Ending Exploitation: United Through Sports' Fight to Protect Youth Athletes

Julia Govinden, CEO of United Through Sports, tells the basic steps that sports at any level need to put in place to safeguard their vulnerable young athletes.

As CEO of United Through Sports (UTS), Julia Govinden leads the world’s largest all-inclusive youth sport organisation, across the Olympic, Paralympic, and Special Olympic movements and beyond.

Under the stewardship of the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS), UTS hosts international multi-sports events and World Youth Festivals to promote tolerance, equality and non-discrimination for sport.

For example, in August in Colombia, UTS and the Special Olympics hosted the “No Barriers Cup” where 700 youth with and without disabilities from 10 municipalities competed in futsal, basketball, athletics, dance sports and more, side by side.

The Sports and Crime Briefing sat down with Govinden to discuss how UTS views integrity challenges across sport and what permanent changes are needed to fix them.

Govinden with a young athlete at the UTS Schools Program during the World Combat Games 2023 in Riyadh. Source: UTS.

Sports and Crime Briefing (SCB): UTS works across a range of s…