Prince and Princess back safeguards for young athletes

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene opened the 19th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport in Monaco on 4 November, bringing together sports ministers from across the continent for talks on safeguarding young athletes. The princely couple used their address to argue that sport can only bring people together if it inspires trust, a message aimed squarely at the abuses that have surfaced in youth coaching and training programmes across Europe in recent years.

Discussions focused on how national federations and clubs can build safer, better supervised environments for children taking part in organised sport, from vetting of coaches to clearer reporting channels for young athletes who experience mistreatment. Princess Charlene, through her foundation's long-standing work on child safety and water safety, has repeatedly flagged gaps in how young people are protected once they enter competitive sporting structures.

For Monaco, hosting the conference reinforces the Principality's position as a venue for international sports policy discussions, alongside its established role in hosting federations and governing bodies. Residents involved in local sports clubs and academies will be watching closely for any resulting Council of Europe guidelines, which typically filter through to national sporting bodies including the Monaco federations that oversee youth programmes in football, swimming and other disciplines.