Survey: Sport, children and COVID-19

The Centre for Sport and Human Rights has launched a survey to learn from children about the impact of the pandemic on their sporting activities.

Earlier this year, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights convened a process whereby experts shared their concerns related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children engaged in sport, ranging from those who are elite athletes to those on school or community teams. One of the outcomes of the process was the Report An Overview of the Sport-Related Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children. And one of the calls to action of the report was that “stakeholders should engage with children living in a variety of contexts to learn their perceptions and concerns about the impact of the pandemic on their sporting activities and ensure that their views are taken into account in decision making.”

In response to that recommendation, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights has just launched a survey to learn from children about the impact of the pandemic on their sporting activities.

The questions have been framed with the support of Jonathan Hannay MBE, Representative of CARF-UK and member of the International Safeguards for Children in Sport.

The survey is available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Lao, with the possibility of additional languages, if translation is provided.

The target audience is children involved in sport, either through elite teams, grassroots sport, or sport for development. The aim is to reach a broad range of children, including professional athletes, members of school teams, those living in the Global South, those in humanitarian situations, those with disabilities, LGBTQI+, those living in rural communities, etc.

The survey opened on December 14th, accompanied by a social media campaign, and closes on February 15th. By March 15th, the Centre will produce a draft report with the results in two versions – one for children, and the other for decision-makers within sport bodies and government and civil society organizations – and ask for your feedback. The final versions of the report will be shared on April 30th.