Bangkok | Day Three

The most important meeting for our WDSF delegation on day three was the ARISF Workshop which was a workshop held jointly between the the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Recognized Sports Federations (ARISF).

It was held in a completely different format, being much more proactive and interactive.
There was a short presentation about the new IOC Athletes' Commission Project “Athlete 365” under the new Chair Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe. This allows all future projects to be branded under the same name making it is easily accessible to the athletes through all digital and social media channels.

The IOC makes this a huge project, collecting information from athletes around the world to adapt and improve the conditions they compete in.

The survey's name is “Athletes Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.” The first part of the survey was sent out to International Federations in February and I am happy to say that our Athletes' Commission was a part of it. There were approximately 1'000 athletes' representatives participating in the first survey. Now the goal is to reach of 10'000 athletes.

It is very important for WDSF to participate in this survey, as the results of it are likely to bring about  improvements to the rights of athletes in DanceSport. The survey focuses on these areas:

• Integrity 
• Good governance 
• Well-being
• Competitions 

As soon as the questionnaires are available, I urge all athletes to helpthe Athletes' Commission with this project. MAgain, I invite you to find out more at www.olympic.org/athlete365

Since I was the only athletes' representative present along with Ms  Coventry, I was invited to address the meeting to speak on behalf of the the athletes in DanceSport. There were approximately 20 International Federations in attendance.  I believe I was able to convey a clear message to these governing bodies and to the IOC that the WDSF Athletes' Commission is active in bringing improvements to all areas in DanceSport. A great achievement, I would say.

Other topics which the IOC addressed were:

• Prevention of harassment and abuse in sport
• Gender balance and inclusion 
• Sport portrayal
• Culture
• Communication 
• Good governance 

All these topicas were expanded upon in the "IOC Toolkit," a document which was approved by the IOC Executive Board.

"Olympism in Action," a related initiative, will hold a workshop in Buenos Aires, ARG, before the Youth Olympic Games in October. WDSF has been invited to participate in this workshop. Read up on it on www.olympic.org/olympism-in-action