Български
SAFE SPORT
SAFE SPORT kick-off meeting in Skopje
29.11.2025
The SAFE SPORT – Cybersecurity for Women Athletes project officially started with a two-day kick-off meeting held on 28–29 November 2025 in Skopje, North Macedonia, bringing together all partner organisations to set the foundations for a year of impactful cooperation. The meeting was hosted by the National Network of Sport Leaders, the project’s coordinating organisation. SAFE SPORT is an Erasmus+ Sport co-funded initiative dedicated to tackling one of the fastest-growing challenges in the sport sector: the digital safety of women athletes.
With cyberbullying, online harassment, identity theft and digital exploitation increasingly affecting young women in sport, the project aims to equip athletes, coaches and sport organisations with the knowledge, tools and confidence to stay safe online. The partnership includes organisations from North Macedonia, Serbia, Estonia and Bulgaria, joining expertise from sport and technology fields.
During the kick-off meeting, partners presented their organisational backgrounds, discussed the project’s objectives, deliverables and timeline, and aligned their roles for the upcoming months. The agenda included sessions on project communication, visibility rules, financial and administrative procedures, and the coordination strategy necessary for smooth and effective collaboration. The second day focused on detailed presentations of planned activities by each partner, followed by a joint harmonisation discussion to ensure synergy across project tasks.
What SAFE SPORT will achieve?
Over the next 12 months, the project will develop:
• A Cybersecurity Toolkit to integrate digital safety education into sport-based learning;
• Training for coaches and educators to implement cybersecurity activities at grassroots level;
• Socio-sport sessions for more than 300 young women athletes to boost their digital resilience;
• Awareness-raising actions supporting safer digital environments in sport settings.
These outputs will help sport organisations strengthen their capacity to recognize, prevent and address online threats while empowering young female athletes to navigate the digital world confidently and securely. By addressing key threats and aligning with major EU policies - including the Directive on Combating Violence Against Women (2024) and the NIS2 Cybersecurity Directive - SAFE SPORT aims to make digital well-being a standard part of safe sport environments throughout Europe. The kick-off meeting in Skopje marked the beginning of a collaborative journey towards ensuring that every woman in sport can train, compete, and communicate without fear of digital harm. Partners will now move forward with national preparations, curriculum planning and toolkit development before the implementation of local activities across the four partner countries.
During the kick-off meeting, partners presented their organisational backgrounds, discussed the project’s objectives, deliverables and timeline, and aligned their roles for the upcoming months. The agenda included sessions on project communication, visibility rules, financial and administrative procedures, and the coordination strategy necessary for smooth and effective collaboration. The second day focused on detailed presentations of planned activities by each partner, followed by a joint harmonisation discussion to ensure synergy across project tasks.
What SAFE SPORT will achieve?
Over the next 12 months, the project will develop:
• A Cybersecurity Toolkit to integrate digital safety education into sport-based learning;
• Training for coaches and educators to implement cybersecurity activities at grassroots level;
• Socio-sport sessions for more than 300 young women athletes to boost their digital resilience;
• Awareness-raising actions supporting safer digital environments in sport settings.
These outputs will help sport organisations strengthen their capacity to recognize, prevent and address online threats while empowering young female athletes to navigate the digital world confidently and securely. By addressing key threats and aligning with major EU policies - including the Directive on Combating Violence Against Women (2024) and the NIS2 Cybersecurity Directive - SAFE SPORT aims to make digital well-being a standard part of safe sport environments throughout Europe. The kick-off meeting in Skopje marked the beginning of a collaborative journey towards ensuring that every woman in sport can train, compete, and communicate without fear of digital harm. Partners will now move forward with national preparations, curriculum planning and toolkit development before the implementation of local activities across the four partner countries.
