The schedule at the second Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Conference – entitled Waves of Change – DEI and Integrity Forum – that will take place in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Friday (September 26) will cover a huge range of topics thanks to the input of a stellar group of speakers.

A year on from its first staging in Belfast, the Conference – which will once again precede the European Aquatics (EA) Congress – is offering three morning sessions that will address ethical questions as well as offering inspiring stories and first-hand insights.

Presided over by Denmark’s EA Bureau member Pernille Blume, who retired in 2022 having won three Olympic freestyle medals including  50m gold, the event will open with brief speeches of welcome from EA President Antonio Silva, Shalva Gogoladze, Minister of Sports for Georgia, and Aleksandre Nikolaishvili, President of the Georgian Aquatic Sports National Federation.

The first session, entitled Waves of Impact – Stories that Inspire, will feature presentations from Jan Pommer, chief executive of the German Swimming Federation (DSV), Densign White, chief executive of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), Arnoud Strijbis, new director of the Royal Netherlands Swimming Federation (KNZB) and Mary McMorrow, Director of Operations in Swim Ireland.

As a background to Pommer’s contribution DSV has commented: “Deutscher Schwimm-Verband has established the right of every athlete, and everybody involved in swimming to a safe swim sport.

“With the help of different internal stakeholders DSV has started a broad process to develop a legal framework that reflects the necessities of this task.

“This framework consists, amongst others, of a ‘dos and don´ts’, a set of rules for compliant behaviour and a guidance how to work with these rules on a day-to-day basis.

“Jan will describe and reflect this process and its challenges and opportunities.”

McMorrow will share the story of why and how Swim Ireland took on Sean MacDermott Street pool and became a central part of the local community.

Stribjis will speak about water basketball. In a description of his planned contribution, he commented:

“Inclusion is an important theme in our society nowadays. And it is extremely important that we include para sports in our events.

“In The Netherlands it is normal that para athletes swim during national championships. For some disciplines we have to look for better alternatives for para athletes.

“That is why we have waterbasketbal. It is a combination of waterpolo, korfball, and basketball, but it has its own unique character.

“The game can be played with two floating water baskets anchored to the pool floor in any way. These baskets each consist of one float, a hoop, and four uprights. The equipment is specifically designed for this sport.

“Anyone with a disability who can swim can participate in this sport. Men and women can participate in mixed teams. There is no distinction based on disability, age, or gender.

“This team sport is suitable for all ages. Each team is also allowed to have an able-bodied player in its starting lineup.

“The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent’s floating basket and prevent the opposing team from scoring a point.

“In the presentation I will speak about the sport and also what the opportunities are for our society, for Europe and beyond.”

Sports lawyer Justin Lessard, senior manager of the Aquatics Integrity Unit, will deliver the second topic on the subject of his specialism.

The Integrity session will be introduced by the EA general secretary Noam Zwi.

Justin will address the following themes in his speech entitled Leading With Integrity:

*Understanding roles and responsibilities as sport administrators to protect sport integrity

*Identifying key integrity risks in high-performance sports settings

*Recognising and responding to integrity concerns in a timely, effective, and responsible manner

The third section is entitled Athlete Forum: Special Olympic Voices.

It will involve input from Georgia’s Special Olympics skier Mariam Khutsianidze and Special Olympics winter sports coach Anano Baidauri, Zhana Gotsireli, President of Special Olympics Georgia and Matteo Succhi, sports manager for Special Olympics Europe Eurasia.

The following topics will be covered:

Athlete Empowerment & Access

• Give athletes with and without disabilities equal access to sport and leadership roles. Equal opportunities, equal funding, equal vision, equal respect.
• Involve athletes in decision-making through Athlete Leadership Committees. Invite more athletes in programs and competitions.

Unified Leadership

• Apply the Unified Leadership model: athletes and community leaders working together. School should be open and progressive on unified schools.
• Include athlete representatives on boards and in policy discussions. Not just the number but the right to be represented.

Inclusive Sport System

• Make Unified Sports part of mainstream programs. Sports organisations should be ready to organise events where all athletes are included not just the elite.
• Train coaches on inclusion and celebrate all athletes equally. All coaches should at least understand how to relate and comprehend disabilities. Understand the challenges are different.
• Ensure accessible facilities, equipment, and lifelong participation pathways.

The sessions will be followed by a Waves of Change Awards ceremony in which 31 national federations will be recognised for signing the DEI Statement.

There will then be closing remarks from President Silva and Sarah Keane, the DEI Commission chair.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics