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By Ijaz Ahmad
PESHAWAR, President Athletic Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Maj. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Akram Sahi termed Athletes Commission (AC) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a step taken in the right direction.
Talking to APP in exclusive chat, General Akram Sahi, who is also member of the World Value Commission of International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) and Executive Member of the Asian Athletic Association (AAA), said that the Steering Committee of 20 athlete representatives from around the world, assembled by the Athletes’ Commission (AC) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Friday released the initial components of an Athlete Charter to address and protect the fundamental rights and responsibilities of athletes around the world including Pakistan. It is a good step and certainly would endures and promote athletes across the world including Pakistan, he said.
He said, Pakistan is a key member of IAAF and currently former international athlete and discus thrower
The Olympic Movement will address, protect fundamental rights of athletes around the world reaches out to thousands of global athletes to make their voice heard on the Athlete Charter, he added.
The current draft of the Athlete Charter has been shaped by the input of almost 200 athlete representatives representing all continents across the globe including Pakistan. The initiative is another concrete step in the implementation of the IOC AC’s strategy.
Today marks the next phase of the Athlete Charter’s development, whereby the Steering Committee is inviting elite-level athletes worldwide to share their voice and contribute to a second-phase survey that will continue to shape this important document. This aims to become the world’s largest athlete-focused survey ever commissioned.
As the sports world continues to evolve, it is more important than ever to amplify the voice of athletes and empower and protect them. This is why the Steering Committee has undertaken to create a reference document that defines the rights and responsibilities of athletes, a released issued by International Olympic Committee says.
“It’s about empowering athletes to succeed in their sport, making sure their voices are heard, and ensuring they have the best possible opportunities during and after their competitive careers,” said Sarah Walker, Olympic medalist, BMX racer and Chair of the 20-member Steering Committee.
The Athlete Charter of Rights and Responsibilities aims to articulate the rights of athletes, and their responsibilities in an inspirational, yet straightforward document developed through an inclusive process. The goal is a body of fundamental principles that are both universal and flexible enough to adapt to athletes’ needs across the full range of sports and countries, said Akram Sahi.
It is an athlete-driven initiative, developed by athletes, for athletes. Its development is a step-by-step and collaborative process with all stakeholders, with the content of the Athlete Charter driven by listening to athlete views worldwide, he added.
He said, the Steering Committee is composed of 20 athlete representatives from across the Olympic Movement, with 10 from International Federations, five from the Association of National Olympic Committees, one from the International Paralympic Committee, one from the World Olympians Association and three from the IOC AC. This Steering Committee is responsible for leading the project, spearheading its assembly and overseeing the delivery of the final Athlete Charter.
Former International Athlete Habib-ur-Rehman termed it a good initiative for the protection and development of athletes around the world including Pakistan. He said being member of the Asian Amateur Athletic Association, the President of Pakistan Athletic Federation Maj General (Retd) Akram Sethi is also working hard under the umbrella of (AAA) in Pakistan and hopefully the camps have already been announced for the forthcoming Asian Games, Pakistan athlete would show good result. He said Pakistan has good achievement in Asian Indoor Athletic Championship held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan where Pakistan won gold medal in 4X400m relay besides one of the athlete Arshad qualified for the final round in recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games-2018 held in Australia in Javelin throw.
Currently organized around five key topics, the Athlete Charter addresses the most relevant issues athletes face today. These include: 1) Integrity and Clean Sport, 2) Governance and Communication, 3) Career and Marketing, 4) Safeguarding, and 5) Sports Competition.
Today, elite-level athletes across all sports are invited to join the movement to further define the Athlete Charter. To join the conversation and make their voices heard, athletes are encouraged to sign up on the Athlete365 webpage. This is an un-paralleled opportunity to shape one of the most important conversations in sport today.