Restoring Respect in Sports: Online educational programme

Welcome to the Restoring Respect in Sports (RRiS) Online Educational Programme (also available in Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish – Please select your language)

Sport has the power to inspire, connect, and build communities. Yet research across Europe shows that sport is also a space where discrimination, abuse, exclusion, and conflict frequently occur—affecting athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers, and supporters alike. Addressing these challenges requires more than punishment alone. It calls for approaches that repair harm, centre victims’ needs, promote accountability, and rebuild trust.

The RRiS Online Educational Programme introduces restorative justice and victim-centred approaches as practical and rights-based tools for responding to harm and discrimination in sport. Developed within the Erasmus+ Sport project Restoring Respect in Sports, this course combines European comparative research, real-life examples, and accessible learning materials to support safer, fairer, and more inclusive sporting environments.

The programme is designed for learners without prior legal or restorative justice training and uses clear language, sport-specific scenarios, reflection activities, and short assessments. Across the modules, you will explore:

• The foundations and principles of restorative justice in sport
• The relevance of the EU Victims’ Rights Directive and victim-centred practice
• How to recognise and respond to discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, sexism, and related intolerance
• Ways to promote gender equality and LGBTIQ+ inclusion
• Practical steps for applying restorative processes and building preventive, respectful sport cultures

Who is this course for

This online educational programme is designed for:

• Coaches and trainers
• Athletes and youth workers
• Referees and sport managers
• Federation representatives
• Journalists and media professionals
• Civil society organisations
• Policy-makers and educators

No prior knowledge of restorative justice or legal frameworks is required.

The Four Modules of This Course:

• Module 1: Restorative Justice and the Victims’ Rights Directive in Sport: You will explore how harm in sport affects people and communities — and how restorative, dialogue-based approaches can promote accountability, dignity, and repair.
• Module 2: Understanding Discrimination in Sport: You will understand the roots and different manifestations of racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of exclusion in sports — and learn how to prevent and address them effectively.
• Module 3: Gender Equality and LGBTIQ+ Inclusion: You will understanding structural gender inequality and how to promote inclusive, respectful sporting cultures.
• Module 4: Sport as a Tool for Social Inclusion: The module focuses on strengthening belonging, meaningful participation, and community cohesion in sport.
• Final test: A 15-question final test will help you test your knowledge gained as a result of the course. A minimum 80% score is required to pass the test.

How to Use This Course: Anticipated learning time, certification, accessibility, and supporting material

Successful completion will lead to CPD (Continuous Professional Development) Certification.

It takes approximately 2 hours to complete all modules and take the test. Additional reading materials are also provided for further learning and research.

The e-course includes software that make it accessible in various languages as well as for those with visual and hearing impairments. This course interactive tools are based on H5P. To learn more; overview of the accessibility of the various H5P content types.

You may follow the modules sequentially or focus on specific topics. Each module includes reflection questions and evaluation tools. Learning is self-paced. Dialogue and self-reflection are central to the process.

Cost

This e-course is provided free of charge.

Why This Matters

When discrimination becomes “normal” or harm is silenced, sport loses its social value.

When dignity, accountability, and inclusion are restored, sport becomes a powerful driver of equality, resilience, and social cohesion.

Restoring respect in sport is not only about responding to incidents.
It is about reshaping sporting culture.

 ERASMUS-SPORT-2024-SSCP – Sport 2024 

(ERASMUS-SPORT-2024) 

Proposal number: 101185144 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

www.rj4allsports.org