By Daniela Negreda

For nearly 30 years, I have been dedicated to Marketing, Business Development, Branding, and Sports Administration. In recent years, I have had the privilege of working with IGNITX as an Advisor and Business Strategist. My journey into safeguarding in the sports industry began with the "Building European Safe Sport Together" (BESST) project, where I served as one of the team members responsible for the research in understanding the level of safeguarding implementation amongst European sports organisations. Through this extensive research, surveys, and interviews, it became evident that safeguarding in sports was not just a necessity but an opportunity for impactful change. This realization led me to focus on developing safeguarding products for IGNITX, ensuring that athletes, entourage, staff and volunteers are protected at all levels of sport.

IGNITX  has sports safeguarding as one of its focus streams, as a core principle of the organisation. While the company is widely known for event management, its safeguarding stream has grown significantly, especially following the BESST project. Today, IGNITX provides comprehensive safeguarding solutions to governing bodies, sports organizations, and event organizers of all sizes. Whether it's a small gymnastics studio or an international multi-sport event, IGNITX is committed to ensuring that sports environments are free from transgressive behavior for all participants.

My passion for safeguarding stems from my experience as a volleyball player in Brazil. During my career, discussions around safeguarding and transgressive behavior were inexistent. It was only while working with IGNITX that I started to realise how many instances of misconduct had occurred without being properly identified or addressed at my time as a volleyball player. This revelation drove me to take action—ensuring that sports environments are safe and that every individual, from young children to professional athletes, can participate in the activities that they love without fear.

To address the critical need for safety in sports, IGNITX has developed three key products:

IGNITX’s products make a significant impact by:

By fostering a culture of knowledge and accountability, together,  we can prevent misconduct before it happens, rather than merely responding after the fact.

The most significant challenge in safeguarding is the lack of awareness. Many people still believe that such issues cannot happen within their organisation or community, creating a false sense of security.

The salient bias is a phenomenon where only the most mediatic events are reported, so people do not relate to the facts, imagining that it cannot happen to them or to anyone close to them. In reality, transgressive behaviour happens everywhere to everyone all the time. 

Research has shown that perpetrators are often individuals close to their victims, making it even more crucial to educate and inform sports communities about identifying and addressing transgressive behavior. Knowledge is power! 

Another major challenge in safeguarding is breaking the myths and biases surrounding transgressive behavior. When talking about Safeguarding, in many languages, it is translated as abuse and harassment, which directly relates to the concept that it is solely about sexual misconduct. The truth is transgressive behaviour encompasses physical, psychological and sexual misbehaviours. 

Addressing these challenges requires a cultural shift, and IGNITX is committed to fostering this change by educating organisations and individuals about the broad spectrum of safeguarding concerns.

IGNITX has played a pivotal role in high-profile events, including:

For full information on these success stories, access the link.

In the next five years, safeguarding will continue to evolve, shifting from policy creation to full-scale operations. More organisations are recognising the importance of maintaining safeguarding programs, not just as formalities but as essential protective measures. 

Increased financial support, more specialised personnel, and greater awareness will drive this transformation, ensuring that safeguarding becomes an integral part of every sports organisation just like it happened with anti-doping.

Emerging technologies will continue to assist this development. For instance, IGNITX has an anonymous reporting mechanism that allows individuals to report transgressive behaviours without revealing their identity, while still enabling follow-up communication between the parties.

Additionally, IGNITX is also involved in the of Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union project “Building European Safe Sport Together” continuation “Building European Safe Sports Together 2.0” (BESST 2.0) project which is integrating virtual reality training to enhance awareness and understanding of transgressive behavior. 

These innovations make safeguarding more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective.

At IGNITX, we believe that safeguarding is not about punishment, by then it is too late. We want to ensure that we work on protection and prevention. By creating awareness, offering effective training, and implementing structured safeguarding solutions, we aim to foster a sports culture where every individual can participate with confidence and security. Through continuous innovation and collaboration, we are committed to making sports an environment free of transgressive behaviour.

If you want to join us in this initiative, let’s discuss how IGNITX can help you with a customised solution.