanding in any area of safe sport.
Winner: Professor Katsumi Mori
Recognised for outstanding contribution to safeguarding research and global knowledge development, including long-term international partnerships, evidence-based research and contribution to global safeguarding capacity-building.
SSI Celia Brackenridge Award for Service to Safe Sport
Named after Professor Celia Brackenridge, this award recognises an individual, group, or organisation that has made a sustained contribution to ending violence, abuse or harassment in sports environments.
Winner: Mrs Malebo Raditladi-Nkgakile
Recognised for long-standing leadership and commitment to safeguarding across Africa, including policy development, implementation, capacity building and safeguarding oversight for major sporting events.
Past Winners
Safe Sport International has a proud history of recognising leadership, innovation and sustained contribution across the international safe sport community.
Celebrating Progress in Safe Sport
The 2026 recipients demonstrate the breadth of work taking place around the world to strengthen safeguarding systems, elevate athlete voices and turn evidence and commitment into practical action.
Their work reflects the collective effort required to create a future where everyone, everywhere can participate in sport safely.