The Basque Government, through its Directorate for Childhood, Adolescence, and Families, and Kunina Sports & Education are jointly launching the Week of Child Welfare in Sport. This initiative will tour Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Donostia from October 26-30, with the goal of promoting sports environments that are safe, inclusive, and respectful of children's and adolescents' rights, thereby fostering their physical, social, and particularly emotional well-being.
Under the slogan Babesten Duen Kirola / The Sport that Protects, the program will bring together athletes, sports entities, educational professionals, and children and adolescents. "Physical activity enhances self-esteem, strengthens social relationships, builds bonds, and contributes to the development of emotional skills. However, these benefits require an appropriate environment. Excessive pressure for results, discrimination, verbal abuse, or lack of listening can turn an experience that should be positive into a source of distress," stated Nerea Melgosa, Minister of Welfare, Youth, and Demographic Challenge.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about the shared responsibility of institutions, clubs, federations, families, technical staff, and sports professionals to ensure that sports practice is, above all, an experience of enjoyment, learning, coexistence, and personal growth.
The Week of Child Welfare in Sport aligns with one of the Basque Government's key priorities for children: protection not only means preventing violence but also creating conditions that promote good treatment, participation, positive relationships, and emotional well-being. This approach is reflected in the Law 2/2024, of February 15, on Childhood and Adolescence of Euskadi, whose Article 36 expressly recognizes the right of minors to practice sports in accessible, safe, healthy, and inclusive environments, and discourages fostering competitiveness as a primary value.
Furthermore, the initiative directly connects with the V Interinstitutional Plan for Support to Families, Childhood, and Adolescence of Euskadi. Its strategic objectives include promoting physical and emotional well-being, fostering healthy habits, and preventing any form of violence against children and adolescents. The Government aims to extend this comprehensive approach to all spaces where children spend their time, including clubs, sports facilities, and extracurricular activities.
The program will feature conferences, round tables with prominent athletes such as Paula Leitón, Maribel Pérez, Polina Berezina, Carlos Gurpegi, Amaia Olabarrieta, Deniba Konare, Sandra Botas, and Naia Bilbao, workshops in schools, and awareness activities. Special emphasis will be placed on listening to children and adolescents themselves to understand their needs and drive proposals that enhance their well-being in sports practice.
