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During the World Athletes Summit at UNI Global Union head office in Nyon, the elected representatives of 150,000 athletes from across the globe voted unanimously to establish a federation of world player associations. The “Nyon Declaration” is a landmark in the fight to champion athletes’ rights. The new platform will tackle crisis in governance of world sports organisations. Two of the issued the federation will focus on are the WADA rules on anti-doping and the Olympic Athletes Agreement.



Walter Palmer, responsible for sport at UNI Global Union said, “There is a consensus among players that a crisis in sport governance exists. Athletes now have a platform to assert their independent voice without being filtered by sport administrators. We will engage with WADA. We will engage with the IOC and international federations over the unfair Olympic contract and we will support players worldwide with their struggle to be recognised and heard. We regret that Frank Fredericks, the head of the IOC Athletes Commission, did not choose to respond to our invitation to join the meeting in Nyon.”



In an historic first meeting, players’ associations came together at UNI to demand that the rights of athletes be fully respected.



Theo van Seggeln, Secretary General, International Federation of Football Players Unions, said “Professional sport is global and therefore solutions to the problems we have in sports need to be solved on a global level. For that reason today we took a big step forward.”



Rob Nichol, Executive Director, International Rugby Players’ Association added, “This new initiative gives athletes a united global voice. We look forward to a much higher level of engagement with sporting administrators around the world. This is long over due.”



UNI Global Union hosted the World Athletes Summit to champion athletes’ rights. More than a 100 players’ associations from as far a field as Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Japan representing sports as diverse as Gaelic football, baseball, ice hockey and cricket are seeking a blueprint for success - a new agenda to drive forward the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen.



The key topics discussed included collective bargaining, the status of players, and the reform of the anti-doping rules, anti-corruption measures, image rights, and dual careers/transition programmes.



All the players’ associations present at the World Athletes Summit stressed the importance of education for athletes and tailored training that will give them the chance to fulfil their potential once their playing careers have come to an end.



With reference to the Nyon Declaration, Yves Kummer, President, European Elite Athletes Association, said, “Dear Mr. Howman, Dear Mr. Rogge, we now have a “W”. It’s finally time to give the sport back to the athletes. The athlete trade unions are the only independent voice of sportsmen and sportswomen. And they need to take their place within the family of sport.”



Philip Jennings, General Secretary, UNI Global Union told the participants, “I’m proud to say that I was there when the Nyon Declaration was signed. Something is changing – you are changing the world of sport. This is a break through for athletes. The players’ associations now have a united global voice and the governing sports bodies and governments will have to listen.”



Read the Nyon Declaration by clicking on the tab at the top of the page “Related Files”