Switzerland launches sport ethics barometer 

Ethics is part of the Spirit of Sport programme. KEYSTONE

Unethical behaviour in sports is to be spotlighted by a new digital tool that has been unveiled in Switzerland.

With the newly launched digital ethics compass, the Swiss Olympic Sports Federation and the Federal Office of Sport are providing those responsible with a practical tool. They describe it as a “milestone” in the “Ethics in Sport” project. 

Based on 135 specific examples in four core areas, the compass is intended to provide orientation, particularly in the grey area, as the sports umbrella organisation and the Federal Office of Sport announced on Thursday. Using the four core topics of power, ideals, proximity and pressure, the compass uses colour to indicate how a situation should be classified. 

According to the information, green means that everything is in order. Grey stands for irritating, high-risk situations that should be addressed openly and discussed together. 

The red area includes suspected criminal offences. Orange shows where ethical offences begin. In the event of a suspected ethical offence and in cases of doubt, the compass advises users to contact the Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) reporting office and connects directly to its portal. The compass is available in German, French, Italian and English. 

The joint project “Ethics in Sport” is aimed not only at athletes, but primarily at training managers, supervisors and support staff. This includes both amateur and professional sport. According to the press release, a common understanding of where these boundaries lie is particularly important in competitive sport, where boundaries are explored. 

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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