18 February 2026
The Kick-off Meeting of the Safe Tennis Project Took Place in Norway
The Türkiye Tennis Federation (TTF) participated in the kick-off meeting of the Safe Tennis: Safeguarding in European Tennis – Building a Safer Future project, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Sports Program. The official starting meeting of the project was held in Oslo, the capital of Norway, with the participation of the project partners.
Coordinated by Collective Innovation (COLIN) and scheduled to last for 36 months, the project aims for young tennis players across Europe to develop in a safe and supportive sports environment. Safe Tennis aims to build a holistic safety culture, from clubs to federations, by bringing together "safeguarding" standards in the tennis world under a common framework.
Common Safety Standards Across Europe
Within the scope of the Safe Tennis project, a standardized "Safeguarding Framework" will be developed for tennis federations in Europe. Thanks to this framework, common policies and practices regarding the physical, psychological, and social safety of young athletes will be implemented.
The main outputs of the project include:
Preparation of comprehensive tennis-specific training modules,
Implementation of awareness programs for coaches, referees, administrative staff, athletes, and parents,
Establishment of a pan-European Digital Safeguarding Hub where violations can be reported safely and confidentially,
Creation of effective case management mechanisms based on the principle of confidentiality.
Thanks to this digital platform, both training processes will be conducted online, and a safe reporting infrastructure will be provided for potential violations.
Strong International Consortium
The Safe Tennis project brings together eight important institutions that are experts in sports management, academic research, and innovation. While Collective Innovation (COLIN) undertakes the coordination of the project, the partner federations include the Türkiye Tennis Federation, as well as the Romanian Tennis Federation, the Hungarian Tennis Federation, and the Lithuanian Tennis Union.
Academic and innovation partners include the Netherlands-based The Hague University of Applied Sciences. In addition, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Tennis Europe are supporting the project as participating institutions.
The Role of the Türkiye Tennis Federation
The Türkiye Tennis Federation will take an active role in integrating safeguarding standards into the tennis ecosystem across Türkiye, in alignment with the safe sports policies of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The TTF, together with the Romanian and Hungarian federations, will lead the processes of developing training programs, identifying target audiences, and implementing safeguarding policies at the club level.
Furthermore, international ITF, WTA, and ATP tournaments held in Türkiye will provide an important pilot ground for the implementation and testing of the new safety protocols.
With the kick-off meeting held in Oslo, the Safe Tennis project has officially been brought to life, and concrete steps have begun to be taken for a safer and more sustainable future in European tennis.
18 February 2026
